Turkish people are known for hospitality, but there are many other factors as well, which often tends to turn any person that meets them into a fan. You will quickly learn that Turkish people love helping others, and they like to display their generosity towards guests. Turkish people are naturally very WELCOMING of visitors that demonstrate an appreciation of their customs. Turkish people are extremely proud of being Turkish, and are passionate about sharing their history and culture with visitors.
People are usually extremely proud of Turkeys country and culture, and also its Ottoman history. Turks are respected for their hospitality and willingness to interact with foreign visitors, but those are only some of the many great characteristics that you can experience while visiting Turkey. One of the things that you soon learn upon visiting Turkey is that the parts of Turkish culture that are involved are highly social. While traditions are very important in Turkey, Turkish people are also good at letting off steam and having fun.
Turkish people like meeting new friends, and they do not mind spending half of their day talking to total strangers, all while setting the world straight. To be fair to the Turks, this is all generalisations based on very brief visits, and in all likelihood, during my time there, I encountered plenty of friendly, welcoming individuals. During my limited time in Istanbul and elsewhere in the country, I found that the Turks are quite a closed-minded community — in no way antagonistic, but a little bit cool and stand-offish. I found that Turkish people frequently fell into two extremes: While some showed extreme friendliness and gentleness, others were so scornful that I felt like they were insulted that I was even talking to them.
Once I learned some Turkish words, even simple things like hello and thank you, the people really seemed to warm up significantly. Almost every local person with whom I interacted was not capable of communicating in basic English, even people working in tourist-related areas, and those who WERE probably the ones making the conscious effort to find out and study English.
Turkish people are most comfortable talking freely about personal details, even to people they do not know very well. When talking to family and close friends, however, that private space becomes significantly smaller, and there is some touching. While Turkish people may be considered touchy-feely when interacting with friends, keep in mind that all touching is always done above the waist.
Hand-kissing may mean various things in different cultures, but in Turkish traditions, a hand-kiss is usually an expression of respect and affection. In addition to other cultures, people kissing hands usually bring the hand up on their foreheads in Turkey and a few other Eastern cultures. When people wish for someone to approach them, they typically wave their hands outwards, palms facing down, and then they will make the clawing motion, pointing the fingers toward them.
You can also see men greet one another making temple touches, which is the salute between those who favor one of the political parties. When talking about something else, like politics, people can get really blunt, and even antagonistic. People coming from countries where there is more reservedness might feel in awe at the friendliness shown towards all.
If you ask anyone on the street for help, they will stop what they are doing and try to connect with you. If, heaven forbid, there is a family member or if there is a person who is sick; friends, neighbors, and acquaintances routinely phone and ask if friends can help. If one does happen to be hospitalized, Turkish people will gladly visit, and in fact spend an entire evening acting as a refakatci (caretaker), but this is generally not a paid position in Turkey, and this responsibility is taken willingly by families and friends.
Someone is open and generous, you are called misafer, a visitor, and therefore, you are high-value visitors, it would be a privilege for them to invite you over and care for you. Even if it is your first time meeting somebody, you might get invited for an elaborate dinner or a meal at their house. You may well find that you are invited to a Turkish persons wedding or circumcision party, even if you only have known them a couple of days. If you ignore Turkish flags in all places of Turkey, chances are that you will end up at the hospital.
As a tip, if you are carrying the Turkish flag, you can display the flag in case you think that you are getting in trouble. For instance, you will usually see Turkish flags displayed everywhere in Turkey — hanging from houses, shops, and tall buildings. The social nature of Turkish society (as well as very high population densities) does not allow much for privacy or privacy.
It must be noted that the impact of the ideals of cosmopolitanism and of technology has led to the overall decrease in the values of collectivism/community in the urban areas of Turkey. The Turkish population has been becoming more urbanized, with a large share (75.1%) living in urbanized industrialized regions.1 This has affected the transition to a more cosmopolitan way of life. Despite the recent changes, Turkish dating culture remains conservative, particularly outside the major cities.
Kurds are severely underprivileged, belonging to the lowest socioeconomic income category, with lower life expectancy and educational attainment compared to most Turkish populations.7 Most live in rural areas, particularly concentrated in the Eastern Provinces of Turkey. Approximately 70-75% of Turkeys population is identified as ethnically Turkish.4 However, there are numerous other ethnic minorities, including (but not limited to) Kurds, Arabs, Zazis, Albanians, Armenians, Circassians, and Assyrians. While a majority of Turkeys population identifies themselves as Turkish, those with a Kurdish background are counted as minorities in Turkey.
What hospitality means, at its core, is Turkish generosity of spirit, be it by giving gifts, serving tea, or simply spending time with people, Turks are there, and they are willing to do anything for the visitor, foreign, or whoever happens to visit.