Young Writers Society

I'm modeling a country in my world after Turkey, so, considering that there are Europeans on this board, I was wondering if you could give me some inside info about the Country.

Any info will do, but I was wondering specifically about:

The typical physical appearance of your average Turkish person. (height, complexion, hair color, etc...)

The dominant religious belief (probably Islam, but I like to make sure) and its variants, and, if possible, what the ancient beliefs were.

Climate.

An outline of culture and specific quirks. (ie "Saving face" within Asian culture)

Hey, Theo!

I know a bunch of random things from speeches I've had to give, so hopefully I can help you out.

Appearance is generally a blend--it's important to note that they're not Arabs, and they're not Persians, either. Here's a wikipedia article just giving an overview of culture, genetics, and the like. The big thing to remember about the Turks is the history of the Ottoman empire, which you'll want to research a lot, too.

Islam is the dominant belief in Turkey, but the government-sponsored version of it is very liberal, though most Turks themselves are moderates. In order to win favor from the Western world [and being the only middle eastern country that is a part of the Coalition of the Willing], it is adamantly anti-fundamentalism. The largest parliamentary party is moderate Islamic. The president, Abdullah Gul, and his wife are more conservative, and have caused a lot of controversy with the headscarf debate--if you hear anything about Turkey on the news, it'll probably be that. Most people are Sunnis, but there's an indigenous brand of Sufi Islam (more like mysticism) that's there, too. I can ramble for days about Islam, so if you have any questions, I'd love to help you out.

My grandmother's been to Turkey a few times, so if you have any specific questions, I can ask her. ^_^

Turkey has a very rich and varied history. heres a quick overview:

Home to Troy
Macadonian empire
Greek colonies
Persian empire
Roman empire
Last bastion of the roman world
Byzantine empire
Ottomon empire.

Agriculturally Turkey is very rich, with Olives, dates,figs, wheat, oranges, avocados ect ect they've got lots of different plants
Turkey has crystal clear waters on it's western coast, facing Greece. It has an amazing landscape, with ancient cities carved into mountain faces.
They have a very relaxed culture. They are more Greek in culture than Syrian or Arab. Although most people are Muslim, there is a large Christian population.
The Hagia Sophia in Istanbul (formerly Constantinople) is exquisite.
Their food is not spicy, but sweet. When i visited, there as fruit in everything lol!
Belly dancing!
Turkish baths are amazing, but you leave with a pretty sore back haha

Turkish people differ, depending on whether you mean east or west. Western Turks are sallow, and eastern Turks take on more of a Persian tone - kinda beige.
The men there were generally 5'10 and the women 5'6. Everybody there had very dark hair and brow eyes. I saw one or two green eyes...but it was literally one or two. Turks have pretty strong jaw lines and have a lot of facial hair and arm hair etc