Overcoming Prejudices through Fairy Tales

• COMENIUS PROJECT

• Schools partnership

• 1.Rigas Juglas Vidusskolo-Riga,Letonia• 2.Avicilar Lisesi-Istambul, Turcia• 3.Profesionla Gimnaziya “Ivan Hadzhienov”-Kazanlak,Bulgaria

• 4. High School “Constantin Brancoveanu” -Horezu

Geographic presentation

TURKEY• Turkey is a transcontinental Eurasian country. Asian

Turkey (Anatolia mostly) which includes 97% of the country, is separated from European Turks by the Bosphorus, the Sea of Marmara and the Dardanelles (which together form a water link between the Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea). European Turkey comprises 3% of the country.

The territory of Turkey is more than 1,600 km long and 800 km wide, with a roughly rectangular shape. Turkey's area, including lakes, occupies almost 800 000 km square. Turkey is the 37th biggest country of the world.

In the European part, Turkish borders are with Greece and Bulgaria. The Asian part of the country, Anatolia, consists of a high central plateau with narrow coastal plains, between Koroglu and Pontic mountain which stretches to the north and Mount Taurus in South Turkey has several mountainous landscapes and rivers as the Euphrates, Tigris and Aras, and contains Lake Van and Mount Ararat, Turkey's highest point is 5.165m.

Ararat

Turkey is divided into seven regions: Marmara, Aegean, Black Sea, Central Anatolia, East Anatolia, South East Anatolia and the Mediterranean. North Anatolian terrain along the Black Sea resembles a long, narrow belt. This region comprises approximately one-sixth of Turkey's total territory.

Turkey's varied landscapes are the product of complex movements that shaped this region of the world and yet here, quite frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur sometimes. In 1999 Turkey was comprised of an earthquake disaster.

Climate

The coastal areas of Turkey bordering the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea have a temperate Mediterranean climate, with heat, dry summers and cool, wet winters. The coastal areas of Turkey bordering the Black Sea have temperate oceanic heat, humid summers, wet winters.

Republic of Turkey is a democratic, secular, constitutional whose political system was established in 1923. Turkey is a member of the UN, NATO, OSCE, OECD, OIC and the Council of Europe. In October 2005 the EU opened accession negotiations with Ankara.

Ottoman Empire collapsed after the defeat in World War I, parts of it were occupied by the victorious Allies. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, organized a successful resistance for the Allies, and in 1923 they established the modern Republic of Turkey with Atatürk as the first president.

CULTUREHaving a single geographic location where East and West meet, Turkey was the essential glue mixing oriental cultures, Islamic and Mediterranean throughout history. Anatolia, one of the first areas inhabited by humans, possesses a rare cultural diversity due to the influence masses of people-who lived here.

Rich culture is reflected in music and there is even a legend that tells how the Turkish people did the music, returning from hunting: one of the hunters heard a sound very unique and beautiful. When he looked more closely to see where it came from, he saw a horse skull. Some highlights of the ridge were wrapped around the skull to vibrate in the breeze. Hunter took the skull and tried to emulate the sound, tapping with his fingers in the rhythm. Music from the skull was beautiful and melodic, so based on this principle, he made the first stringed instrument.

Traditional music includes songs basically anonymous that are created following a certain pattern, which is then sung in public places in the region where they were composed, surviving until today. This type of music can be divided into a) subdivision of folk music and b) Ottoman music.

Literature

Orhan PamukIn 2006, Orhan Pamuk received the Nobel Prize for Literature. He was the first champion in the Islamic world. The writer Salman Rushdie was condemned to death for Satanic Verses.

Mimar SinanMi'mâr Koca Sinan was a chief architect of the Ottoman (Turkish: "Mimar") and civil engineer of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, Selim II and Murad III. He was responsible for the construction of more than three hundred major structures and other more modest, such as Islamic primary schools (mektebs sibyan). His disciples would later design the Sultan Ahmed Mosque in Istanbul .

ELIF SHAFAK - Writer of Turkish origin. His debute in literature was in 1994, with Anadolu Gozlere Kem story, but he achieved success and public recognition with the first Turkish novel, Sufis, published in 1997. The second novel, Mirrors city, published in 1999 and awarded in 2000 by the Turkish Writers Union, imposed a definitive Turkish literature.

Traditions of Turkey

In Turkish legends, heroes used to eat peanuts and raisins before fighting with dragons and giants. The fact that nowadays some mothers give their babies a bag of peanuts and raisins shows that Turkish cuisine is probably a very long tradition.

Stereotypes and prejudices about TurkeyAt the table you can not eat sitting cross-legged, it means disrespect and it is believed to bring famine in the house.• A broken mirror can bring seven years of bad luck.• The 13th day of the month is considered to bring bad luck.• You can not go through the front of the car.

It is considered a bad sign if a rabbit passes in front of the car.• If in a year were made several quinces, then the coming winter will go hard.• It’s a sign of death if an owl sings on the roof.• It is said that if you repeat something 40 times, then that thing can happen.

• Do not wash Saturday and Tuesday.• When the tree has too many cones, winter will go hard.• You mustn’t jump over a child, or they will stay short.• If the baby's clothes remain outside until it gets dark, it may fall under the influence of curses.• It is considered a deadly sign, if during EZAN the dogs howl

In Romania they say – “are you Turkish?” when a person doesn’t understand what

you’re saying

Women do not go alone on the street only if accompanied by their husbands, fathers, or other women

Avoid showing your soles (being considered disrespect) and do not use your left hand to eat or interact with others

Men usually walk separated by women. .

Lovers do not hold hands in public..

Conţinutul acestui material nu reprezintă în mod obligatoriu poziţia oficială a Uniunii Europene sau a Guvernului României