Red Dots - week 16

 Oxygen model in chemistry lab.

led light on the license Plate of the motorcycle

Personal Reflection

10 things I learned from this class:

1. leaned the concepts, which are related to my major.
2. gain experience for working in group.
3. become more confident and comfortable to present in class than before
4. have a chance to try new food.
    ex: Indian, Thailand, Turkey, Mongolian, Chinese and so forth.
5. Learn everything about the city - Istanbul, Turkey.
6. Give me a chance to travel many famous city through the Internet and classmates' presentation.
7. be come more creative by red dots project
8. Learn the way following the schedule, start from the general to particular, and open my eyes to think of the concepts.
9. Learn about new culture, and differences between each culture
10. Learn the way other people present.

Challenges of Place

Gender Inequality:
For many years the position of women in society has improved gradually

The inequality of the genders in the educational field directly affects the opportunities for the employment of women. 
there are still inequalities between women and men, and also between women from different sectors of society, in accessing important development sources, such as education, health and employment. 

< http://www.turkishculture.org/lifestyles/turkish-culture-portal/the-women/woman-and-society-317.htm?type=1>

In my view, there are some challenges:
Language: Turkish is the official language in Turkey.
                    only 17% turkish people can speak English.
Turkish Cuisine - I do not like that much, not delicious to me

Religion: Islam is the largest religion of Turkey with 99.8% of the population being registered as Muslim, while other sources give a little lower estimate of 96.4%. Most Muslims in Turkey are Sunnis forming about 72%, and Alevis belonging to Shia denomination form about 25% of the Muslim population

women have to wear headscarf every where, specially in the public places
Women wear closed clothes, the same applies to visitors - people in open clothing may by denied to enter many mosque and public institution.

Red Dots - Week 15

Fire recall button on the elevator

red dot on the bicycle

Powers of Influence

Turkish Culture is unique in the world in that it has influenced and has been influenced in return by cultures and civilizations from China to Vienna and from Russian steps to North Africa for over a millennia. Turkish culture reflects this unparalleled cultural richness and diversity, and remains mostly shaped by its deep roots in Middle East, Anatolia and Balkans, the cradle of many civilizations for at least twelve thousand years.

In addition to the traditional Byzantine elements present in numerous parts of Turkey, many artifacts of the later Ottoman architecture, with its exquisite blend of local and Islamic traditions, are to be found throughout the country, as well as in many former territories of the Ottoman Empire 

Since the 18th century, Turkish architecture has been increasingly influenced by Western styles, and this can be particularly seen in Istanbul where buildings life the Blue Mosque and the Dolmabahce Palace and juxtaposed nest to numerous modern skyscrapers, all of them representing different traditions. 

Blue Mosque

Turkish Food
Turkey is famous for its cuisines. Its rich and abundant store of flora and fauna and the combination of different culture such as the Mediterranean and the Chinese has contributed to the varied cuisines in Turkey. The constant modifications in the usual dishes also, call for its diversity. 

Turkish Dance
Turkish Dance are of several types as there are several tribes in among the turkish people who have their particular culture and dance forms.
some of the famous Turkish dance forms are Halay, Karsilama, Hora, Zeybek, the belly dance and many other forms of dances. 
Halay is the national dance of Turkey. if has originated from the empire of Assyrian.  In this dance form the dancers form a circle holding each other by hand or shoulder and the first and the last dancer hold a piece of cloth. this dance is accompanied by traditional musical instruments. 

Turkish Music
Turkish music has a rich history and tradition of its own. Turkish music originated back in the 11th century at a time when the Seljuk Turks spanned their kingdom by including both Anatolia and Persia. As a result in the Turkish music there are influences from both these two regions and kingdoms. Turkish music can be divided into several periods and music groups. But essentially, Turkish music can be divided into two groups. These two groups are, classical Turkish music and folk music.

Many schools of music are popular throughout Turkey, from “arabesque” to hip-hop genres, as a result of the interaction between the Ottoman Empire and the Islamic world along with Europe, and thus contributing to a blend of Central Asian Turkic, Islamic and European traditions in modern-day Turkish music.

Turkish Literature. 

was heavily influenced by Arabis and, especially, Persian literature during most of the Ottoman era, though towards the end of the Ottoman Empire the effect of both Turkish folk and western literacy traditions became increasingly felt. the mix of cultural influenced os dramatized, for example, in the form of the " new symbols of the clash and interlacing of cultures" enacted in the work of Orhan Pamuk, winner of the 2006 Nobel Prize in Literature.

Turkish Language
Turkish Language is mainly used in Turkey. Around 65-73 million people speak in this language all over the world. Some of the Cyprus, Greece and European people speak in this language. The root of the language lies in Central Asia. The date of the first written records can be traced back to 1,200 years.

Turkish Language is influenced by Ottoman Turkish which is now replaced with a phonetic variant of the Latin alphabet. Recently Turkish Language Association has decided to remove Persian and Arabic words to facilitate the native variants. 

Historical Clothing and Adornment

The central Asian Turks used to wear leather boots, mintan shirt, a short caftan used with a belt and a kind of riding trousers loose at the top narrowing downwards suitable for horse riding. Caftan and boots also gained significance as a sign of status.

mintan shirt

Bashlyks, head coverings, as in clothes, were made of fur or sheepskin with the purpose of protection from the cold. Bashlyks were also observed to be symbols of status

'Kavuk' : was the most common type of bashlyk.  was formed in the XVII. century. Fur was a material of prestige in that period. 

Women's Headscarfs:

Women's clothes of the Ottoman period were observed in the 'mansions' and Palace courts.the XIX. century continued their existence without much change.
In the XVI. century women wore two-layer long 'entari'; and 'tьl', velvet shawl on their heads. Their outdoor clothing consisted of 'ferace' and 'yeldirme'.
The simplification in the XVII. century was apparent in an inner 'entari' worn under short-sleeved, caftan-shaped outfit. The matching accessory was a belt.

                                                                        Entari

With the passing time, a wide variety in forms of clothing emerged. These differences were the result of social and economic structure, geography, the materials available and climate. 

Daily, work and special day clothes are different. Hair styles during a wedding and after the bridal chamber differ. In markets, it is easy to identify which village people live in just from their clothes. 

In rural areas, women spend most of their time with working. As a result, their daily, work and special day clothes are different. Special costumes and hair dressings are only to be seen at wedding ceremonies. Women’s hair styles differ in accordance with their social status, and whether they are married or engaged, or not. Hair style is an important feature of women’s lives.

Typical village dress: long-sleeved tops, şalvar(bloomers), and, in two cases out of three,headscarves.

Traditional Clothing for Women

Traditional Clothing for Men

In Modern Society:

Red Dots - week 14

red dot is a medicine

                                               led light of motorbike

Red Dots - week 13

red dos is a block

red dot is a nose of Doremon decal on my iphone

Istanbul Cuisine

Food in Daily Life:
Turkish cuisine includes many different stews of vegetables and meat (lamb and beef primarily); borek , kebab , and dolma dishes; and a sourdough bread eaten with almost every meal. ..

Turkish beverages include tea drunk throughout the day, thick coffee usually taken after a meal, ayran (buttermilk), boza (a fermented bulgur drink taken in the winter), and rakî (an aniseed-flavored brandy usually mixed with water). Carbonated drinks have become popular with young people, and beer gardens in major cities have become hangouts for men.


Turks usually prefer a rich breakfast. A typical Turkish breakfast consists of cheese (beyaz peynir, kaşar etc.), butter, olives, eggs, tomatoes, cucumbers, jam, honey, and kaymak. Sucuk (spicy Turkish sausage, can be eaten with eggs), pastırma, börek, simit, poğaça and soups are eaten as a morning meal in Turkey. A common Turkish speciality for breakfast is called menemen, which is prepared with tomatoes, green peppers, onion, olive oil and eggs. Invariably, Turkish tea is served at breakfast. The Turkish word for breakfast, kahvaltı, means "before coffee" (kahve, 'coffee'; altı, 'under').

A typical noon meal consists of vegetable and meat stew with a side dish of rice or bulgar pilaf and salad, with fruit for desert. Borek or dolma may substitute for the stew. Sweet deserts, such as baklava, are served on special occasions.

                                           Borek (Borek is a pastry made of many thin layers of dough interspersed with cheese, spinach, and/or ground meat)

                                           Dolma ( Dolma is the generic name for dishes made of vegetables (e.g., tomatoes and peppers) and leaves (e.g., grape, cabbage, and eggplant) that are stuffed with or wrapped around rice or bulgur pilaf,)

The evening meal is usually lighter, consisting of leftovers from noon or a kebab with salad. Ordinarily, only water is drunk with the noon and evening meals.

 Kebab is the common word for meat roasted in pieces or slices on a skewer or as meatballs on a grill

Climate
In the winter, many Turks eat a breakfast of bread with hot soup. 
In the warmer seasons, they commonly eat bread and jam, hard- or soft-boiled eggs, a white cheese made from sheep's milk, salty olives, and warm milk or hot tea with milk. 

 Agriculture and religion:
 the Black Sea is noted for fish, especially anchovy, dishes, while the eastern region is noted for spicy foods. 

Circassians are famous for preparing chicken in a walnut sauce, while Georgian cuisine is typified by thick corn bread and corn soup. Lahmacun , or Armenian pizza, originated in the southeastern provinces once occupied by Armenians.

the beginning of the (Turkish) Ottoman Empire's six hundred-year reign. Yogurt salads, fish in olive oil, and stuffed and wrapped vegetables became Turkish staples.

Since the fall of the empire in World War I (1914–1918) and the establishment of the Turkish Republic, foreign dishes such as French hollandaise sauce and Western fast food chains have made their way into the modern Turkish diet.

The major food taboo in Turkey is pork, which is forbidden to Muslims. Although the Koran also forbids alcoholic beverages, many Turks drink beer, wine, and liquors. Certain segments of the Muslim population regard other foods as taboo even though their religion does not prohibit them. For example, Yürüks, a formerly nomadic Turkish people, avoid all seafood with the exception of fish. Members of the Alevi sect of Islam do not eat rabbit because it menstruates. Turks in the northwestern province of Balikesir avoid snails, claiming incorrectly that the Koran forbids their consumption.

Red Dots - Week 12

red dot is on the wall, near the chemistry lab door 

red dot is on the wall of the house.

Red Dots - Week 11

red dot is a valve of the fried chicken machine of Chick-Fill A

red dot is a cut on my finger

Memorial Sculpture:

Memorial of Sultan Mehmed II the Conqueror: Mehmet II, called the Conqueror, was born in March  30, 1432 and died in May 3, 1481. as a sultan of the Ottoman Empire between 1444-1446 and 1451-1481, he extended the Ottoman control from southeastern Europe to the Danube and from Anatolia to the Euphrates river.

Sculpture of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and other founders of the Turkish Republic on the Republic Monument at Taksim Square in Istanbul, Turkey

Independence monument in Taksim square on the 16th October, 2013 in Istanbul, Turkey. the monument was made by the Italian sculptor Pietro Canonica. 

Turkey Istanbul Topkapi Palace Gulhane Park the first statue Ataturk in Turkey was erected in 1926 sculpted by Heinrich Krippel

Live: 
Congratulations on the birth of your child in Turkey!  We encourage you to apply for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA) and a U.S. passport for your child as soon as possible.  A CRBA is an official record confirming that the child acquired U.S. citizenship at birth.

Birthday is not very important to Turkish people. as any other country, they usually celebrate the party at restaurant or at home with friends and relatives.


Marriage :
 Today, men usually are expected to marry after they complete their mandatory military service, in some more traditional areas right before. 
General marriage ages are around 22 for men and around 20 for women, with 5-6 years variation upward. . Older siblings are usually expected to get married before younger siblings, particularly if they are of the same gender. 

Different kinds of Marriage:

1. In the past, marriage among relatives, such as cousins, was common in Turkey. Today such kind of marriage is not practiced that much any more due to impact of urbanization. 

2. Another kind of marriage is that in the case of death of a brother, where the widowed sister-in law is wed with a single or widower brother-in law (Levirat). This is done in order to keep the inheritance of the deceased in the family and for the children’s welfare. Similarly, it is also possible that a sister gets married to a deceased sister’s husband (Sororat). However, this rural tradition too is disappearing fast.

3.  “taygeldi” marriage. In this marriage, the children from previous marriages of a widow and widower, who get married, may get married as well. 
In the past, particularly in rural areas, men would “snatch” or kidnap a girl that they wanted to marry, but were not allowed to for one reason or the other, mostly due to objection by families. It also happened that a girl and boy run away in mutual agreement to overcome family objection to their matrimony. In some regions, there is also a type of “snatching” called “oturakalma”, where a girl goes to the home of the man that she loves and settles there, many times at the objection of her own family.

4. Another type of marriage which was often practiced in the past is “beÅ¿ik kertme”. While children were yet in their cradle, they were promised or “engaged” to each other by their families. In the past, the rejection of marriage by the girl or boy once they reach marrying age, would be regarded as dishonor to the family and even could cause bloody family feuds. This type of arranged marriage is almost extinct today.

5. marriage arrangement or custom in Turkey is marriage of “iç güveysi”. In this marriage, a man settles in the home where his wife lives. Usually in case of inability to pay a dowry for the bride or the absence of a son on the part of the bride’s family leads to this kind of arrangement.

6. other type of marriage called “Berder” or “deÄ¿iÅ¿-tokuÅ¿, deÄ¿iÅ¿ik” ( exchange, changing) two families may marry their daughter and son to another family’s son and daughter. Such kind of marriages releases the two families of an old custom to pay a dowry to the bride’s family, since they “even” out.

Death :
Turkish law allows remains to be embalmed as soon as possible following death.
The Next of Kin or another individual who is responsible for making funeral arrangements for your loved one should contact a suitable funeral home in Turkey to assist with local arrangements. While you are free to contact any funeral home you wish, and while we cannot endorse any private business

This preparation consists of three important operation; washing of corpse, wrapping in shroud and praying performed at the funeral. Anybody who died is prepared for burial as quick as possible. If a person died in the morning burial ceremony is performed at the time of afternoon prayer, if he/she died afternoon, corpse remains at that night and buried in the morning. Burial ceremony may be delayed for arrival of relatives who lived at distant places.

wash the corpse before burial. Female corpses are washed by women washers, male corpses by male washers. Persons who perform this work are professional washers, hodjas, experienced washers, religious men/women, one of individuals in the house of death or among neighbours in case of absence of any professional person, and in same places deceased person’s loved ones upon his/her will.
Washing is carried out in washing rooms of cemeteries at great cities, at a  secluded corner of garden of house in villages

The second procedure which is necessary for preparing corpse for burial is to shroud the corpse. Colour of shroud is white. Number of pieces is different for woman and man. This is also a tradition that has been implemented by the great majority of the people of Anatolia. Furthermore, there are different traditions.

The third phase is to perform prayer at the time of funeral. According to Muslim Religion a number of conditions are required to perform praying at the funeral. 

After praying performed at the time of funeral, coffin  is carried to cemetery by religious community. Dead person is laid in grave in the manner that his/her right hand side faces direction of Mecca. Dead person is buried in grave usually without coffin. However, sometimes dead person may be buried with coffin. It is a widespread practice to inscribe and cut epitaphs and signs on tombstones for the purpose of describing identity, sex, destiny of dead person

dead person has been commemorated through religious ceremony and meal. First of all comes the 40th day, 52nd day and anniversary  of dead person. Although it is very seldom, on the third and seventh days dead person has been also commemorated in a certain way. In fact, such days corresponding to certain numbers have become important due to  religious, magical and traditional qualifications brought therein; and gradually a number of customs have been inserted into their structure as a main element.

Epitaphs

Tombstones are the most beautiful examples expressing Turk’s rich inner world, fine taste, high thought with their structural features and with inscriptions cut thereon. These are such tombstones that they are sometimes a history, sometimes lament, and mostly a grievous and painful echo felt via words of dead person. Personalities and identifications have been realised through their forms, inscriptions. Graveyards are museums, tombstones are however monuments of dead persons laying therein, evidence of their existence.