Although the beautiful coasts of the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea embrace
the country, mountain ranges are Turkey’s most distinctive feature, with the Taurus
and Kuzey Anadolu mountain ranges enclosing the high Anatolian Plateau. The
mountains, however, are geographically young, still faulting and folding in areas
that still indicate that mountain building is still taking place. Turkey lies between
three converging continental plates - the Anatolian, Eurasian and Arabian - creating
much earth-moving activity. Eighty percent of the country lies within active tectonic
zones. In 1999, an earthquake with its epicentre east of Istanbul, was measured at
7.4 on the Richter scale and claimed over 25,000 lives.
About 25% of Turkey is covered with forest, serving as the home to diverse flora
and fauna. These forests are covered with stands of pine, spruce and cedar, as
well as deciduous trees.
Turkey has eight drainage basins, the most important being the Tigris and the
Euphrates. In the 1980s, Turkey began a major showpiece project, the Southeast
Anatolian Project, to produce hydroelectric power by harnessing the flow of these
two major rivers. The plan involves building 22 dams and 19 power plants
throughout 4 million acres in Eastern Turkey.

It’s time to get those presses running! We’ve got a paper to get out, folks! In addition to these newspaper
activities, many of the lesson plans, worksheets and activities in this Grade Division apply directly to
your classroom newspaper project, including activities about sports, famous people… even crossword puzzles!
Front Page News Activity:
Have students visit the library and surf the internet to research current events articles about the Republic of Turkey.
Have each student write a paper of at least 500 words about a current event in Turkey. The topical event needs to
have taken place within the last 12 months. Using the Commercial Appeal as a guide, coach your students on some
techniques of writing a paper in “journalistic style”, including placing the most important information in the first
paragraph (with supporting information in the following paragraphs. Stories should also certainly answer the
journalistic questions of “who,” “what,” “when” and “where”. Some possible topics could include Turkey’s campaign
for European Union membership, the construction of a 1,000-mile $3-billion oil pipeline, or any other current
event. Two great places to search are the web sites www.turkishembassy.org, Embassy of Turkey in Washington,
DC and www.turkishdailynews.com, Turkey’s 45-year-old English daily newspaper. Have students share their
current news event with the rest of the class, and then allow students to discuss their
various reactions.
Sports Activity:
Have your sports reporters each choose a popular and unique sporting event that
takes place in Turkey, and present an oral presentation about that sport. Their oral
report can include photographs (or even video) of the sport, as well as a description
of how the sport is played and scored. The reporter may choose to wear the costume
or uniform of their chosen sport. The oral presentation could even involve other
classmates to give a demonstration of how the sport is played. Hint: several are
referenced on page 29!
Advertisements Activity:
Assign students the project of creating a print advertisement for a unique Turkish
product. Provide your students with plenty of paper, markers, scissors and glue.
They can draw their own advertisement or incorporate photographs they’ve collected from magazines or web
sites. Their advertisement should include a bold and catchy headline that entices readers to visit the store or
purchase the product. Turkey has many great and unique products to choose from (such as the one on page 30).
Post the best advertisements in your Turkish Tribune newspaper.
Dining Reviews Activity:
Ask your classroom dining critics to research Turkey’s top culinary
dishes. Have each choose a Turkish recipe and write it up for the
Turkish Tribune, and include in the article at which meal or special
occasion the dish is served. Many dishes have histories which date
back many centuries, and your dining critics should search for any
information about the history of their chosen dish. They should
also draw and color a photograph of what the finished dish should
look like. For extra credit, your critic can ask an adult to prepare
the dish, strictly following the recipe, and then include a review of
how tasty the dish was!

Weather Forecast Activity:
Here’s a special activity for all of your future meteorologists. For
your Turkish Tribune newspaper, have them conduct research about the
annual weather and climate in Turkey, including: average high and low
temperature for each month of the year; the rainiest month of the year; the
best month of the year for sunbathing; how the weather differs in the different
regions of the country (which region has the most snow); and finally, what
today’s forecast is in 5 different Turkish cities.
Fashion Editor Activity:
What exactly is an iþlik, a üçetek, an önlük or a þalvar. They can all be
found in a Turkish clothes closet, but it will take your classroom fashion
editors to dress up your newspaper with articles about Turkish fashion.
After conducting research, have the fashion reporters use markers to draw
and label traditional Turkish
clothing for men and women. Have them write articles explaining
what types of outfits are used for certain occasions, and what fabrics
and what colors have special meanings and serve special purposes.
Business Reporter Activity:
Have students research and write a paper on one of the following
topics about business in Turkey: 1) major businesses in Turkey; 2)
the country’s top exports and imports; 3) profile a major business
leader from Turkey; 4) how Western culture is influencing Turkey;
5) profile the Republic of Turkey in terms of technology including
computer usage, cell phones, MP3 players, etc.; 6) if you were
going to open a business in Turkey, what type of business would you open and why? 7) which traditional Turkish
products do you think would sell best in the U.S. and why?
Hot Off the Press!
Once your Turkish Tribune newspaper is printed, it’s time for the paper boy to deliver it to some interested readers.
Invite students from other classes around the school to visit your classroom to see the finished product (and learn
a bit about Turkey themselves). You may also want to have the finished newspaper on display in your classroom for
your school’s open house or for a special parents’ night. You may even want to make it just one component of an
entire Turkish classroom re-decoration for Memphis in May’s “Best Turkish Classroom” contest

The flag of Turkey consists of a white crescent moon
and a star on a red background. The flag has a
complex origin since it includes components of an
ancient design, and proportional standardizations
were also made with the Turkish Flag Law of 1936.
History: The crescent and star are both generally
regarded as Islamic symbols today. According to
one theory, the figure of crescent has its roots in
tamghas, markings used as livestock brand or
stamp, used by nomadic Turkic clans of Central
Asia. The current design of the Turkish flag is
directly derived from the late Ottoman flag. It is known that Ottomans used red flags of triangular shape since at
least 1383, which later became rectangular.
Ottomans used several different designs, most of them featuring one or more crescents. During the late imperial
period, the distinctive use of the color of red for secular and green for religious institutions was an established
practice. In 1844, the eight-pointed star was replaced with a five-pointed star and the flag reached the form of the
present Turkish flag.
Origin: The origin of the crescent and star as a symbol dates back to the times of ancient Babylon and ancient
Egypt. It has been claimed that the Turkic tribes, during their migrations from the Central Asia to modern Turkey
circa 800 AD, had adopted this symbol from local tribes and states in the area that is present day Middle East that
had in turn adopted these from the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt.
Legends: The origin of the Turkish flag is the subject of various legends throughout the country. Some contradict
the historical knowledge about the influences of the Ottoman flags. On page 58 in the “9th - 12th Grade Division”
of this curriculum guide, there is a class activity based on the flag of the Turkish Republic.

The perfect way to conclude your Grand Bazaar experience is with a little classroom celebration, complete with a
little piece of Turkish Delight, one of Turkey’s world-famous desserts. The history of Turkish Delight (known as
“lokum”) dates back over 200 years, making it one of the oldest candies in the world. Turkish legend has it that in
his endeavor to quell the rumblings of discontent within his harem, a Turkish sultan summoned all his confectionery
experts and ordered them to produce a unique dessert to add to the collection of secret recipes for which he was
famous. As a result of extensive research, lokum was born.
In 1776, during the reign of Sultan Abdulhamid I, Bekir Effendi, a fully apprenticed confectioner, arrived in Istanbul
and set up a little shop in the center of the city. He quickly won fame and fortune among people with a sweet tooth.
Fashionable ladies began giving Turkish Delight to their friends in special lace handkerchiefs. These were also used
as acts of courting between couples, as documented by traditional Turkish love songs of that era.
Turkish Delight is probably best known among English speakers as the addictive confection to which Edmund
Pevensie succumbs in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis.
Culinary Activity:
Whip up a batch of Turkish Delight for your class (check with your school’s rules first)!
Ingredients: 2 cups of sugar, 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, 1 cup of water, 1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar, 1
tablespoon of artificial flavoring, 1/2 cup toasted chopped nuts, confectioners’ sugar.
Recipe: Dissolve sugar and cornstarch in water. Add cream of tartar. Boil to 220 degrees F. Cover the pot for the
last 5 minutes. Add artificial flavoring and, if you choose, artificial color. Add nuts. Pour into a greased shallow pan.
When cool, cut into small squares and roll each square in sifted powdered sugar. Store in an airtight container.

The Republic of Turkey is a new, contemporary and technological country which exists in an old land
with a rich history. The modern Turkish state—beginning with the creation of the Republic of Turkey
in the years immediately after World War I—drew on a national
consciousness that had developed only in the late nineteenth century. But the history
of nomadic Turkish tribes can be traced with certainty to the sixth century A.D.,
when they wandered the steppes of central Asia. Asia Minor, which the Turks invaded
in the eleventh century, has a recorded history that dates back to the Hittites, who
flourished there in the second millennium B.C. However, archaeological evidence of
far older cultures has been found in the region.
The term Turkey , although sometimes used to signify the
Ottoman Empire, was not assigned to a specific political
entity or geographic area until the republic was founded in
1923. The large peninsular territory had been wrested from
the Byzantine Empire. The term Anatolia is also used when
events described affected both that region and Turkish
Thrace (“Turkey-in-Europe”) because of the two areas’
closely linked political, social, and cultural development.
The Republic of Turkey is a bridge connecting the Middle
East and Europe, and it shares in the history of both those
parts of the world. Despite the diversity of its peoples and
their cultures, and the constantly shifting borders of its ethnic
map, Anatolia has a history characterized by remarkable
continuity. Wave after wave of conquerors and settlers have imposed their language and other unique features of
their culture on it, but they also have invariably assimilated the customs of the peoples who preceded them.
The history of Turkey encompasses, first, the history of Anatolia before the coming of the Turks and of the
civilizations—Hittite, Thracian, Hellenistic, and Byzantine. Secondly,
it includes the history of the Turkish peoples, including the Seljuks,
who brought Islam and the Turkish language to Anatolia. Thirdly, it is
the history of the Ottoman Empire, a cosmopolitan state that for many
centuries was a world power.
Finally, the Republic of Turkey’s history is that of the republic
established in 1923 under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal (1881-
1938), called Atatürk. The creation of the new republic in the heartland
of the old empire was achieved in the face of internal traditionalist
opposition and foreign intervention. Atatürk’s goal was to build upon
the ruins of Ottoman Turkey a new country and a vibrant and
progressive society patterned directly on Western Europe. He equated
Westernization with the introduction of technology, the modernization
of administration, and the evolution of democratic institutions.
Today, amidst vast history and culture, the cities of the Republic of
Turkey present a proud democracy, social diversity, strength in business
and technology, and modern progress into the future. Turkey not only
serves as a bridge between Europe and Asia, but a bridge between a
rich past and a progressive future.
Brief History of Turkey
Temple of Apollo at Side,
settled in the 7th century BC.
Ankara, the modern capital of Turkey

Atatürk is the national hero of Turkey. He created the Republic of Turkey in 1923 out of the ashes of
the Ottoman Empire, establishing a new government truly representative of the nation’s will. As its
first President, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk stands as a towering figure of the 20th Century. Among the
great leaders of history, few have achieved so much in so short period, transformed the life of a nation
as decisively, and given such profound inspiration to the world at large.
His modern perspective created a new nation and a country. Once you
step into Turkey, you will see statues and busts of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
all over the country.
He was born in 1881 in Thessaloniki, at that time, within the Ottoman
Empire’s borders, in current day Greece. His full name was Mustafa
Kemal and the “Atatürk” surname, meaning “the father of Turks,” was
given to him by the Turkish people (November 24, 1934) in accordance
with the reforms he introduced to create a modern Turkish country.
His background was military, and he served in various posts in the
Ottoman army. During the First World War, he was the colonel in charge
of the Infantry at Gallipoli in 1915. It was his genious defense tactics
that prevented the allied forces (British, French, Sengalese and Anzacs
- Australians and New Zealanders) from capturing the Dardanelles and
eventually Bosphorus.
His success and fast growing reputation initially concerned the capital.
To keep him under control, he was promoted to Pasha (General). When
the War ended the armies of the allied forces occupied nearly all corners
of the country including Istanbul, and many of the people saw a hopeful
future in the acceptance of either the British or the American mandate. Atatürk, however, had a very different
vision. He left Istanbul in a small boat named “Bandirma” (a nice model of the boat can be seen at the Atatürk
Museum at Atatürk’s Mausoleum in Ankara), going ashore at Samsun, a coastal town in the Black Sea, on May
19, 1919 (a date later presented by Atatürk to the Turkish Youth as “Turkish Youth Day”), the day the War of
Independence began. Atatürk was determined to achieve independence.
First with skirmishes, Atatürk and his army friends started fighting the enemy. Ankara was chosen to be Atatürk’s
headquarters because of its central location, and the seeds of a new country were planted there. He and his friends
wanted to replace the Monarchy with a Republic. The War of Independence took some three years and by the end
of 1922, all of the invaders had left the country. The Ottoman Sultans fled in a British boat, and the birth of a new
nation had begun.
As President of the Republic of Turkey for 15 years, until his death in 1938, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk introduced a
broad range of swift and sweeping reforms - in the political, social, legal, economic, and cultural spheres - virtually
unparalleled in any other country.
His achievements in Turkey are an enduring monument to Atatürk. Emerging nations admire him as a pioneer of
national liberation. The world honors his memory as a foremost peacemaker who upheld the principles of humanism
and the vision of a united humanity. Through the decades, tributes have been offered to him by such world statesmen
as Lloyd George, Churchill, Roosevelt, Nehru, de Gaulle, Adenauer, Bourguiba, Nasser, Kennedy, and countless
others. A White House statement, issued on the occasion of “The Atatürk Centennial” in 1981, pays homage to
him as “a great leader in times of war and peace”. It is fitting that there should be high praise for Atatürk, an
extraordinary leader of modern times, who said in 1933: “I look to the world with an open heart full of pure feelings
and friendship.”