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Suzy Talks Turkey

A little more Türkiye

The Turkish encyclopedia.

A Turkish culture reference for people learning the language. 81 pages on the people, places, food, traditions and stories of Türkiye — each one written plainly, built from named sources, and printed with the Turkish name as it is actually said.

Fifteen ways in

Every page belongs to one of these. A category is a good place to start when you do not yet know what you are looking for.

Fictional characters

Fictional characters

Tepegöz

A one-eyed monster from the Dede Korkut stories.

Fictional characters

Abdi Ağa

The oppressive landowner in Yaşar Kemal’s İnce Memed.

Fictional characters

Kenan Birkan

A strategic adversary of Ramiz in the television drama Ezel.

Fictional characters

Cengiz

A trusted companion who betrays Ömer in Ezel.

Fictional characters

Şahika Ekinci

A scheming character in the television drama Yasak Elma.

Fictional characters

Nasreddin Hoca

The wise fool of Akşehir, riding his donkey backwards through a thousand jokes.

Fictional characters

Keloğlan

The bald, penniless boy of the folk tales who wins by wit alone.

UNESCO sites

UNESCO sites

Göbekli Tepe

A prehistoric site known for monumental T-shaped stone pillars.

UNESCO sites

Efes

An ancient settlement landscape with major Greco-Roman remains.

UNESCO sites

Kapadokya

Fairy chimneys, cave churches and hot-air balloons in central Anatolia.

UNESCO sites

Pamukkale

White travertine terraces of warm water beside the ancient city of Hierapolis.

UNESCO sites

Nemrut Dağı

Giant stone heads on a mountaintop tomb built by a king of Commagene.

UNESCO sites

Troya

The many-layered city of the Trojan War, dug from the hill of Hisarlık.

Beach towns

Beach towns

Bodrum

A coastal destination associated with bays, boats and historical sites.

Beach towns

Alaçatı

A settlement in the Çeşme area associated with windsurfing.

Beach towns

Kaş

A small Mediterranean harbour town of bougainvillea, diving and Lycian tombs.

Beach towns

Çeşme

The Aegean resort town of thermal springs, an Ottoman castle and beaches.

Beach towns

Ayvalık

An olive-oil town of stone houses and islands on the northern Aegean.

Musicians & singers

Musicians & singers

Barış Manço

A musician associated with Anatolian rock and a wide cultural legacy.

Musicians & singers

Zeki Müren

A singer and composer remembered for distinctive performances and stage clothing.

Musicians & singers

Sezen Aksu

The Little Sparrow, the most influential voice in Turkish pop.

Musicians & singers

Tarkan

The pop star who carried Turkish music around the world with Şımarık.

Musicians & singers

Âşık Veysel

The blind bard of Sivas, whose songs every Turkish person knows.

Actors

Actors

Türkan Şoray

A film and television performer who also directed films.

Actors

Şener Şen

An actor whose career includes screen performance and comic storytelling.

Actors

Kemal Sunal

The comic actor whose Şaban character is loved by every generation.

Actors

Adile Naşit

The warm-hearted actress with the unforgettable laugh, Hafize Ana of Hababam Sınıfı.

Artists

Artists

Fikret Muallâ

A painter represented in İstanbul Modern’s collection and exhibitions.

Artists

Osman Hamdi Bey

Painter of The Tortoise Trainer and founder of the İstanbul Archaeology Museum.

Artists

Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu

Painter and poet who brought Anatolian folk motifs into modern art.

Artists

Abidin Dino

A painter, writer and friend of Nâzım Hikmet, asked to paint happiness.

Historical statespeople

Historical statespeople

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

Founder and first president of the Republic of Türkiye.

Historical statespeople

İsmet İnönü

Türkiye’s second president and a former prime minister.

Historical statespeople

Adnan Menderes

Prime minister for the whole of the 1950s, the first elected from opposition.

Historical statespeople

Turgut Özal

The prime minister and president who opened the economy in the 1980s.

Historical dates

Historical dates

Cumhuriyetin ilanı

29 October 1923: the republican form of government is proclaimed.

Historical dates

İstanbul'un Fethi

29 May 1453: Sultan Mehmed II takes Constantinople.

Food & drink

Food & drink

Türk çayı

Black tea brewed strong, served in a tulip-shaped glass all day long.

Food & drink

Simit

A sesame-crusted bread ring sold from street carts in every city.

Food & drink

Baklava

Paper-thin pastry layered with nuts and soaked in syrup.

Food & drink

Menemen

Eggs scrambled with tomatoes and green peppers, the classic Turkish breakfast dish.

Food & drink

Türk kahvesi

Finely ground coffee brewed in a small pot and served with its foam and grounds.

Food & drink

Lokum

Turkish delight: soft cubes of starch and sugar, dusted and scented with rose.

Food & drink

Ayran

The cold, salty yoghurt drink served with every kebab.

Food & drink

Künefe

A hot dessert of shredded pastry and melting cheese soaked in syrup.

Food & drink

Dolma

Vegetables and vine leaves stuffed with rice, herbs and spice.

Writers & poets

Writers & poets

Nâzım Hikmet

Türkiye's best known modern poet, whose free verse is read around the world.

Writers & poets

Orhan Pamuk

Novelist of İstanbul and winner of the 2006 Nobel Prize in Literature.

Writers & poets

Yaşar Kemal

The storyteller of the Çukurova plain and author of İnce Memed.

Writers & poets

Sabahattin Ali

Author of Madonna in a Fur Coat, a quiet love story that became a modern classic.

Writers & poets

Elif Şafak

A widely translated novelist writing in both Turkish and English.

Writers & poets

Aziz Nesin

The great satirist, whose thousands of stories laugh at bureaucracy and bad luck.

Writers & poets

Orhan Veli Kanık

The poet who brought everyday speech into Turkish verse.

Traditions & everyday life

Traditions & everyday life

Nazar boncuğu

The blue glass eye bead hung everywhere to ward off the evil eye.

Traditions & everyday life

Türk hamamı

The public bath house, a tradition of steam, scrubbing and conversation.

Traditions & everyday life

Karagöz ve Hacivat

The two heroes of Turkish shadow theatre, quarrelling behind a lit screen.

Traditions & everyday life

Ebru

Paper marbling: colours floated on water and lifted onto paper.

Traditions & everyday life

Mevlevî semâsı

The whirling ceremony of the followers of Rumi, turning in white robes.

Traditions & everyday life

Çay bahçesi

The tea garden: tables under trees, a samovar and an afternoon that lasts.

Cities & regions

Cities & regions

Ankara

The capital since 1923, a planned city built around an ancient citadel.

Cities & regions

İzmir

The Aegean port city of the Kordon waterfront and the clock tower.

Cities & regions

Mardin

A hillside city of honey-coloured stone houses above the Mesopotamian plain.

Cities & regions

Trabzon

The green Black Sea city of hazelnuts, tea and the cliffside Sümela Monastery.

Cities & regions

Safranbolu

An Ottoman town of timber-framed houses, preserved whole, named for saffron.

Nature & animals

Nature & animals

Van kedisi

The white cat of Lake Van, famous for eyes of two different colours.

Nature & animals

Kangal

The great shepherd dog of Sivas, guardian of Anatolian flocks.

Nature & animals

Ağrı Dağı

The country's highest mountain, the Ararat of the Noah story.

Nature & animals

İstanbul Boğazı

The Bosphorus, the strait that divides İstanbul between Europe and Asia.

Holidays & celebrations

Holidays & celebrations

Ramazan Bayramı

The three-day festival that ends the month of Ramadan, all visits and sweets.

Holidays & celebrations

Kurban Bayramı

The four-day feast of sacrifice, the biggest family holiday of the year.

Holidays & celebrations

Nevruz

The spring festival of 21 March, greeted with fires and painted eggs.

Holidays & celebrations

19 Mayıs

Youth and Sports Day, remembering Atatürk's landing at Samsun in 1919.

Sport & games

Sport & games

Yağlı güreş

Oil wrestling, and the Kırkpınar tournament held in Edirne since the 1300s.

Sport & games

Tavla

Backgammon, the game of every tea house, played fast and loud.

Sport & games

Okey

The tile game of numbered colours played around every café table.

Questions

What is the Turkish encyclopedia?

It is a free reference about Türkiye written for people learning Turkish: short, sourced pages on the country's people, places, food, traditions and stories, each one printed with the Turkish name and, where a reading exists, that name spoken aloud.

Who writes these pages?

They are written and checked by the small team behind Suzy Talks Turkey, a picture-book app for learning Turkish. Every page lists the sources it was built from, with the date each source was last checked, so you can follow anything further than we took it.

Is it free to read?

Yes. Every page here is open, with no account, no paywall and nothing to sign. The lessons, the coach and the progress book inside Suzy Talks Turkey are the part you sign in for; the encyclopedia is not.

How do I know how a Turkish name is pronounced?

Each page prints the name as it is said and plays a recording of it where we have one. Turkish is written very close to how it sounds, so once you know the letters the spelling itself is a reliable guide — which is why every page keeps the Turkish spelling rather than an English approximation.