MEPC provides free, highly acclaimed, non-partisan workshops on the Middle East and Islam across the U.S. Our education director Barbara Petzen will come to your school, organization or conference with innovative strategies for teaching these complex topics. We tailor workshops to your specific needs
Arab Culture & Civilization
Explore this exemplary library of articles and resources on Arab societies and culture. This site was originally created by the National Institute for Technology in Liberal Education (NITLE).
After many years of instability and economic uncertainty in the late twentieth century, Turkey is becoming one of the most stable democracies in the region and an economic power. A secular state since the modern country was founded in 1924 by Mustafa Kemal, later called Ataturk (father of the Turks), Turkey is now governed by a party with Islamic roots, but one that is a good example of how Islam and democracy are not incompatible. The AKP has moved to strengthen Turkey's economy and increase human and civil rights in the country.
A country of 71 million (roughly the size of Texas), Turkey's population is older and its birthrate much lower than most other Middle Eastern countries - only 1.87 children per family (although the birthrate is much higher in rural than in urban areas). This is most likely due to women's high educational achievements and to the important roles that woman play both in government and in the economy. The country's economy, which grew at 9% in 2004, and 5% from 2005-2007, is a mixture of modern industry and commerce with a large rural agricultural sector. Some of the country's economic infrastructure is still directed by the government, but this is continuing to lessen under the AKP, and private industry, particularly automotive and electronics, is growing much stronger.
Turkey's acceptance into the European Union remains an ongoing issue. Many European countries have expressed a reluctance to let Turkey have full membership, concerned about a further influx of Muslim workers into Europe. Disagreements with Greece over the control of the island of Cyprus have also negatively affected Turkey's path to membership in the EU. Turkey also continues to wage a sometimes intense campaign against Kurdish separatists in the country's southeast. This has led increasingly to confrontations with Iraq over Turkey's excursions across the border in pursuit of Kurdish militants.
Education: Primary, secondary, and much of higher education is free. Education is compulsory for children ages 6 to 14 or until graduation from primary school (grade five). However, owing to the inadequate number and distribution of schools and teachers, only about 56% of the children attend secondary school. Secondary schooling is for six years. http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Asia-and-Oceania/Turkey-EDUCATION.html
Ethnic Groups: About 80% of the population is Turkish. The major ethnic minority (by mother tongue), the Kurds, is estimated at 20%. Arabs, Turkmen, Circassians, Greeks, and others do account for a small percentage of the population. Hundreds of thousands of Armenians were either killed or forced to flee during and immediately following World War I; bitterness between Armenians and Turks continues to this day, and during the late 1970s and early 1980s, Armenian terrorists took the lives of more than two dozen Turkish diplomats. The Greek component in Turkey was reduced as a result of the 1919–22 hostilities with Greece, the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne (which provided for an exchange of population with Greece), and the post–World War II Cyprus controversy. The Kurds, some of whom were forcibly dispersed after an uprising in 1935, still tend to be concentrated in the southeastern provinces. The Arabs live in the south along the Syrian and Iraqi frontiers, and the Greeks, Armenians, and Jews live in Istanbul and, to a lesser extent, in Izmir. Separatist Kurdish groups are outlawed, and there is a heavy military presence in the nine provinces where a state of emergency has been in effect since 1987. http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Asia-and-Oceania/Turkey-ETHNIC-GROUPS.html
Population
The population of Turkey in 2009 was estimated by the United Nations at 76,805,524. In 2003 approximately 6% of the population was over 65 years of age, with another 30% of the population under 15 years of age. There were 102 males for every 100 females in the country in 2003. According to the UN, the annual population growth rate for 2000–2005 is 1.42%, with the projected population for the year 2015 at 82,150,000. The population density in 2002 was 87 per sq km (225 per sq mi).
It was estimated by the Population Reference Bureau that 75% of the population lived in urban areas in 2001, up from 44% in 1980. Istanbul (formerly Constantinople), the largest city, had a 2002 metropolitan population of 9,413,000. The largest metropolitan areas after Istanbul were Ankara, the capital city, with a 2002 metropolitan population of 3,131,000; Izmir (formerly Smyrna), 2,399,000; Adana, 1,289,000; Bursa, 1,299,000; and Gaziantep, 926,000. According to the United Nations, the urban population growth rate for 2000–2005 was2.6%. http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Asia-and-Oceania/Turkey-POPULATION.html
The Turkish culture website comprises of pages on culture topics. Pages include architecture, literature, music, culinary arts, lifestyles, philosophers, fine art, ceramic arts, applied arts, performing arts, fabrics and patterns, tapestry, general information, nature, and military.
This website lists and describes museums in Istanbul, Turkey. Some museums included are as follows: the Archaeological Museum, the Ataturk Museum, Asiyan Museum, the Calligraphy Museum, the Sadberk Hanim Museum, the Modern Arts Museum, the Fine Arts Museum, the Museum of Painting and Sculpture, the Caricature Museum, the Carpet and Kilim Museum, the City museum, the Press museum.
This website lists and describes museums in Ankara, Turkey. Some museums included are as follows: the Mausoleum, Anatolian Civilizations, Ethnography, Citadel, Augustus’ Temple, Roman Baths, Julian’s Column, Haci Bayram Mosque, Rahmi Koc Industrial Museum, Hacettepe University Arts Museum, and Artifacts of Pious Foundations Museum.
This website from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism lists several links to pages on culture and virtual tours of museums, historical sites, and cities.
This website provides access to Turkish poetry in translation and poetry that is spoken with a Turkish accent. There are also excerpts from the book, Ottoman Lyric Poetry.
This website from Texas Tech University allows access to their archives of Turkish oral narratives. Included are guides, narratives, music, epics, images, and folklore.
Orhan Taylan’s website contains pages on his paintings, drawings, sculptures, publications, essays, contact information, and biography. Pages also display several photographs of his pieces.
A native of Turkey,born in Istanbul, Fahir Atakoğlu is an international award winning composer and pianist, in the fields of large symphonic works and film music. This website provides more information including concerts, a biography, discography, multimedia, and contact information.
AKP
