Multifaceted

Turkey extends on 2 continents and is a bridge between two cultures - the West and the

Orient.

Bordered to the east by Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Iran to the southward – with Iraq and Syria, to the west – the Aegean Sea and

the islands in it, Greece and Bulgaria.

Turkey is a country which territory is almost entirely located in Asia /97%/ and the remaining 3% - on the Balkan peninsula in Southeastern Europe.

Islam is professed by 90% of the population, the rest manifest mostly Alevis, Judaism and Orthodox Christianity.

Nearly half of Turks aged under 30 years.

Currency

Turkey suffered two major cataclysms -

the devastating earthquake of 1999

and the economic crisis of 2001, in

which the Turkish lira lost half of its

value.

Today, the Turkish economic miracle is based on 90% of Gulf Arab capitals.

34 billionaires are living in Istanbul – the fourth city in the world by number of billionaires after Moscow, New York and London.

Istanbul is a magnetic metropolis full of contrasts. The slogan of Istanbul, "The city of the seven hills".

Istanbul has an unique

atmosphere - a mixture of noise, flavours, colours,

multilingual speech, crazy

jumble of ancient

history and modern

economy.

Founded 3000 years ago, Istanbul 3 times changed his name /Bysantion and Constantinople/ and is the capital of three world

empires - the Byzantine, Latin and Ottoman.

Istanbul has an unique location and is almost impregnable - located on the top and surrounded by three seas - the Black, Marmara and Mediterranean.

Today Istanbul is an unique metropolis –

are just a few numbers:

Istanbul is about 165 km long and 70 km wide.Population is about 13 million, but probably exceeds

17 million. For 60 years the population of Istanbul has increased 10 times.

"Sophia" is a remarkable creation,

and the symbol of Istanbul. Founded

1500 years ago as a Christian church,

then converted into a mosque by Sultan conquerors, today it

is a museum of human imagination

and tolerance.

In 2010 Istanbul was chosen the cultural capital of Europe and many historic monuments have been restored.

In Turkey, there are two main priorities –

national security /military/ and education.

Young people know that their diplomas ensure not only higher wages but also

respect in society.

In 1989 began "Great trip“, when many Bulgarian

muslims emigrated in Turkey.

Bulgaria and Turkey have common historical past, but nowadays we are partners - in economy, culture, trade, tourism ...

What is Turkey famous for Bulgarians with?

The Turkish oriental music is very popular in Bulgaria. The pop singer Tarkan is really famous here.

The best advertisment of the Turks in the world are TV series. Turks are seen as proud and honest, conservative in feelings,

devoted to family ... "Falling Leaves”, "Pearl“, " The Golden Age“ are among the most watched movies in Bulgaria.

The most popular sport in Turkey is association

football /soccer/. The most

popular Turkish football teams "Galatasaray" and "Fenerbahce" have got a lot of fans in Bulgaria.

Since 2005 Turkey has organized Formula 1 Grand Prix.

Turkey is a favourite vacation spot for the Bulgarians.

Traditionally, leaving school Bulgarian students organize a trip in neighbouring Turkey - Marmaris or Kusadasi.

Traditional Turkish family is usually big and friendly

and consists of at least 3

generations.

Turkish beauty

"Burasi Turkiye,

Amerika (İngiltere, Avustralya, et al) degil," is a phrase that

has been heard 100 times and

more.

Literally, it simply means, "This is Turkey, it's not America (England, Australia, etc.)." So you may sit back and enjoy the ride..."

Muslim tradition: entering a mosque or a private house, remove your

shoes.

60% of Turkish people don't ever go on vacation/holiday.

Ol' Couch Potato Dad: Vacation? Tourist? Tourism? I don't think these are Turkish words.. Lil' Fella: But look, Dad. They're in the dictionary...Tourist, which comes from French, means a person who visits for seeing and resting...And Tourism, which comes from English, means making a visit for fun and entertainment...Ol' Couch Potato Dad: See what I mean? These words have nothing to do with Turkish or Turks...

In Turkey there are no hungry, naked or homeless people - Muslims accept as sin if you do not help a human in need.

The value of goods depends on the price which the customer wants to pay for it. Who doesn’t market, pays triple price.

In the country of the Turkish coffee all people love tea. Teacups have the shape of stylized tulips, the symbol of the Ottoman empire. Tulips are

associated with movements of the dancing dervishes.

In Istanbul there are more than 3500 mosques. And the Turkish flag is everywhere.

  Turks have big ambitions – they are going to build the third bridge over the

Bosphorus and an unique tunnel under it.

In Bulgarian language we use phrases such as:

Turkish coffee

Turkish blue

Sitting in Turkish

Turkish bath

It is delicious Turkish world !!!

Traditional Turkish food

Thank you for the attention !