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Flags of the World - Türkiye Blog Post

Merhaba! I am StJohn Wright from Notarial Services (Yorkshire & Derbyshire) Limited, practicing as StJohn Wright Notary Public. Welcome to the twelfth blog post about ‘Flags of the World’: this week the blog post is about Turkey (also known as Türkiye).


In the 15th-16th Centuries, the Ottoman Empire expanded into Asia and Africa. Three to four centuries later (from the 1750s onwards), the Ottoman Empire began to decline. In 1839, Tanzimat reformed with the aim to modernise the Ottoman state in line with progress made in Western Europe. These reforms lead to the Ottoman constitutional movement, but the reforms fail to stop the dissolution of the empire, in 1876. Between 1912 and 1913, during the First Balkan War, the loss of Rumelia, Ottoman territories in Europe saw the arrival of millions of Muslim refugees in Istanbul and is a major shock to the state. Between 1914 and 1918, Türkiye becomes a military dictatorship during WW1, where the Ottoman Empire fights in alliance with Germany and Austria-Hungary. Between 1915 and 1917, between 300,000 and 1.5 million Armenians are massacred or deported by the Ottoman government from their homeland in Anatolia to present-day Syria. Türkiye says killings occurred on both sides and denies that those suffered by Armenians amount to genocide. During WW2, Türkiye remained a neutral country: it declared war on Germany and Japan in February 1945 but does not take part in fighting. In 1952, Türkiye joined NATO. In 1984, Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) launched the separatist’s guerrilla campaign which developed into a major civil war that simmered on for decades. In 2011, the Syrian civil war broke out, resulting in tension along the countries’ border and a huge influx of refugees into Türkiye.


In Türkiye, there are over 10 UNESCO World Heritage Sites and over 80,000 Mosques in Türkiye. Turkish people introduced Tulips to Amsterdam and Turkey supplies 75% of the world’s hazelnuts. Did you know that Turkey is one of the world’s oldest wine countries? They have been producing wine for over 6000 years. Turkey is the only Islamic country in the world to be both secular and democratic. (Secular means that they are not connected with religious or spiritual matters.) Also, did you know that the Church of St Peter in Turkey is said to be the first Christian church in the world? Who would have known that Turkey had such a broad and wide-ranging culture?


Türkiye was one of the first countries to allow women to vote. This gave many females a purpose and sense of worth, which had not been seen previously across the globe. Do you need a Power of Attorney? A Power of Attorney is a legal document that lets you appoint one or more people (known as ‘attorneys’) to help you make decisions or to make decisions on your behalf. If you need this, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me about how I can do this for you as a Notary.


The national drink of Türkiye is Ayran (Buttermilk): it is made by adding water to plain yoghurt. This recipe is one of the many gifts the Turks have given the world. A piece of advice when drinking this, is to drink it cold, to fully experience it’s refreshing qualities.


The national food of Türkiye is Baklava, which is a layered pastry dessert made of pastry, filled with chopped nuts, and sweetened with syrup or honey. It was one of the most popular sweet pastries of Ottoman cuisine.


Finally, the national animal of Türkiye is the Grey Wolf (also known as Canis Lupus). To the Turks, a wolf symbolises war, the spirit of war, freedom, speed and nature. Do you want to be free to travel across the world and need a consent for a passport from a Notary to do this? If so, please contact me via the methods below to discuss how we can make this happen for you.


To conclude, I am a Notary, who has been practicing for 16 years, and I would urge you to get into contact with me if you require any of the services that I have mentioned in this blog post. Please see my website (Notary in Sheffield | England | StJohn Wright Notary Public) to find out more about me and what I can do to help you. Also, do not hesitate to call me on 07863252272.


Thank you for reading this twelfth blog post on the ‘Flags of the World’. Look out for the next one about Jamaica! Güle güle!


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