Alp Ozgunduz

Professor Lynn Raymond

UWRT 1103

11/01/15

The Cultural Backdrop of Turkey

There are many aspects of Turkey, which make it a distinctive country. Their unique flag,

which represents not only luck, but also as a memorial of the fall of the Ottoman Empire. The

inspirational Turkish Anthem, which inspired troops in the battle for independence in 1921, and

the long, but worthwhile citizenship process of Turkey.

The Turkish flag is an iconic symbol of Turkey, which represents not only good fortune

of its citizens, but also the fall of the Ottoman Empire. According to the website, World Flags

101, the flag is composed of a red background with a white crescent and a white star in the

center. The white crescent and star can be found on the same flag of the Ottoman Empire during

the late 18th century and early 19th century before its fall while the red background is a symbol of

good luck. The inspiration for such a design represented the commemoration of Sultan Murad II

and the Ottoman Empire. Other than the conversion from the old, Ottoman Empire flag in the

early 19th century to the Turkish Flag, which was created on May 29, 1936, there haven’t been

any changes to the flag itself.

The İstiklâl Marşı, the formal name of The Turkish National Anthem, origionated in 1921

during a National Poem Competition. According to Wikipedia.com, one of the competitors,

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Mehmet Akif Ersoy, a famous Turkish Poet originally didn’t want to join because of the massive

723 entries. However, after being encouraged by the Turkish Parliament to submit a poem, he

finally gave way and became the 724th entry. After six years of evaluating and assessing, the

National Poem Competition controlled by Turkey chose Mehmet Akif Ersoy as the winner of the

National Poem Competition. They were so pleased with his poem that the Turkish Government

created an orchestra for it and it became the National Anthem for the newly formed Turkish

Government.

Becoming a citizen of Turkey is by far one of the most difficult processes to achieve, but

it does have a high return. By being a citizen of Turkey, benefits such as the Right to vote, Right

to work, and the Right to buy a Turkish car become available to the individual. In addition,

citizens no longer need to reveal their residency permit. While being a born in Turkey on

requires that person to join the military for a year or pay 5,000 Turkish Lira, if an individual

wasn’t born in Turkey, they must do the following things. First, the individual must obtain

multiple identification papers including a “Nüfus Kayıt Örneği”, which contains all international

information of that person, a VAT-6, a photocopy of the individuals previous national passport

(translated) and all its content, the international residence permit given by that person’s place of

origins, and one hundred Turkish Lira for the application itself. Once that information has been

gathered and verified, it must be taken to the Muğla Valiliği Building, which is Turkey’s

residence building, where the individual will then undergo a series of procedures including finger

prints, foreigner application, and international document verification. Due to Turkey’s poor

international citizenship process because of the recent attacks from an unknown terrorist threat,

the citizenship process can take up to nine months to complete.

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Although Turkey is currently undergoing problems regarding to the terrorist threat, its

pride, culture, and history still remains. From the unique İstiklâl Marşı, to the symbolic Turkish

Flag, it will always have something unique to offer.

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Works Cited

Ontario, Guelph. "National Flag of Turkey." World Flags 101. Tsavo Media Canada Inc., 3 Feb.

2012. Web. 25 Oct. 2015.

Valiliği, Muğla. "Turkish Citizenship Application Process for a Turkish-English Couple." May

29 Turkish Citizenship Application Process for a Turkish-English Couple. Bodrum

Bulletin, 29 May 2013. Web. 25 Oct. 2015.

İstiklâl Marşı "The Turkish Anthem” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free

Encyclopedia, 15 Oct. 2015. Web. 25 Oct. 2015.