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The mixed culture of Turkey stems from its time as part of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire allowed multi-ethnic states
to mix with each other. This preserved many different cultures and was necessary in a land that stretched across many regions
that held very different beliefs. After World War I, when the Ottoman Empire dissolved, Turkey unified all its separate states
in an attempt to mix the cultures into one Turkish culture. This did not create a new culture but instead created different
stages of mixed traditions. While the Muslim culture of Anatolia met the European cultures in Istanbul, it produced a climate
of cultural acceptance. Turkey is now viewed as being very western on the outside, but having a core of Muslim tradition.
The traditional national sport of Turkey is “Yahli Güres” (pronounced yah-leh gur-esh), which
literally means oiled wrestling. This sport stems from Ottoman times and is the oldest continuously running sanctioned sport
in the world, having run tournaments every year since 1362. Turkey’s most popular sport is Football (soccer). Turkey
has four major football teams and has solidified itself as a major European club by winning the UEFA Cup and the EUFA Super
Cup.
The food in Turkey is quite amazing as it is a fusion of many different regional influences. In the times
of the Ottoman Empire, culinary styles were brought together from all over Europe and Asia and mixed with traditional Turkish
cooking. These ultimate mixtures of regional specialties have been developed into the food that is prepared in Turkey today.
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