1.
Provinces of Turkey
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Turkey is divided into 81 provinces. Each province is divided into a number of different districts, the provincial government is seated in the central district. The central area usually bears the name of the province, there are only two exceptions to this naming scheme, Antakya of Hatay province İzmit of Kocaeli province A province is administered by an appointed governor from the ministry of interior. Below is a list of the 81 provinces of Turkey, sorted according to their license plate code, after Zonguldak the ordering is not alphabetical but in the order of the creation of provinces, as these provinces were created more recently and thus their plate numbers were assigned thereafter. The numbers of the ISO code, the first two digits of the registration plates of Turkey and the first digits of the postal codes in Turkey are the same
2.
Turkey
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Turkey, officially the Republic of Turkey, is a transcontinental country in Eurasia, mainly in Anatolia in Western Asia, with a smaller portion on the Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. Turkey is a democratic, secular, unitary, parliamentary republic with a cultural heritage. The country is encircled by seas on three sides, the Aegean Sea is to the west, the Black Sea to the north, and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. The Bosphorus, the Sea of Marmara, and the Dardanelles, Ankara is the capital while Istanbul is the countrys largest city and main cultural and commercial centre. Approximately 70-80% of the countrys citizens identify themselves as ethnic Turks, other ethnic groups include legally recognised and unrecognised minorities. Kurds are the largest ethnic minority group, making up approximately 20% of the population, the area of Turkey has been inhabited since the Paleolithic by various ancient Anatolian civilisations, as well as Assyrians, Greeks, Thracians, Phrygians, Urartians and Armenians. After Alexander the Greats conquest, the area was Hellenized, a process continued under the Roman Empire. The Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm ruled Anatolia until the Mongol invasion in 1243, the empire reached the peak of its power in the 16th century, especially during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent. During the war, the Ottoman government committed genocides against its Armenian, Assyrian, following the war, the conglomeration of territories and peoples that formerly comprised the Ottoman Empire was partitioned into several new states. Turkey is a member of the UN, an early member of NATO. Turkeys growing economy and diplomatic initiatives have led to its recognition as a regional power while her location has given it geopolitical, the name of Turkey is based on the ethnonym Türk. The first recorded use of the term Türk or Türük as an autonym is contained in the Old Turkic inscriptions of the Göktürks of Central Asia, the English name Turkey first appeared in the late 14th century and is derived from Medieval Latin Turchia. Similarly, the medieval Khazar Empire, a Turkic state on the shores of the Black. The medieval Arabs referred to the Mamluk Sultanate as al-Dawla al-Turkiyya, the Ottoman Empire was sometimes referred to as Turkey or the Turkish Empire among its European contemporaries. The Anatolian peninsula, comprising most of modern Turkey, is one of the oldest permanently settled regions in the world, various ancient Anatolian populations have lived in Anatolia, from at least the Neolithic period until the Hellenistic period. Many of these peoples spoke the Anatolian languages, a branch of the larger Indo-European language family, in fact, given the antiquity of the Indo-European Hittite and Luwian languages, some scholars have proposed Anatolia as the hypothetical centre from which the Indo-European languages radiated. The European part of Turkey, called Eastern Thrace, has also been inhabited since at least forty years ago. It is the largest and best-preserved Neolithic site found to date, the settlement of Troy started in the Neolithic Age and continued into the Iron Age
3.
NUTS statistical regions of Turkey
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As a candidate country of the European Union, Turkey is included in the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics. Interactive map of statistics indicators by NUTS levels
4.
Electoral system of Turkey
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The Electoral system of Turkey varies for general, presidential and local elections that take place in Turkey every four years, five years and five years respectively. Turkey has been a multi-party democracy since 1950, with the first democratic election held on 14 May 1950 leading to the end of the single-party rule established in 1923. The current electoral system for electing Members of Parliament to the Grand National Assembly has a 10% election threshold, the highest of any country. Presidential elections, A Two-round system, with the top two contesting a run-off election two weeks after the initial election should no candidate win at least 50%+1 of the popular vote. Turkey elects 550 Members of Parliament to the Grand National Assembly using the DHondt method, E. g. in the 2002 general election the AKP won 34. 28% of the vote but won nearly two-thirds of the seats. This was the case in the 2007 and 2011 general election, where the Kurdish Democratic Society Party, the main criticism of the current system is the high 10% threshold necessary to gain seats. Under these proposals, the threshold would fall from 10% to either 7 or 8% while Turkey would be split into 129 electoral districts rather than the existing 85, İstanbul itself would have been split into 17 or 20 districts. The two main opposition parties CHP and MHP do not have a number of electoral strongholds. The AKPs proposals for reform have raised concerns about gerrymandering, Turkey is split into 85 electoral districts, which elect a certain number of Members to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. The Grand National Assembly has a total of 550 seats, which each district allocated a certain number of MPs in proportion to their population. The Supreme Electoral Council of Turkey conducts population reviews of each district before the election, in all but three cases, electoral districts share the same name and borders of the 81 Provinces of Turkey. The exceptions are İzmir, İstanbul and Ankara, Provinces electing between 19 and 36 MPs are split into two electoral districts, while any province electing above 36 MPs are divided into three. As the countrys three largest provinces, İzmir and Ankara are divided into two subdistricts while İstanbul is divided into three, the distribution of elected MPs per electoral district is shown below. A total of eight districts had their number of MPs adjusted since the 2011 general election by the electoral council. The two electoral districts of Ankara also had their boundaries changed, the number of voters in each province was announced on 17 May 2015. In total, there are 53,741,838 voters in the provinces, however, because of the electoral system, this was not distributed equally to the provinces. In İzmir, where voters per MP was the highest,118,669 votes corresponded to an MP, two factors caused this more than fourfold disparity. Namely, the electoral law favours provinces smaller in size, which caused İzmir, İstanbul and Ankara, Turkeys largest cities and provinces, to have the least representation per voter
5.
Vehicle registration plate
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A vehicle registration plate, also known as a number plate or a license plate, is metal or plastic plate attached to a motor vehicle or trailer for official identification purposes. The registration identifier is a numeric or alphanumeric ID that uniquely identifies the owner within the issuing regions database. The first two letters indicate the state to which the vehicle is registered, the next two digit numbers are the sequential number of a district. Due to heavy volume of vehicle registration, the numbers were given to the RTO offices of registration as well, the third part indicates the year of registration of the vehicle and is a 4 digit number unique to each plate. In some countries, the identifier is unique within the entire country, whether the identifier is associated with a vehicle or a person also varies by issuing agency. In the vast majority of jurisdictions, the government holds a monopoly on the manufacturing of vehicle registration plates for that jurisdiction. Thus, it is illegal for private citizens to make and affix their own plates. Alternately, the government will merely assign plate numbers, and it is the owners responsibility to find an approved private supplier to make a plate with that number. In some jurisdictions, plates will be assigned to that particular vehicle for its lifetime. If the vehicle is destroyed or exported to a different country. Other jurisdictions follow a policy, meaning that when a vehicle is sold the seller removes the current plate from the vehicle. Buyers must either obtain new plates or attach plates they already hold, as well as register their vehicles under the buyers name, a person who sells a car and then purchases a new one can apply to have the old plates put onto the new car. One who sells a car and does not buy a new one may, depending on the laws involved, have to turn the old plates in or destroy them. Some jurisdictions permit the registration of the vehicle with personal plates, in some jurisdictions, plates require periodic replacement, often associated with a design change of the plate itself. Vehicle owners may or may not have the option to keep their original plate number, alternately, or additionally, vehicle owners have to replace a small decal on the plate or use a decal on the windshield to indicate the expiration date of the vehicle registration. Plates are usually fixed directly to a vehicle or to a frame that is fixed to the vehicle. Sometimes, the plate frames contain advertisements inserted by the service centre or the dealership from which the vehicle was purchased. Vehicle owners can also purchase customized frames to replace the original frames, in some jurisdictions licence plate frames are illegal
6.
Turkish language
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Outside of Turkey, significant smaller groups of speakers exist in Germany, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Northern Cyprus, Greece, the Caucasus, and other parts of Europe and Central Asia. Cyprus has requested that the European Union add Turkish as an official EU language, in 1928, as one of Atatürks Reforms in the early years of the Republic of Turkey, the Ottoman Turkish alphabet was replaced with a Latin alphabet. The distinctive characteristics of Turkish are vowel harmony and extensive agglutination, the basic word order of Turkish is subject–object–verb. Turkish has no classes or grammatical gender. Turkish has a strong T–V distinction and usage of honorifics, Turkish uses second-person pronouns that distinguish varying levels of politeness, social distance, age, courtesy or familiarity toward the addressee. The plural second-person pronoun and verb forms are used referring to a person out of respect. Turkic languages belong to the Altaic language group, the Turkic family comprises some 30 living languages spoken across Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and Siberia. Turkish is a member of the Oghuz group of languages, a subgroup of the Turkic language family, there is a high degree of mutual intelligibility between Turkish and the other Oghuz Turkic languages, including Azerbaijani, Turkmen, Qashqai, Gagauz, and Balkan Gagauz Turkish. The earliest known Old Turkic inscriptions are the three monumental Orkhon inscriptions found in modern Mongolia, erected in honour of the prince Kul Tigin and his brother Emperor Bilge Khagan, these date back to the second Turk Kaghanate. The Seljuqs of the Oghuz Turks, in particular, brought their language, following the adoption of Islam c. Turkish literature during the Ottoman period, particularly Divan poetry, was influenced by Persian, including the adoption of poetic meters. One of the tasks of the newly established association was to initiate a reform to replace loanwords of Arabic. By banning the usage of imported words in the press, the association succeeded in removing several hundred words from the language. While most of the words introduced to the language by the TDK were newly derived from Turkic roots, owing to this sudden change in the language, older and younger people in Turkey started to differ in their vocabularies. While the generations born before the 1940s tend to use the terms of Arabic or Persian origin. The past few decades have seen the work of the TDK to coin new Turkish words to express new concepts and technologies as they enter the language. Many of these new words, particularly information technology terms, have received widespread acceptance, however, the TDK is occasionally criticized for coining words which sound contrived and artificial. Some earlier changes—such as bölem to replace fırka, political party—also failed to meet with popular approval, some words restored from Old Turkic have taken on specialized meanings, for example betik is now used to mean script in computer science
7.
Anatolia
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Anatolia, in geography known as Asia Minor, Asian Turkey, Anatolian peninsula, or Anatolian plateau, is the westernmost protrusion of Asia, which makes up the majority of modern-day Turkey. The region is bounded by the Black Sea to the north, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Sea of Marmara forms a connection between the Black and Aegean Seas through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits and separates Anatolia from Thrace on the European mainland. Traditionally, Anatolia is considered to extend in the east to a line between the Gulf of Alexandretta and the Black Sea to the Armenian Highlands, thus, traditionally Anatolia is the territory that comprises approximately the western two-thirds of the Asian part of Turkey. The Turkification of Anatolia began under the Seljuk Empire in the late 11th century, however, various non-Turkic languages continue to be spoken by minorities in Anatolia today, including Kurdish, Assyrian, Armenian, Arabic, Laz, Georgian, and Greek. Traditionally, Anatolia is considered to extend in the east to a line running from the Gulf of Alexandretta to the Black Sea. This traditional geographical definition is used, for example, in the latest edition of Merriam-Websters Geographical Dictionary, under this definition, Anatolia is bounded to the east by the Armenian Highlands, and the Euphrates before that river bends to the southeast to enter Mesopotamia. To the southeast, it is bounded by the ranges that separate it from the Orontes valley in Syria, the first name the Greeks used for the Anatolian peninsula was Ἀσία, presumably after the name of the Assuwa league in western Anatolia. As the name of Asia came to be extended to areas east of the Mediterranean. The name Anatolia derives from the Greek ἀνατολή meaning “the East” or more literally “sunrise”, the precise reference of this term has varied over time, perhaps originally referring to the Aeolian, Ionian and Dorian colonies on the west coast of Asia Minor. In the Byzantine Empire, the Anatolic Theme was a theme covering the western, the modern Turkish form of Anatolia is Anadolu, which again derives from the Greek name Aνατολή. The Russian male name Anatoly and the French Anatole share the same linguistic origin, in English the name of Turkey for ancient Anatolia first appeared c. It is derived from the Medieval Latin Turchia, which was used by the Europeans to define the Seljuk controlled parts of Anatolia after the Battle of Manzikert. Human habitation in Anatolia dates back to the Paleolithic, neolithic Anatolia has been proposed as the homeland of the Indo-European language family, although linguists tend to favour a later origin in the steppes north of the Black Sea. However, it is clear that the Anatolian languages, the oldest branch of Indo-European, have spoken in Anatolia since at least the 19th century BC. The earliest historical records of Anatolia stem from the southeast of the region and are from the Mesopotamian-based Akkadian Empire during the reign of Sargon of Akkad in the 24th century BC, scholars generally believe the earliest indigenous populations of Anatolia were the Hattians and Hurrians. The region was famous for exporting raw materials, and areas of Hattian-, one of the numerous cuneiform records dated circa 20th century BC, found in Anatolia at the Assyrian colony of Kanesh, uses an advanced system of trading computations and credit lines. They were speakers of an Indo-European language, the Hittite language, originating from Nesa, they conquered Hattusa in the 18th century BC, imposing themselves over Hattian- and Hurrian-speaking populations. According to the most widely accepted Kurgan theory on the Proto-Indo-European homeland, however, the Hittites adopted the cuneiform script, invented in Mesopotamia
8.
Adana
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Adana is a major city in southern Turkey. The city is situated on the Seyhan river,35 km inland from the Mediterranean Sea and it is the administrative seat of the Adana Province and has a population of 1.7 million, making it the fifth most populous city in Turkey. Adana-Mersin polycentric metropolitan area, with a population of 3 million, stretches over 70 km east-west and 25 km north-south, encompassing the cities of Mersin, Tarsus, Adana lies in the heart of Çukurova, a geo-cultural region alternatively known as Cilicia. Home to six people, Çukurova is one of the largest population concentrations in Turkey, as well as the most agriculturally productive area, owing to its large stretch of flat. Region covers the provinces of Mersin, Adana, Osmaniye, the earlier Egyptian texts for a country Danaja are inscriptions from Thutmosis II and Amenophis III. After the collapse of the Mycenaean civilization some refugees from the Aegean area went to the coast of Cilicia, the inhabitants Dananayim or Danuna are identified as one group of the Sea Peoples who attacked Egypt in 1191 BC during the reign of Ramesses III. Denyen are identified as inhabitants of the city Adana and it is also possible that the name is connected with the PIE da-nu Da-na-vo, Scythian nomad people, water demons in Rigveda. In Hellenistic times, it was known as Antiochia in Cilicia or Antiochia ad Sarum, the editors of The Helsinki Atlas tentatively identify Adana as Quwê, the Neo-Assyrian capital of Quwê province. The name also appears as Coa, and may be the place referred to in the Bible, the Armenian name of the city is Ատանա Atana or Ադանա Adana. According to an ancient Greco-Roman legend, the name has its origins in Adanus and Sarus, the Hittites names and writings have been found in the area, evidencing this possibility. Adanas name has had different versions over the centuries, Adanos, Ta Adana, Uru Adaniya, Erdene, Edene, Ezene, Batana, Atana, Azana. Adana is located at the edge of the Mediterranean, where it serves as the gateway to the Çukurova plain. This large stretch of flat, fertile land lies southeast of the Taurus Mountains, from Adana, crossing the Çukurova westwards, the road from Tarsus enters the foothills of the Taurus Mountains. The temperature decreases with every foot of ascent, as the road reaches an altitude of nearly 4,000 feet and it goes through the famous Cilician Gates, the rocky pass through which armies have coursed since the dawn of history, and continues to the Anatolian plain. The north of the city is surrounded by the Seyhan reservoir and HEP, the dam was constructed for hydroelectric power and to irrigate the lower Çukurova plain. Two irrigation channels in the city flow to the plain, passing through the city center from east to west, there is another canal for irrigating the Yüreğir plain to the southeast of the city. The 37th parallel north passes through the city, Adana has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate under both the Köppen classification, and a dry-hot summer subtropical climate under the Trewartha classification. Winters are mild and wet and summers are long, hot, the highest recorded temperature was on 8 July 1978 with 45.6 °C
9.
Chukurova
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Çukurova, alternatively known as Cilicia, is a geo-cultural region in south-central Turkey, covering the provinces of Mersin, Adana, Osmaniye and Hatay. With a population of almost 6 million, it is one of the largest population concentrations in Turkey, Çukurova in Turkish means roughly Low Plain, çukur for hollow, depression, ova for plains. The core area is plain, covering the area of Mersin on the west, Kozan on the north, Osmaniye on the east. Adana-Mersin Metropolitan Area is the business and cultural center of Çukurova, most of the Çukurova region is a large stretch of flat, fertile land which is among the most agriculturally productive areas of the world. The regions recorded history back over 6,000 years. Armenian presence in Cilicia dates back to the first century BC, when under Tigranes the Great, in 83 BC, the Greek aristocracy of Seleucid Syria, weakened by a bloody civil war, offered their allegiance to the ambitious Armenian king. Shortly after, in 1080, Ruben founded the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, when Seljuq Turks captured the region in the 12th century, many Turkmens, including Oğuz clans of Yureğir, Afshar and Chepni settled in the regios northern parts under the direction of Ramadanids. Those who preserved the nomadic lifestyle were named Yörüks, among other families still prominent today and that had risen with the cotton boom, Kozanoğlu, Güveloğlu, Kerimoğlu, Karsantıoğlu, Küçükalioğlu families can be cited. In 1869, the Vilayet of Adana was incorporated after splitting up Aleppo Province, the borders of the Vilayet of Adana are similar to todays Çukurova region. The development of Mersin as a port also began during this period. As a result, the cities of the region became prominent centers of trade, farming, today, Adana is the 5th largest city of Turkey, and a vital center of many agricultural products such as cotton. Historically, the region was known as Kizuwatna by the Hittites, the gates which allow passage from Çukurova into the Central Anatolian Plateau through the Taurus Mountains, the Cilician Gates of antiquity, is called Gülek Pass today. Belen Pass which connects the region to the southeast and Sertavul Pass constitute other important points of passage, the region is included in the Mediterranean region of Turkey, and it borders Central Anatolia to the north, and Southeastern Anatolia to the east. The climate of Çukurova shows significant differences at the mountains and the lower plains, at the lower plains, the climate reflects a typical Mediterranean, summers are hot and dry, winters are warm and rainy. In the coldest month, the temperature is 9 °C, and in the warmest month. Mountains of Çukurova have a climate with snowy winters. The average annual precipitation in the region is 647mm and the number of rainy days in a year is 76. Mersin and surrounding areas have the highest average temperature in Çukurova, Mersin also has a high annual precipitation and 85 rainy days in a year
10.
Mersin Province
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The Mersin Province is a province in southern Turkey, on the Mediterranean coast between Antalya and Adana. The provincial capital is the city of Mersin and the major town is Tarsus. The province is part of Çukurova, a geographical, economical and cultural region, in 2002, the provinces name was changed from İçel to Mersin but the province retained the license plate number of 33, İçel having been the 33rd in the alphabetical order of Turkish province names. There are many high meadows and small plains between 700 and 1500m, the coastal strip has many large areas of flatland, formed from soil brought down by rivers and streams running off the mountains. This is fertile land, the largest area being the plain of Tarsus, the largest rivers are the Göksu and the Berdan, but there are many small streams running into lakes, reservoirs or the Mediterranean sea. Mersin has 321 km of coastline, much of it sandy beach, with all this activity a modern city has grown with a university and other major amenities. About 50% of the population of the province is younger than 24 years of age, about 43% of the male population and about 27% of the female population graduated from middle school. Urban population growth rate is 2. 42%, in summer the hills are a popular retreat from the high humidity and extreme heat on the coast. West of Mersin includes bays, and little islands, yacht touring is a tourism income in these areas. In antiquity this coast was part of Cilicia, named for a Phoenician or Assyrian prince that had settled here, trade from Syria and Mesopotamia over the mountains to central Anatolia passed through here, through the Cilician Gates. The geographer Strabo, described the region as being divided into Rugged Cilicia, the capital of both sections of Cilicia was Tarsus and Mersin was its seaport. Mersin province is divided into thirteen districts four of which are included within the municipality of Mersin city. Silifke - ancient Seleucia Pieria, buildings include the church of Aya Tekla, the ancient Roman town of Soloi-Pompeiopolis, now within the city. About Mersin The ancient Roman town of Anemurium, adjacent to the town of Anamur. Another ancient city of Elaiussa Sebaste,55 km from the city of Mersin, castles including Mamure, Kızkalesi and Namrun
11.
Osmaniye Province
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Ossdtipppmaniye Province is a Turkish province located in southern Turkey. It existed as a province by the name Cebel-i Bereket in the republic until 1933. It was made a province again in 1996 and it covers an area of 3,767 km² and has a population of 479,221. The province is situated in Çukurova, a geographical, economical and cultural region, the capital of the province is Osmaniye. The next largest towns are Kadirli and Düziçi
12.
Hatay Province
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Hatay Province is a province in southern Turkey, on the eastern Mediterranean coast. The administrative capital is Antakya, and the major city in the province is the port city of İskenderun. It is bordered by Syria to the south and east and the Turkish provinces of Adana, the province is part of Çukurova, a geographical, economical and cultural region that covers the provinces of Mersin, Adana, Osmaniye, and Hatay. There are border crossing points with Syria in the district of Yayladağı, although the two countries have remained generally peaceful in their dispute over the territory, Syria has never formally renounced its claims to it. The region was the center of the Hellenistic Seleucid empire, home to the four Greek cities of the Syrian tetrapolis, from 64 BC onwards the city of Antioch became an important regional centre of the Roman Empire. The area was conquered by the Rashidun Caliphate in 638 and later it came under the control of the Ummayad, from the 11th century onwards, the region was controlled by the Aleppo-based Hamdanids after a brief rule of Ikhshidids. In 969 the city of Antioch was recaptured by the Byzantine Empire and it was conquered by Philaretos Brachamios, a Byzantine general in 1078. He founded a principality from Antioch to Edessa and it was captured by Suleiman I, who was Sultan of Rum, in 1084. It passed to Tutush I, Sultan of Aleppo, in 1086, Seljuk rule lasted 14 years until Hatays capture by the Crusaders in 1098, when it became the centre of the Principality of Antioch. Hatay was captured from the Crusaders by the Mameluks in 1268, by the time it was taken from the Mameluks by the Ottoman Sultan Selim I in 1516, Antakya was a medium-sized town on 2 km² of land between the Orontes River and Mount Habib Neccar. Under the Ottomans the area was known as the sanjak of Alexandretta, a map published circa 1911 highlighted that the ethnic make up was majority Arab with smaller communities of Armenians and Turks. Many consider that Alexandretta had been part of Syria. Maps as far back as 1764 confirm this, during the First World War in which the Ottoman Empire was defeated most of Syria was occupied by the British forces. But when the Armistice of Mudros was signed at the end of the war, nevertheless, after the armistice it was occupied by the British forces an operation which was never accepted by the Ottoman side. Later like the rest of Syria it was handed to France by the British Empire, the subsequent Treaty of Lausanne also put Alexandretta within Syria. A French-Turkish treaty of 20 October 1921 rendered the Sanjak of Alexandretta autonomous, out of 220,000 inhabitants in 1921,87,000 were Turks. Along with Turks the population of the Sanjak included, Arabs of various denominations, Greek Catholics, Syriac-Maronites, Jews, Syriacs, Kurds. In 1923 Hatay was attached to the State of Aleppo, and in 1925 it was attached to the French mandate of Syria
13.
Kayseri Province
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The Kayseri Province is situated in central Turkey. The population is 1,255,349 of which around 1,000,000 live in the city of Kayseri and it covers an area of 16,917 km² and it borders with Sivas, Adana, Niğde, Kahramanmaraş, Yozgat and Nevşehir provinces. The province is an area that has linked with mythological stories as well as important figures in Turkish history. It is located in Anatolia, and surrounded by the Mount Erciyes, the Mount Hasan, the Ali mountain is named like that in honor of Ali Baba, who is said to have lived in the area. Kayseri was first known as the city of Masaka, later, during the Roman period, the provinces name was changed to Kaesarea, then Kayzer before becoming known with its modern name of Kayseri. Danishmend Gazi conquered Kayseri in 1084, the Seljuk Empire then modernised the province, with new buildings and mosques being built around. During this period, the Şifahane, Kayseris first hospital, and it was built in honor of Princess Gevher Nesibe Hatun, daughter of the Sultan. She died of a disease at a young age, construction of the hospital was completed in 1206. Later on, Kayseri became a mecca of poets, artists in Turkey. Seyyid Burhaneddin lived there, and so did others such as Kadı Burhaneddin and Seyrani, sinan the Great, an Ottoman architect, was also from Kayseri. According to Turkish mythology, a man named Hasan Baba would cross mountains during the month of August every year and bring Ali Baba snow, Kayseri is nowadays a province filled with modern buildings and museums. Some of Turkeys most famous statues and monuments are located there, the modern city of Kayseri is in the Melikgazi district
14.
Ankara
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Ankara, formerly known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of the Republic of Turkey. With a population of 4,587,558 in the center and 5,150,072 in its province. Ankara was Atatürks headquarters from 1920 and has been the capital of the Republic since its founding in 1923, the government is a prominent employer, but Ankara is also an important commercial and industrial city, located at the center of Turkeys road and railway networks. The city gave its name to the Angora wool shorn from Angora rabbits, the long-haired Angora goat, the area is also known for its pears, honey, and muscat grapes. Ankara is an old city with various Hittite, Phrygian, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine. The historical center of town is a hill rising 150 m over the left bank of the Ankara Çayı, a tributary of the Sakarya River. The hill remains crowned by the ruins of the old citadel, as with many ancient cities, Ankara has gone by several names over the ages. It has been identified with the Hittite cult center Ankuwaš, although remains a matter of debate. In classical antiquity and during the period, the city was known as Ánkyra in Greek and Ancyra in Latin. Following its annexation by the Seljuk Turks in 1073, the city known in many European languages as Angora. The form Angora is preserved in the names of breeds of different kinds of animals. The oldest settlements in and around the city center of Ankara belonged to the Hattic civilization which existed during the Bronze Age and was gradually absorbed c, 2000–1700 BC by the Indo-European Hittites. In Phrygian tradition, King Midas was venerated as the founder of Ancyra, but Pausanias mentions that the city was far older. Persian sovereignty lasted until the Persians defeat at the hands of Alexander the Great who conquered the city in 333 BC, Alexander came from Gordion to Ankara and stayed in the city for a short period. After his death at Babylon in 323 BC and the subsequent division of his empire among his generals, Ankara, by that time the city also took its name Ἄγκυρα which, in slightly modified form, provides the modern name of Ankara. Other centers were Pessinos, todays Balhisar, for the Trocmi tribe, the city was then known as Ancyra. The Celtic element was probably relatively small in numbers, an aristocracy which ruled over Phrygian-speaking peasants. However, the Celtic language continued to be spoken in Galatia for many centuries
15.
Grand National Assembly of Turkey
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The Grand National Assembly of Turkey, usually referred to simply as the TBMM or Parliament, is the unicameral Turkish legislature. It is the body given the legislative prerogatives by the Turkish Constitution. It was founded in Ankara on 23 April 1920 in the midst of the Turkish War of Independence. The parliament was fundamental in the efforts of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Turkey has had a history of parliamentary government before the establishment of the current national parliament. There were two parliamentary governments during the Ottoman period in what is now Turkey, the First Constitutional Era lasted for only two years, elections being held only twice. The Second Constitutional Era is considered to have begun on 23 July 1908, freedom to hold meetings and establish political parties was recognized, and the government was held responsible to the assembly, not to the sultan. During the two eras of the Ottoman Empire, the Ottoman parliament was called the General Assembly of the Ottoman Empire and was bicameral. The upper house was the Senate of the Ottoman Empire, the members of which were selected by the sultan, the lower chamber of the General Assembly was the Chamber of Deputies of the Ottoman Empire, the members of which were elected by the general public. After World War I, the victorious Allied Powers sought the dismemberment of the Ottoman Empire through the Treaty of Sèvres, the political existence of the Turkish nation was to be completely eliminated under these plans, except for a small region. Nationalist Turkish sentiment rose in the Anatolian peninsula, engendering the establishment of the Turkish national movement, the political developments during this period have made a lasting impact which continues to affect the character of the Turkish nation. The Sultanate was abolished by the newly founded parliament in 1922 and he also stated that the members of the dispersed Ottoman Chamber of Deputies could also participate in the assembly in Ankara, to increase the representative power of the parliament. These elections were held as planned, in the style of the elections of the preceding Chamber of Deputies and this Grand National Assembly, established on national sovereignty, held its inaugural session on 23 April 1920. From this date until the end of the Turkish War of Independence in 1923, the Liberal Party was dissolved on 17 November 1930 and no further attempt at a multiparty democracy was made until 1945. The multi-party period in Turkey was resumed by the founding of the National Development Party, by Nuri Demirağ, under the constitution of 1961, the Grand National Assembly was a bicameral parliament with over 600 members, the newly established upper house being the Senate of the Republic. Following the 1980 military coup, the Senate was dissolved and the Turkish parliament again became unicameral under the current constitution approved in a referendum in 1982. To avoid a hung parliament and its political fragmentation, a party must win at least 10% of the national vote to qualify for representation in the parliament. As a result of this threshold, only two won seats in the legislature after the 2002 elections and three in 2007. The 2002 elections saw every party represented in the previous parliament ejected from the chamber and this rather high threshold has been internationally criticised, but a complaint with the European Court for Human Rights was turned down
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Seyhan
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Seyhan is a district-municipality in Adana Province of Turkey. The district is completely within the city of Adana and the Municipality of Seyhan is a lower-tier municipality serving to the entire district, Seyhan is home to 35 percent of the residents of Adana Province and almost half of the residents of the city of Adana. It is the fifth most populous district in Turkey. Seyhan is the first settlement area of Adana and currently the administrative, business and it includes the historical neighborhood of Tepebağ, and the landmarks such as Büyüksaat, Ulu Camii, Ramazanoğlu Hall and Sabancı Merkez Camii. Adana Center for Arts and Culture, Sabancı Cultural Center, Seyhan Cultural Center, the district gets its name from the river that forms the east border. Seyhan district is administered by three levels of government, central government, provincial administration and the municipality, Seyhan Governorship is the district branch of the central government operating under the Adana Governorship. The chief executive of the Seyhan district is the District Governor who is appointed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Seyhan Governorship overseas the functioning of the district directorates of the ministries. Seyhan directorate of the Adana Province Special Administration is the branch of the provincial administration. Seyhan district is represented with 11 members at the 61-member Adana Provincial Parliament, the only municipality incorporated in the Seyhan district is the Seyhan Municipality since the district is completely absorbed within the city of Adana. The municipality serves the entire Seyhan district and it is divided into neighborhoods. Seyhan Municipality was incorporated in 1986 as a municipality as Adana Municipality is upgraded to a metropolitan status. The organs of the Seyhan Municipality are the mayor, encümen, mayor is the chief executive of the municipality, presides municipal departments and chairs the municipal council. Mayoral candidates are nominated by National Parties or run independently. The mayor is elected by first past the post voting for a 5-year term, zeydan Karalar, is the mayor of Seyhan since 2014. Zeydan is currently serving his first term, municipal Council is the decision making organ of the Seyhan Municipality. The chair of the council is the mayor, mayor is assisted by two vice-chairs and two council secretaries who are elected by the council. Each commission has 5 councilor members elected by the council, municipal Council consists of 45 members. The candidates for the positions are either nominated by National Parties or run independently
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Ceyhan
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Ceyhan is a city and a district in the Adana Province, in southern Turkey,43 km east of Adana. With a population of 157 thousand, it is the largest district of the province, Ceyhan is the transportation hub for Middle Eastern, Central Asian and Russian oil and natural gas. The city is situated on the Ceyhan River that flows through Çukurova plain, the Ceyhan River is dammed at Aslantas to provide flood control and irrigation for the lower river basin around Ceyhan. The pipeline was completed in May 2005, Ceyhan Terminal is also the destination of Kirkuk-Ceyhan Oil Pipeline and planned Samsun-Ceyhan by-pass pipeline. Set to become a crossroad in the future, Ceyhans significance in political terms is also expected to rise considerably. Ceyhan is the second most developed and populated district of Adana Province after the center of Adana, like everywhere else on this coast it is roasting hot in summer. There are a number of serving the legendary Adana kebab. The river runs through the district, Adana Şakirpaşa Airport is the closest airport to Ceyhan 60 km west of the city. There are domestic and international flights to destinations from the airport. Ceyhan Railway Station was opened in 1912 as part of the Berlin-Baghdad Railway, the station is currently served by two regional lines and one long-distance line. Regional lines run from Mersin to İskenderun and Mersin to İslahiye, there are three services daily to Adana Central Station to connect to the western destinations, Mersin, Ankara, Karaman and Kayseri. The Caravanserai of Kurtkulağı - built in 1659 by Hüseyin Paşa, tumlu Kale or Dumlukale - another castle. Sirkeli Höyük - built to commemorate a battle here between Hittite emperor Muvattali and the Egyptian pharaoh Rameses, Ceyhan is twinned with, Sumgait, Azerbaijan Çukurova Adana-Mersin Metropolitan Area Cilicia War Chronology of the Turkish War of Independence Kirkuk-Ceyhan Oil Pipeline
18.
Kozan, Adana
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Kozan is a city in Adana Province, Turkey,68 kilometres northeast of Adana, in the northern section of the Çukurova plain. The city is the capital of the ilçe of Kozan, the Kilgen River, a tributary of the Ceyhan, flows through Kozan and crosses the plain south into the Mediterranean. The Taurus Mountains rise up sharply behind the town, Sis was the capital of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, todays Sis, now called Kozan Kalesi, was built on a long rocky ridge in the center of the modern city. The population of the city has grown rapidly in recent years, from 15,159 in 1960, to 54,451 in 1990, to 72,463 in 2007, the oldest known name is Sis or Siskia. Under the Roman Empire, it was for a time named Flavias or Flaviopolis, the Greek version of the older name, Σίσιον Sision, came back into use in the later Byzantine period. In Armenian, it is called Sis Սիս or Sissu, the name Kozan comes from the Qōzānoğlu dynasty of derebeys, descendants of a tribe which originated in the village of Qōzān near Gaziantep. From 3000 BC onwards, there were Hittite settlements in all these plains behind the Mediterranean coast, under the Roman Empire, it was Flavias or Flaviopolis in the Roman province of Cilicia Secunda. In 704, Sis was besieged by the Arabs, but relieved by the Byzantines, the Abbasid caliph al-Mutawakkil took it and refortified it, but it soon returned to Byzantine hands. It was rebuilt in 1186 by Leo II, king of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, during the Crusade the catholicate returned to Sis in 1294, and remained there 150 years. In 1266 Sis, the capital of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, was captured and damaged by the Egyptian Mamluks led by Baibars. Al-Said Barakah sent Qalawun to attack the city in 1277, but in 1375, Sis was taken and demolished by the Ramadanids, the town never recovered its prosperity, not even when it passed into the power of the Ottomans in 1516. Sis became Kozan during overlordship of Kozanoğulları, a Turkmen clan between 1700-1866, Sis had an important place in ecclesiastical history both the Armenian Apostolic Church and as a Roman Catholic titular see. It is first mentioned in Theodorets life of St. Simeon Stylites, in the Middle Ages, Sis was the religious center of Christian Armenians, until the Armenians moved the seat of Catholicos back to Vagharshapat, in Armenia. Lequien gives the names of bishops of Sis, before. That Catholicos had the right to prepare the sacred myron and to preside over a synod, but was in not more than a metropolitan. In the Ottoman period, Kozan was in the sanjak of Adana, at the turn of the twentieth century, about 5,600 of its population of 8,000 were Armenians. They were all deported during the course of the Armenian Genocide, Kozan was occupied by France between March 8,1919 - June 2,1920 during Turkish War of Independence. After Turkey was declared a republic, Kozan was a province, compromising the districts of Kozan, Kadirli, Feke, today Kozan is a city surrounded by vineyards, gardens and groves of cypress, sycamore fig, orange and lemon trees
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Saimbeyli
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Saimbeyli is a small city and a district in Adana Province, Turkey in the Çukurova region. The city of Saimbeyli is located in the Taurus mountains,157 km north of the city of Adana, the city had a population of 4,010 in 2012. The city of Saimbeyli is on the Göksu river (one of the sources of the Seyhan, there is a pass through the mountains from here to Kayseri and the valley is watered by many mountain streams. The area probably has the foundations of Hittite settlements, there is no evidence at present that it was occupied in the Roman period, but it seems likely. The fortress of Saimbeyli may be the medieval Badimon or perhaps the castle of Berdus, the plan and masonry of Saimbeyli’s castle are identical to the military architecture in the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia and undoubtedly date from the mid-12th century to the 13th century. Two large round towers with embrasured loopholes guard the entrance at the northwest, while the remainder of the circuit is protected by steep cliffs below, in the lower level of the salient in the east wall is the apse for a chapel. A well-preserved vaulted cistern is located near the southwest side of the ward, the exterior masonry consists of ashlar blocks with a rusticated facing. There is evidence of repair, perhaps into early modern times, opposite and below the fortress are the substantial remains of ecclesiastical and civilian architecture, which date from the 14th through the 19th century. The monastic complex dedicated to St. James is perched on the side of a hill at the northwest end of the village. The monastery may have a 12th century foundation, but it was rebuilt in 1554 by Bishop Khatchadour, in 1981 the foundation of an orphanage school was visible and only the east end of the large Church of St. James was standing. There was evidence of a crypt below the central apse of the church. Near the village of Bahçeköyü there is a castle perched on a rock, Saimbeyli castle an illustrated report on the area from the local governors office - in Turkish Municipality of Saimbeyli Ecotourism in Saimbeyli Ecotourism in Saimbeyli
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Yumurtalik
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Yumurtalık is a small city and a district in Adana Province of Turkey. It was formerly called Aegeae, Ayas or Laiazzo and it is a Mediterranean port at a distance of about 40 km from Adana city. Yumurtalıks population does not exceed 5,000 in winter, but in summer, there are also many daily visitors during the holiday season. Yumurtalık has a free economic zone housing the production units of up to thirty companies presently in operation or in phase of being built. Fields of activities include industries ranging from petrochemicals, synthetic fibers and steel industry, the port has a long history, at least to 2000BC. Hittite pottery of the 17th century BC has been found in the mound of Zeytinbeli Höyük and this Cilician port city is mentioned by Pausanias under the name Aegeae. A name that also in its coinage, It was located on the Gulf of Issus. Tacitus Annals XIII,8 also mentions it in its account of the war between Armenia/Rome and Iberia/Parthia, apollonius of Tyana made his early studies at Aegeae, when the city was at its cultural height. Under Rome, it was in the Roman province of Cilicia, in the Middle Ages, and particularly in the 13th century, Aegeae grew to become an important harbour city of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia. The Venetians called Aegeae Aiazzo or Laiazzo, and it known locally as Ayas. The fall of Acre and the silting up of the harbour of Tarsus made it became the centre of trade between West and East, benefitting from its good roads eastward, numerous treaties were negotiated in which the Armenian kings granted various trade privileges to several Italian city-states. Between 1266 and 1322 raids by Mamluks and Turkmen in the area caused only minor disruptions in mercantile activities, Marco Polo disembarked here to begin his trip to China in 1271. Within the city a quarter and trading post belonging to another of the Italian maritime republics, later, it was ruled by the Anatolian beylik of Ramadanids and in the 16th century, by the Ottoman Empire. In 1974, actor and film director Yılmaz Güney was arrested at Yumurtalık after an incident that involved the murder of a Yumurtalık judge. The martyr Zenobius is traditionally considered to be the first bishop of Aegeae, tarcodimantus, an Arian, was bishop at the time of the First Council of Nicaea. As indicated in a 6th-century Notitiae Episcopatuum, the see itself was a suffragan of the see of Anazarbus. The single curving wall that constitutes the land castle closes the tip of a small peninsula and is surrounded by the old town. The now missing seaward wall, which followed the shore to enclose the entire ward, was visible in the late 19th century
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Justice and Development Party (Turkey)
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The Justice and Development Party, abbreviated AKP in Turkish, is a conservative political party in Turkey. Developed from the tradition of moderate Islamism, the party is the largest in Turkey, the party held a majority of seats for 13 years, but lost it in June 2015, only to regain it in the snap election of November 2015. Its electoral success has been mirrored in the three elections held since the partys establishment, coming first in 2004,2009 and 2014 respectively. The current party leader Binali Yıldırım is the Prime Minister of Turkey, the party has for a long time been supported by the Cemaat Movement of exiled Islamic cleric Fethullah Gülen, whose influence in the judiciary has helped to weaken the opposition against the AKP. Having been an observer in the center-right European Peoples Party since 2005, it left to join the eurosceptic Alliance of Conservatives. Since then, the party has brought about tighter regulations on use, abortion and alcohol consumption, having temporarily blocked access to Twitter. Especially after the government corruption scandal involving several AKP ministers in 2013, the AKP favours a strong centralized leadership, having long advocated a presidential system of government and significantly reduced the number of elected local government positions in 2013. The AK Party was established by a range of politicians of various political parties. The core of the party was formed from the reformist faction of the Islamist Virtue Party, including such as Abdullah Gül. A second founding group consisted of members of the social conservative Motherland Party who had close to Turgut Özal, such as Cemil Çiçek. Some members of the True Path Party, such as Hüseyin Çelik and Köksal Toptan, some members, such as Kürşad Tüzmen had nationalist or Ertuğrul Günay, had center-left backgrounds while representatives of the nascent Muslim left current were largely excluded. In addition a number of people joined a political party for the first time, such as Ali Babacan, Selma Aliye Kavaf, Egemen Bağış. All of these people joined Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to found the new party, although the party is described as an Islamist party in some media, party officials reject those claims. These characterizations do not reflect the truth, and they sadden us, Çelik added, The AK Party is a conservative democratic party. The AK Partys conservatism is limited to moral and social issues, also in a separate speech made in 2005, Prime Minister Erdoğan stated, We are not an Islamic party, and we also refuse labels such as Muslim-democrat. Erdoğan went on to say that the AK Partys agenda is limited to conservative democracy, however, the partys leadership has also rejected this label. In 2005, the party was granted membership in the European Peoples Party. In November 2013, the party left the EPP to join the Alliance of European Conservatives
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Nationalist Movement Party
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The Nationalist Movement Party is a Turkish far-right political party that adheres to Turkish ultranationalism and Euroscepticism. The party was first formed in 1969 by former colonel Alparslan Türkeş, the partys youth wing is the Grey Wolves organization, which is also known as the Nationalist Hearths. Türkeş, who is revered by Turkish nationalists as the founder of the idealist movement, is commonly referred to as Chieftain by his supporters. After Türkeşs death and the election of Devlet Bahçeli as his successor, the party under Bahçelis leadership won 18% of the vote and 129 seats in the 1999 general election, its best ever result, coming second only to the Democratic Left Party. Since the 2007 general election, in which the MHP won back its parliamentary representation with 14, in the 2011 general election, the partys vote fell to 13% and won 53 seats, though increased to 16. 3% and 80 seats in the June 2015 general election. During an Extraordinary Great Congress held at Adana in Turkey on 8–9 February 1969, the leader of the partys youth wing, known as the Grey Wolves after Turkic mythology, claimed that they had an intelligence organization that was superior to the states own. On May 27,1980, the deputy leader and former government minister Gün Sazak was assassinated by members of the Marxist–Leninist terrorist group Revolutionary Left in front of his home. Many party members joined the neoliberal Anavatan Partisi or various Islamist parties, Party member noted that the partys ideology was in power while its members were in prison. The party later was reformed in 1983 under the name Conservative Party, after 1985, however, the name was changed to the Nationalist Task Party then back again to its former name in 1992. In 1993, Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu and five other deputies separated and founded the Great Union Party, the MHP used to be described as a neo-fascist party linked to extremist and violent militias. Notably, it has moved from strict, Kemalist-style secularism to a more pro-Islamic stance, some scholars doubt the sincerity and credibility of this turn and suspect the party of still pursuing a fascist agenda behind a more moderate and pro-democratic façade. Showing this as a MHP-HDP coalition is a deliberate diversion, in July 2015, inmidst a wave of protests against the Xinjiang conflict, MHP-affiliated Ülkücü attacked South Korean tourists on Istanbuls Sultanahmet Square. In an interview to Turkish columnist Ahmet Hakan, MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli played the attacks down, plus, how are you going to differentiate between Korean and Chinese. The party is headed by Devlet Bahçeli and has 40 deputies, the party has recently been putting a distance between itself and its history of ultranationalism, at occasion asking its members to keep away from ethnic politics. There is an opposition against Devlet Bahçeli led by Meral Akşener, Koray Aydın, Ümit Özdağ, the opposition tries to make a congress and elect a new leader for the party. However Recep Tayyip Erdoğan tries to prevent the congress due to the possibility of his defeat in the elections if MHP joins the elections led by a new leader. The Programme of the Nationalist Action Party, An Iron Hand in a Velvet Glove, Turkish extreme right in office, whither democracy and democratization. Mapping the Extreme Right in Contemporary Europe, From Local to Transnational, globalization and Nationalism, The Nationalist Action Party of Turkey
23.
Republican People's Party (Turkey)
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The Republican Peoples Party is a Kemalist and social-democratic political party in Turkey. It is the oldest political party of the Republic of Turkey and is currently the opposition in the Grand National Assembly. The Republican Peoples Party describes itself as a modern social-democratic party, also, the party is cited as the founding party of modern Turkey. The political party was established during the Congress of Sivas in 1919 as a union of resistance groups against the invasion of Anatolia, the union represented Turkish people as a unified front during the Turkish War of Independence. On 9 September 1923, the Peoples Party officially declared itself as an organization and on October 29,1923. On 10 November 1924, the Peoples Party renamed itself to Republican Peoples Party as Turkey moved into a one-party period, during the one-party period, the CHP became the major political organisation of a one-party state. Both of which, however, were banned within a few months of their establishment by the state for veering too closely to Islamism and this experience was followed by the founding of the National Development Party by Nuri Demirağ in 1945. The current structure of the party was established within the transition to the multi-party period, after World War II, the leader of the CHP İsmet İnönü introduced democratic elections to Turkish society. Due to widespread dissatisfaction with the CHP in the four years after its victory in the first multi-party general election, celâl Bayar then replaced İnönü as President. During the interim multi-party periods in between the military coups of 1960,1971, and 1980, CHP is regarded as being social-democratic, state nationalistic and secular/laicist. The partys logo consists of the Six Arrows, which represent the principles of Kemalism, republicanism, nationalism, statism, populism, laïcité. The CHP, along all other political parties of the time, was closed down for a brief period by the military coup of 1980. An inheritor party which still participates in Turkish democratic life was established in 1984 by the name of the Democratic Left Party, created by the leader of CHP. CHP was finally re-established with its name on 9 September 1992. Nevertheless, the relationship between CHP and some trade unions, business chambers and most non-governmental organisations alienated many voters. The distance between the party administration and many leftist grassroots, especially left oriented Kurdish voters, contributed to the shift away from the political left. CHP urged the Socialist International to accept Republican Turkish Party of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus as an observer member, at the 2007 general election CHP ran in alliance with Democratic Left Party. CHP suffered a defeat, getting 7,300,234 votes
24.
Democratic Society Party
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The Democratic Society Party was a Kurdish nationalist political party in Turkey. The party considered itself social democratic, and had status in the Socialist International. It was considered to be the successor of the Democratic Peoples Party, the ban has been widely criticized both by groups within Turkey and by several international organizations. The party was succeeded by the Peace and Democracy Party, the party was founded in 2005, as the merger of the DEHAP and the Democratic Society Movement. DTH was set up by the veteran Kurdish politicians, former deputies Leyla Zana, Orhan Doğan, Hatip Dicle, the latest leader of the DTP was Ahmet Türk. Ahmet Türk co-chaired the party with Aysel Tuğluk until 9 November 2007 when they were replaced by Nurettin Demirtaş, however, Nurettin Demirtaş was imprisoned the following month because of a fake health report that enabled him to avoid military service. In May 2008 Nurettin Demirtaş was forced to resign after being released from prison, Emine Ayna, MP for Mardin, was elected leader of the DTP in his place. Later in May, Ayna also became Chair of the DTP Parliamentary Group, however, in July 2008 Ahmet Türk became, once again, chairman of the DTP. It was also criticized by observers for not distancing itself from PKKs armed actions to confirm its refutations of its links with the PKK. As of June 2007 report by the European Union Institute for Security Studies stated that It is a secret that DTP is connected to PKK in a way. Fatma Kurtulan, whose husband is an active PKK member, is one of the MPs of the Democratic Society Party, in October 2007, in a meeting of the ambassadors of the EU countries and the U. S. A judicial investigation was initiated over her remarks, the Court declared that DTP violated Articles 68 and 69 of the Constitution and the Political Parties Law. The party became a point for terrorism against the indivisible integrity of the state. Stated Haşim Kılıç, president of the Court, chairman Ahmet Turk and legislator Aysel Tugluk were expelled from Parliament, and they and 35 other party members were banned from joining any political party for five years. These party members include, Ahmet Türk, Leyla Zana, Aysel Tuğluk, Hüseyin Kalkan, Nurettin Demirtaş, the decision of the Constitutional Court sparked reaction among AK Party parliamentarians. Mir Dengir Mehmet Fırat said, Turkey has become a graveyard for political parties that have shut down. Closing political parties does not bring any benefit to Turkey, the Constitutional Court in its decision drew a parallel to the case of Batasuna in Spain, but in my opinion, that example does not really apply. Most of the MPs who had been in the DTP decided to join the recently formed Peace, major protests were held in Turkey against the partys ban
25.
Democrat Party (Turkey, current)
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The Democratic Party, abbreviated to DP, is a centre-right, conservative Turkish political party, established by Süleyman Demirel in 1983 as the True Path Party. It succeeded the historical Democratic Party and the Justice Party, two parties with similar ideologies, there have been four DYP governments since its foundation, one led by Demirel, the other three by Turkeys first and only female prime minister, Tansu Çiller. The party now has only 4 seats in the Grand National Assembly after faring poorly in recent elections, on 5 May 2007, it was announced that DYP and the Motherland Party would merge to form the Democratic Party. For that occasion, DYP renamed itself, and it was planned that ANAP would join the newly founded DP, shortly before the election, however, the merging attempt failed. However, ANAP stated it would not contest the upcoming elections, after the DP only got about 6% of the votes in the 2007 general election, Ağar resigned as party leader. DYP and the Motherland Party eventually merged in November 2009, the DYP was seen as a centre-right, Kemalist-conservative party. It has on occasion been compared to the AKP in terms of similar conservative structures, the modern DPs logo, a horse upon a red background, derives from the popular mispronunciation of its name, Demokrat Partisi. The word Demokrat did not readily roll off the tongue of rural voters, after the renaming in mid-2007, the logo became a white horse on a red map of Turkey in order to evoke this mondegreen. The DYPs predecessor was the Democrat Party, which was a party responsible for relaxing Turkeys strict secularism laws. The party was suppressed in the 1960 military coup détat and later reestablished as the Justice Party, both parties staunchly rivaled the social democratic Republican Peoples Party. In 1983, Demirel created the Right Path Party, the antecedent of the AP – still conservative, even so, the military and conservative governments banned the new party, and the DYP was declared illegal and its members persecuted. Finally, in 1987, the party was legalized, and entered Turkish politics for the first time, in the 1991 general elections, the DYP defeated the Motherland Party and the Social Democratic Populist Party, forming a coalition government with the SHP. Suleyman Demirel became prime minister once again, after Demirel was elected Turkeys 9th President, following the death of Turgut Özal, the party leadership was taken over by Tansu Çiller, who became the countrys first woman prime minister. In 1995 the coalition with the SHP, now merged with the Republican Peoples Party, after the December 1995 elections, the weakened DYP formed first a coalition with ANAP, led by Mesut Yılmaz. Then, in June 1996, the DYP switched allegiances to form Turkeys first Islamist government with the Welfare Partys leader Necmettin Erbakan, in 1997, with the silent coup, the military effected the RP-DYP governments resignation. In the meantime, the DYP had been weakened by the effects of the Susurluk scandal, DYP and others expected to form a government under Çiller, but President Süleyman Demirel asked ANAP leader Mesut Yılmaz to form the new government instead, and the DYP was not included. In 1998 the DYP took a turn for the worse, the DYP then had heavy recruitment among police intelligence. The DYP secured 9. 55% of the vote in the November 2002 general election, however, a number of independents later joined the party, and, in November 2004, they had 4 seats in Turkeys 549-seat parliament
26.
Mahalle
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Mahalle is an Arabic word, adopted into Turkish, Albanian and Romanian, which is variously translated as district, quarter, ward, or neighborhood. It is an administrative unit in many Middle Eastern countries. In the Ottoman Empire, the mahalle was the smallest administrative entity, the mahalle is generally perceived to play an important role in identity formation, with the local mosque and the local coffee house as the main social institutions. It lies at the intersection of private life and the public sphere. Important community-level management functions are performed through mahalle solidarity, such as ceremonies, life-cycle rituals, resource management. The mahalle is represented in the municipality and government by its muhtar, the muhtarlık has been designed as the smallest administrative office, with representative and enforcement powers at the local level. It is also the smallest urban administrative division in Iran, each city is divided into a few Mantaqes, which is then divided into Nahiyes, further subdivided to Mahalle, usually having a Mahalle council, a quarter mosque, and a small parkette
27.
Adana Archaeology Museum
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Adana Archaeology Museum, located just west of the Sabancı Mosque in Adana, houses the historical heritage of Çukurova region. It is one of the oldest ten museums of Turkey, the museum was established at the Police Department building just after the formation of the Republic in 1924. It initially started with the collection of the columns, column capitals, the museum was moved to the building presently occupied by the Ethnography Museum at Kuruköprü in 1950. At the museum entrance, there is a lion from the Hittite period. The exhibited material includes sarcophagi with rich decorations, jugs, catapult shots, inscriptions, altars. The ground floor is the hall of stone-cut artefacts, a marble sarcophagus depicting the Trojan wars in high relief is from Tarsus and is known as the Akhilleus sarcophagus. The Mosaic of Orpheus Playing the Lyre, discovered at Tepebağ in Adana, is also in this hall, at the Hall of Regional Objects, works from the Adana museums own collection obtained from the excavations and through purchases are exhibited. Glass object samples with rich forms, Seljuk tiles and seals from various civilizations are also displayed. At the Hall of Coins, Seals and Jewellery, starting with the Lydians, who were the first to mint coins, jewellery and buried treasures discovered in the districts of Adana are exhibited
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