POPULAR CUSTOMS

Hospitaly :
Hospitally is one of the cornerstones of the Turkish way of life. Following Koranic tenets and naturally friendly intincts, the Turk is a most gracious and generous host. Even the poorest peasant feels bound to honor his guest (misafir) in the best possible manner. Hospitally is taken to such lengths that a foreigner often feels he is suffering from an overdose of it after being piled with food and drinks for hours and being unable to refuse anything, lest he hurt his host's feelings. In addition to ensuring a guest's material well-being, the Turk makes every effort to converse, no matter what linguistic barriers might exist. While most middle-class urban-dwelling Turks speak at least one European language, even the uneducated bravely struggle to make themselves understood, with remarkable success.

Turkish coffee houses:
Even the smallest Turkish village has its coffee-house or "kahvehane" where men can talk, sip coffee and play the national game of backgammon (tavla). In Istanbul especially, men can still be seen smoking their hubble bubble pipes (nargile) in these coffee houses.

Turkish baths :
Oving to teh emphasis placed on cleanliness in Turkish society, there have been public bath-houses (hamam) in Turkey since medieval times. There are separate baths for men and women or when there is only one bath house in the town, different days or times of day are allocated for men and women. After entering the "hamam" and leaving one's clothes in a cubicle, one proceeds wrapped in a towel (pestemal) to the "gobek tasi", a large heated stone where one perspires and is rubbed doen by a bath attendant. If the heat proves too much, one can retire to a cooler room for a while. This method of bathing is most refreshing and many of the old marble baths are very interesting, architecturally.