Turkish Traditional

TURKISH DELIGHT

Turkish Delight or Lokum (as the locals call it) is a good buy since you're in Turkey. The origin dates back to the time of the Ottoman Empire. It is advisable to buy it fresh rather than in pre-packaged boxes and to get a variety of flavours rather than the stereotypical rose-water or lemon flavours bought abroad.

TURKISH COFFEE

Since coffee and coffee culture was spread from Turkey to all over the world, the history ‘Turkish Coffee’is prior to the history of coffee. The first coffee house in Turkey was established in Istanbul, Tahtakale. It was the meeting place of famous people and scholars just like todays cafes.

TURKISH HAMMAM

The hammam or Turkish bath is the Middle Eastern variant of a steam bath, which can be categorized as a wet relative of the sauna. A person taking a Turkish bath first relaxes in a room (known as the warm room) that is heated by a continuous flow of hot dry, air allowing the bather to perspire freely. Bathers may then move to an ever hotter room (known as the hot room) before splashing themselves with cold water. After performing a full body wash and receiving a massage, bathers finally retire to the cooling-room for a period of relaxation.

THE EVIL EYE

The evil eye is the blue bead believed to ward off evil. It is used as a protection from the negative energy presumed to spread from the glance of certain people to what are deemed particularly vulnerable and precious groups: children, domestic animals and, at an earlier period, household goods. It is believed that the bead draws the energy to itself thus diffusing its power and rendering it ineffective.

SEMAH

The "dance" of the Whirling Dervishes is called Semah. Semah is part of the inspiration of Mevlana (1207- 1273) as well as part of Turkish custom, history, beliefs and culture. It represents a mystical journey propelled through the love of perfection and involving a spiritual ascent through the mind. Turning towards the truth, the person grows through love, deserts the ego, finds the truth and arrives at perfection and then returns from this spiritual journey as someone who reached maturity and greater perfection, so as to love and to be of service to the whole of creation, to all creatures without discrimination of creed, race, class or nationality.

Sufi Music Concert & Whirling Dervishes Ceremony
Every Sunday –Wednesday & Friday at 19.30
Sirkeci Train Station –Event Hall @ Platform No.1
Call Center: 0212 458 88 34 - 35

TURKISH BAKLAVA

Baklava or Baklawa is a rich, sweet pastry featured in many cuisines of the Middle East and the Balkans. It is a pastry made of layers of phyllo dough filled with chopped nuts, usually walnuts or pistachios, and sweetened with sugar or honey syrup. Baklava is a popular dessert throughout the former Ottoman world. After the meal, an assortment of small pastries is typically brought to the table on a brass tray, accompanied by tiny cups of Turkish coffee. Gaziantep, a city in Turkey, is famous for its baklava and, in Turkey, is widely regarded as the native city of the sweet.