Stereotypical Turkey, which some Russians imagine from TV shows and opinions, is fundamentally different from the real one. Seven harmful myths were analyzed by a Russian woman living in the resort town of Alanya on the pages of her blog in Yandex.Zen and called for an end to believing in these clichés.
Let's list them.
Firstly, the Turkish economy is based not only on tourism and Russians. “The Turkish economy has not been holding up for a long time – there are record inflation rates; several months in the regime of closed borders have shown that this country can comfortably exist even without tourists,” the compatriot said and added that agriculture, industry and trade are developing in the country located at the junction of Europe and Asia.
Secondly, if you go outside the resort, there will be a wasteland around. Some Russians seriously think that popular Turkish resorts have nothing outside of hotels. But it's not. Even in the smallest resort village, in addition to tourists, Turks constantly live, and, therefore, there are residential buildings, supermarkets and service offices. Probably, the myth originated by analogy with the situation in Egypt, where there really is a risk for a tourist to go beyond the hotel territory and get into the desert or onto a dusty road with merchants of goods of dubious quality.
Thirdly, there are two extremes, what clothes Turkish women wear: women wear hijabs, and girls wear mini. Wearing a headscarf is not mandatory for women, while Turkish women wear normal clothes and do not try to hide their faces. The second misconception about young Turkish women wearing mini-skirts and dresses with a revealing neckline came from Turkish TV shows that are popular in the Russian Federation. “In fact, not everyone can afford revealing outfits. This is found only in the European districts of Istanbul and resort cities. And most Turkish women still choose standard clothes (usually quite modest and dark),” the blogger shared her observation.
Fourthly, Turkish poverty is beautiful. This misconception also comes from the series. In reality, poor Turks live in the simplest houses, do not go to coffee shops and wear clothes bought in the market, not in a branded store.
Fifth, Turkey is a country of year-round summer. Even in the southern cities of the country (Alanya, Antalya and its environs), emigrants, and, moreover, local ones, do not want to wear shorts and T-shirts in winter. “Down jackets and hats, of course, are not needed here (in Alanya), although the Turks would argue with me – they thoroughly wrap themselves up already in November). But a coat and demi-season shoes will not hurt. Especially for evening and morning walks. And in other regions of Turkey, even winter clothes will be needed. In the same Istanbul, for example, terrible winds blow from January to March,” she specified.
Sixthly, Muslims do not drink alcohol. According to the girl, there is alcohol in Turkey, and Turks, both men and women, drink it in the same way as residents of any other countries, both at home and in bars. At the same time, as a gift from Russia, they are often asked to bring vodka. A popular drink among Turks is raki (local vodka).
The last harmful stereotype is that Turkish men can and do marry several women, i.e. start harems. But in fact it is illegal, because. Turkey is a secular country where women's rights are respected, the author assured.
For those who care about a healthy lifestyle, we recommend reading: “Scientists have found that obesity eats the brain.”