Dont be a boring Tourist! Learn the culture and social traditions when you visit a country.

Turks are very sociable, as you will soon discover from your time in Turkey. People from countries with reserved social practises may be in awe of the friendly nature shown to everyone but relax and make new friends! 

Don't mix friendly local people with shopsellers in Sultanahmet where you will met by many of them offering free coffee or tea. They all have cousin who has shop in Grand Bazaar and volunteer to be your free tour guide. Be aware!! and find a proper tour guide to yourself.

Hos Geldiniz! 

I hear you say "what?" I did not say its easy to learn culture! You should effort a lot to pronounce the local words and dont worry you will look silly same as a Turk trying to say "congratulation". 

Anyway, you will hear this phrase often in Turkey. It means, “Welcome” and the words to reply with are “Hos bulduk” which means, “We feel welcome.”

Evimize Hosgeldiniz (Welcome to our house!)

Greetings & Body Language

A kiss on both cheeks is the standard greeting between friends while strangers will shake hands. Expressing ‘yes’ in Turkey is done by bowing your head, while ‘no’ is shown by raising your head backwards while rolling your eyes.

Addressing People

Surnames were only introduced in Turkey in 1934 and because of this; most Turks address each other by their first name or an endearing term. ‘Bey’ is added to the first name of a man, or ‘Hanim’ to a woman’s name eg Mustafa Bey.

Other common terms are ‘abi’ (older brother), ‘abla’ (older sister), ‘amca’ (uncle) and ‘teyze’ (aunt). While ‘abi’ and ‘abla’ refer to young to middle-aged people, ‘teyze’ and ‘amca’ are reserved for the older generation.

Men Only

Culturally women do not go in Turkish teahouses because they are “men only” environments. If in any doubt, look for other females, couples and families. Countless tables filled with men playing backgammon means it is a no go area for females.

Male's Kingdom " A Turkish Coffee House"

An Invitation To a Turkish House

Turkish people invite anybody and everyone to their houses especially in Anatolia. It might be for breakfast or a formal evening meal. Shoes are not worn in the house and visitors are given slippers. Whether alcohol will be served is dependent on the family and their background.

Marriage

Turks expect adults to marry and have children, and the vast majority do. This is highly expected by my mother too !!
Because men should not lower their wives' standard of living, they are not supposed to marry women of a higher economic class. Ohh come on! If I could find a one who willing to pay my bills, I wouldnt say no.
In traditional Turkish society, elders control the selection of spouses and the marriage ceremony. Because they are old, retired and do not have something else to do.
Don’t be surprised to find yourself invited to a marriage even if you are a complete stranger! Each guest means some more money because its tradition to give money or gold to the couple.

Visiting a Mosque : Except the Queen Elisabeth,Gianni Versace or Elton John all foreign visitors should remove shoes so be careful about your sock you wear on that day. I remember one of IMF presidents was wearing sock with hole which caused jokes among Turkish people " How come this man will help Turkish economy? He can't even buy socks!" 

Its because you need to show the same respect you would to any other house of worship. Avoid visiting mosques during prayer time. Women should cover their heads and arms, and not wear miniskirts. Men should not wear shorts. Especially old one fatty ones!

Upps Not That Much!