Turkey Trivia

1. Which square, in the European part of Istanbul, is famed for its restaurants and nightlife and is the home of the Monument of the Republic?

From Quiz A Few Turkish Delights

Answer: Taksim

Taksim highlights the modern aspects of all that is Istanbul. This is the major tourist centre and leisure district of the city. The area is the home of some of Istanbul's grandest hotels and it is also the city's transport hub. The Monument of the Republic was built to commemorate the forming of the Turkish Republic in 1923. It was cleverly designed to showcase both the old and the modern aspects of Turkey. The structure stands at 36 feet in height, was crafted by Italian sculptor Piero Canonica and was unveiled in 1928. (Note) Red Square is in Russia, Old Town is in the Czech Republic and Rynek Glowny is in Poland.

From Quiz The Bosphorus

Answer: The Marmara Sea and the Black Sea

The Black Sea is at the north end and the Marmara is in the south. The Bosphorus also lies between two continents: Asia and Europe.

From Quiz Turkish Customs and Traditions

Answer: to take off your shoes when entering

When you enter a Turkish home, you have to take off your shoes! Even if you are coming from next door.

From Quiz Sightseeing in Istanbul

Answer: Galata Kulesi (Galata Tower)

In 1632 Hazerfan Ahmet Çelebi, an Ottoman scientist, put on wings and flew from Galata Tower to Üsküdar!

From Quiz Turkey

Answer: Ankara

Istanbul is Turkey's largest city, but Ankara is the capital.

From Quiz All About Turkey

Answer: Bosphorus Strait

The Aegean Sea and the Dardenelles also separate the Asian part from the European part, but only the Bosphorus Strait divides Istanbul.

From Quiz A Few Turkish Delights

Answer: The Virgin Mary

This restored structure is believed to be the house where Mary was taken to by St John (after the death of Jesus Christ) and where she lived until her Assumption. It now serves as a chapel. The Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich, a Roman Catholic nun who was beatified in 2004 by Pope John Paul II, reportedly had visions in her lifetime. These visions were recorded in a book and published by Clemens Brentano after Emmerich had passed away in 1824. From there, the visions were utilised by believers to track down the residence in 1881. The Catholic Church, for its part, has neither verified nor denied the veracity of the find but the house has entertained a number of Papal blessings, including pilgrimages by Pope Leo XIII in 1896 and Pope Benedict XVI in 2006.

From Quiz Turkey - A Country on Two Continents

Answer: Istanbul

With over 11 million inhabitants, Istanbul is not only the largest city in Turkey, but also one of the largest in the world. It is split by the Bosporus Strait, just over one kilometer in width, which constitutes the actual border between Europe and Asia.

From Quiz The Bosphorus

Answer: 30 km

The width is 3700 m maximum and 700 m minimum. The depth changes from 36 to 124 m.

From Quiz Turkish Customs and Traditions

Answer: they gather in a house and burn henna on their hands

This is called "Henna Night" and it takes place at the bride's house. Women carry candles in their hands and perform traditional dances. Guests are offered refreshments (usually assorted nuts, tea and soft drinks).

From Quiz Sightseeing in Istanbul

Answer: Misir Çarsisi (Egyptian Bazaar)

Within the Spice Bazaar there are restaurants with a view over the Golden Horn and Galata Bridge. The Bazaar is open from Mondays to Saturdays.

From Quiz Turkey

Answer: Black Sea

Turkey's northern shore is Black Sea, while its southern shore is the Mediterranean Sea.

From Quiz All About Turkey

Answer: Izmir

It is the third largest city in Turkey.

From Quiz A Few Turkish Delights

Answer: Library

The Library of Celsus, which was completed between circa 114 and 117 AD, stood as one of the great structures of the Roman Empire. Today all that remains is the façade which was rescued as part of a re-construction organised by German archaeologist by the name of Volker Strocka. The construction was conducted in the early 1970s. The library was initially commissioned by the Senator, who was a consul to the region in 92 AD. He was an extremely wealthy man and the construction of the library was funded out of his own personal fortune. At its height the Library housed approximately 12,000 scrolls, all of which were lost as a result of earthquakes and fires in 262 AD.

From Quiz Turkish Customs and Traditions

Answer: not before midnight, leaving early would mean they are not good hosts

Turkish people enjoy having long visits. Children's bed time can be overlooked and most of the time you would be invited to spend the night anyway.

From Quiz Sightseeing in Istanbul

Answer: Aya Irini (Hagia Irene)

After Istanbul was conquered by Fatih Sultan Mehmet, this church was temporarily used as an armoury.

From Quiz Turkey

Answer: lira

The name was also used prior to 2002 for the currencies of Italy and the Vatican, but in 2002 they adopted the Euro.

From Quiz All About Turkey

Answer: Ankara

It has been the capital since the Republic of Turkey was formed in 1923 and is also the second largest city.

From Quiz Turkey - A Country on Two Continents

Answer: It almost exclusively takes part in European competitions

The Turkish people pride themselves on their successful athletes and teams, with the three major football sides of Istanbul - Galatasaray, Fenerbahce and Besiktas - being the best-known Turkish teams and also the most successful Turkish sports franchises. In order to play against stronger opponents (which ultimately leads to more competitive teams) and also to avoid long travel to East Asia, Turkey has opted to be considered a part of Europe as far as sports are concerned. Galatasaray Istanbul won the UEFA Cup in 2000, and the national football team placed third in the FIFA World Cup in 2002.

From Quiz The Bosphorus

Answer: Suspension bridge

When the Bosphorus bridge was completed it was the fourth biggest suspension bridge in the world. But this was not the first time people were able to cross the strait without sailing. In 511 BC, Persian King Darius The Great made a floating bridge by placing all the ships in his navy side by side and allowed his army of 700,000 people to cross the strait on foot.

From Quiz Sightseeing in Istanbul

Answer: Topkapi Sarayi (Topkapi Palace)

There are 10 mosques, 14 hamams (Turkish Baths), 6 towers, 22 fountains, 6 ponds, 2 hospitals, 12 libraries, 5 schools, 7 treasuries, 20 domed kitchens, 11 wells, 8 barracks, 2 pharmacies, 2 cisterns, 348 rooms and halls and a few summer mansions in the area.

From Quiz Turkey

Answer: none

In 1928 the law designating Islam as the country's state religion was rescinded, and Turkey became a fully secular state.

From Quiz A Few Turkish Delights

Answer: The Grand Bazaar

These markets are the largest (and oldest) covered markets in the world. This remarkable set-up encompasses 61 streets and accommodates a staggering 4,000 stores. There are estimates that claim that over 250,000 people visit these markets EACH day - that's over 90 million visitors a year. Who needs to advertise when you have this large a captured audience. Having said that it is the inherent beauty and the fascination of its history and old style that, for shoppers, has the greater pulling power. Nowadays the markets are falling into disrepair and they lack proper sanitation facilities. As a consequence they face growing competition from the modern shopping malls that are growing in number at a rapid rate in the city. (Note) The Chatuchak Markets are in Bangkok, the Jemaa El Fnaa is in Marrakesh and the Temple Street Night Markets are in Hong Kong.

From Quiz Turkey - A Country on Two Continents

Answer: Sunni Islam

In spite of being a secular state, Turkey is a rather religious country with almost two thirds of the populace believing religion to be very important (according to a 2002 study by Pew Research Center). The various strains of Islam make up about 96% of the Turkish population, while about three percent of Turks consider themselves atheists or non-religious, and the remaining one percent is mostly composed of Christians and Jews.

From Quiz Turkey

Answer: tulip

Many people associate the Netherlands with tulips. In fact, tulips were introduced to the Netherlands from Turkey several hundred years ago.

From Quiz Istanbul

Answer: Topkapi Palace

The Topkapi Palace is a large complex of buildings that now house some of the main Istanbul museums. The Seraglio refers to the vast harem within the Topkapi Palace. The palace houses some important museums. Of particular interest are (1) the collection of Chinese (and other Far Eastern) porcelain, which is widely regarded as one of the most outstanding collections of its kind anywhere in the world. It spans the period from the Sung (960-1279) through the Yuan, Ming and early Qing dynasties to the 18th century; (2) The Treasury, which contains four thrones studded with precious stones and various other treasures of the Ottoman Sultans, such as gilt swords with gems. There are also other museums, including one of Islamic relics. The Dolmabahce Palace was a new palace built by the Sultans in middle of the nineteenth century. (Istanbul does indeed have a 'Golden Gate', but there's no palace there).

From Quiz All About Turkey

Answer: Eastern Thrace

Thrace is divided up between Turkey, Greece and Bulgaria.

From Quiz A Few Turkish Delights

Answer: A water reservoir

Unlike a well that is used to access water from below the ground the cistern is a waterproofed receptacle that is designed to catch and store rainwater. Built in areas that have issues with water supply these cisterns effectively form covered reservoirs that reduce the losses through evaporation. Built by Byzantine Emperor Justinian I the Basilica Cistern sits below the surface approximately 150 metres from the Hagia Sophia. Created to service the Great Palace Constantinople it is the size of a large cathedral, covering some 9,800 square metres and it has the capacity to hold 80,000 cubic litres of water. If you can recall the excellent James Bond movie "From Russia With Love" (1963) you may remember that the Basilica plays a prominent part early in the film. However, be warned, in the film it does come with a number of inaccuracies. The main one is mentioned by Kerim Bey (Pedro Armendariz) when he instructs Bond as to its location (it's nowhere near the Russian Embassy) and that it was constructed by the Emperor Constantine.

From Quiz Turkey - A Country on Two Continents

Answer: Antalya and Antakya

The first city in each pair listed is genuine and one of the major Turkish cities. However, of the second listed, only Antakya exists. It is capital of Hatay province, bordering Syria and the Mediterranean coast. Hatay also contains the southernmost point of Turkey. Burda is a major German magazine publisher, the other are pure inventions of mine.

From Quiz Turkey

Answer: 2

The two were the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus and the Temple of Artemis.

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