Did you know this about Turkey...
1. The practice of smallpox innoculation was brought from 18th century Ottoman harems to England by Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, the wife of the ambassador to Constantinople 2. Florence Nightingale pioneered hygienic nursing during the Crimean War in Üsküdar, Istanbul 3. Hezarfen Ahmet Çelebi, a 17th century Turkish scientist, became the first aviator to successfully fly with artificial wings. He jumped off a Genoese tower in Istanbul (that still exists—the Galata Tower), and flew across the Bosphorus, landing in Dogancilar square in Üsküdar. 4. In search of the Golden Fleece, Jason and the Argonauts braved the Symplegades-- clashing rocks that were located on Istanbul’s Bosphorus strait. 5. Attributed to the legend of Hero and Leander, Istanbul’s Maiden’s Tower was actually built by Athenian General Alcibiades as a customs clearing station (408 BC) 6. French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte once said: “If earth were a single state, Constantinople would be its capital.” 7. This legendary warrior is said to be buried in Gebze, near Istanbul: Hannibal 8. Tulips were introduced into Europe in the 16th century by Turkey. The sultans’ favorite flower, the Ottomans cultivated almost 1300 varieties. The word “tulip” comes from the Turkish word “tülbend”, meaning 'gauze', the fabric from which turbans were wound.
In 1993 Tansu Çiller became Turkey's first female Prime Minister My father-in-law is a former minister of parliament. I have looked through the "yearbook" (yillik) he has. It shows many women MPs in the early days of Turkey's republic. Some of my friends say that the Republican era was so modern that today the grandmothers are more modern thinking than their granddaughters. the society was very radical in the 1930s-1970s but the pendulum has swung back to being more conservative. jennifer gokmen , 23-01-2008, 10:05
Editer jennifer gokmen , 23-01-2008, 10:07 |
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