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Families are divided into several types according to social, economic and local conditions. The traditional extended and nuclear families are the two common types of families in Turkey. The traditional extended family, generally means that three generations live together: grandfather, adult sons and sons’ sons, their wives and their unmarried daughters a married daughter becomes a member of her husband’s family and lives there. There is a unity of production and consumption together with common property.

This type of family is becoming more and more rare today. The nuclear family, parallel to industrialization and urbanization, replaces traditional families. The nuclear family consists of a husband, wife and unmarried children and is more suitable to modern Turkish social life today.

There are some economic, traditional and emotional conditions that form the duties and responsibilities of the modern nuclear family member. As for the economic conditions, each individual is supposed to play a part in supporting the continuation of the family. The father is usually responsible for making the basic income, the mother may perhaps contribute by working and if not, will assume full time take care of the home. Grandparents may also supply help with incomes from their pension or returns from owned property and rents.

Younger children help with the housework (re-pairing, painting, cleaning) and when older contribute by usually covering at least their own expenses. Tradition places the father as the head of the family, but the mother has equal rights. The father is the representative and protector of the family whereas the mother takes care of all the day to day things.

Turkey is located on the Southeast corner of the European and Midwest border of the Asian continents .The European and Asian sides are divided by the Istanbul Bogazi (The Bosphorus), the Sea of Marmara, and the Canakkale Bogazi (Dardanelle). Turkey’s land mass is 814,578 sq km. To give a general idea that makes 32 times the Netherlands.

The Country is surrounded by the Black Sea on the north, Mediterranean sea on the south and the Aegean Sea on the west. The coastline of Turkey’s seas is about 8,300 km long..Turkey’s neighbor countries are: Northwest: Greece and Bulgaria, Northeast: Georgia and Armenia, East: Iran, Southeast: Iraq and Syria.

Of Turkey’s 87 mainly state owned airports with paved runways, 16 have runways longer than 3,000 meters. Some 14 heliports were in operation in 2004. The three largest airports are located at Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir. Istanbul Ataturk, the largest airport, was expanded in 2000, as was the primary tourist airport at Ankara. The state owned national airline, Turk Hava Yollari (THY, Turkish Airlines), is a state controlled enterprise that flies from Ankara and Istanbul to 79 international destinations, including major cities in Europe and the United States.

Turkey has about 1,200 kilometers of inland waterways, none of which offers a vital line of transportation. Not included in that amount is the channel formed by the Dardanelles, the Sea of Marmara, and the Bosporus, linking the Black Sea with the Mediterranean Sea and forming one of the most important water connections in the world.

Roads are Turkey’s most important domestic transportation system, although only 130,000 kilometers of paved roads were in service in 2004, and little expansion has occurred since the 1950s. More than 250,000 kilometers of existing roads are unpaved. The state and provincial system includes about 65,000 kilometers of roads, of which 1,900 kilometers are classified as highways. Main highways radiate from Ankara in central Anatolia; Istanbul and Izmir in the west; Adana in the south; and Erzurum and Diyarbakır in the east.

The most important recent addition to the system is the Ankara-Istanbul toll road. Because the number of motor vehicles increased by more than 5 million, Turkey’s city streets are very congested, several major road and bridge projects were under discussion to link Anatolia more effectively with Europe.

In some of the museums or palaces you are not allowed to take pictures or use flash, before you go in, just check if there is a sign with a camera crossed over, which means keep you camera in your hand bags, or check them in. Also, as an universal rule you are not permitted to touch any of the artifacts displayed.

Photographing the Turkish ladies in the rural areas may offend them. The procedure is, just direct your camera towards them, if they say no, or mean it with gestures, just leave it. Some people including ladies love to be photographed, and will probably give you their address hoping to receive a copy from you.

Public restrooms are available at the town centers, museums, restaurants, mosques and gas stations and usually a small service charge is expected ( 15 c. ). It is sometimes hard to find a European style (sitting closet) closet especially in rural areas. Western style can be found at gas stations and restaurants along the major tourist roads. In any case, it is advised to have your own toilet paper and Kleenex where it is unavailable at public rest rooms. The usage of the

squat toilet can be summarized as follows:
Briefly, pants are rolled up to the knees, and the upper part, along with underpants, lowered to the knees. Items capable of falling are best removed beforehand; retrieving them will likely be impractical.

You squat by first bending the upper part of your body forward (to maintain balance), then lower yourself by bending your legs, coming to rest quite naturally (and comfortably) on your haunches and legs. Reverse to rise. Aim is more important in squat toilets than in sit toilets, so don’t fire indiscriminately.

Cleaning up is likely not to involve toilet paper, unless you brought your own. This is done using a container to bring water to your waiting left hand, which will splash it on the appropriate areas. Wash your hands when finished with soap. Now you know why the social use of the left hand is impolite in many parts of the world. If you do use paper, do not deposit it in the toilet (unless there’s no plumbing involved), or you will probably clog the plumbing. There is likely to be a wastebasket handy: the soiled paper goes there.

Smoking is not permitted in flights, public places, most tour busses and public transportation. The Turkish people do smoke a lot, you would easily recognize that nearly 80 percent of the population smokes cigarettes. By the way Turkish tobacco is top quality and you should buy your cigarettes in Turkey as they are delicious and cheap

Traffic is running from the right in Turkey. While crossing streets in big cities, make sure that the vehicles are at a reasonable distance to allow you cross the street safely. In Turkey, cars have the privilege to use the streets. You can safely walk on the pedestrian walk ways

Silk industry, had taken a very important place of various nations from ancient times where silk and spice were coming from Far East and played an important role for Western world in international relations. Silk is also maintained the identification of Eastern Culture by Western societies. Transportation of silk and spice of east via caravans, is formed the commercial roads reaching to Europe from China. In Medieval Age, commercial caravans, had started to their voyages from today’s Chinese Xian city, and reach to the Kashgar city of Uzbekistan; they were reaching to Hazar Sea from Afghanistan plains with following the first one of the roads separated into two there; and to Anatolia over Iran with climbing over Karakorum Mountains with other one.

They were going to Europe via road over Thrace or via maritime lines from Anatolia. In this commercial movement improving from east to west, a road network, used since previous ages, had been benefited. These thousands of kilometers long caravan roads, which allow cultural relations between continents besides dense transportation of silk, porcelain, paper, spice and jewelry, are named as “Silk Road” in the course of time.

Silk Road, beyond being a commercial road connecting Asia to Europe, is holding the signs of cultures, religions and races, who lived in the region for 2000 years, and serves an extraordinary history and cultural wealth.

After gaining of independence of Middle Asia Turkish Republics, re – animation of silk road both as a commercial road and also a historical and cultural value is considered, and works for protection and existence of structures which are constructed throughout this road but not used today with giving them new functions, is commenced. Anatolia is formed on one of the most important junction points of Silk Road from China to reaching to Europe through passing over Middle Asia.