I have and most likely would have never known this until today. Turkey is one of the only countries in the world that has an article in their constitution stipulating that “The State” should take measures to “develop the physical and mental health o
Read more…Taarof is a very unique aspect of Persian culture. It is a form of civility that includes a system of linguistic and behavioral strategies that allows people to interact harmoniously. Although it doesn't have a direct western equivalent, taarof coul
Read more…I've always been interested in how the home is viewed in various cultures. Not only does the physical design of residential houses differ between cultures, but often, the purpose of the home also differs. In the US, it seems to me like homes are en
Read more…In our class, we've been talking a lot about listening to our languages and how that can help us to learn. I wanted to be able to listen to some music in Persian, but had never heard any myself and didn't really know where to begin and so I decided
Read more…As I was studying the history of the Persian language, I learned that the oldest written record of the language is the Behistun Inscription, and so I wanted to learn some more about this Inscription and its historic, cultural, and linguistic importan
Read more…Persian or Farsi?
There are two names for this language - Persian and Farsi. When I first began to study the language, I encountered these two name and wondered if they referred to the same thing or if they had slightly different meanings, and so I
Read more…Since Caroline already posted a brief history on the language I've decided to go into my experience of learning about the Turkish language's history rather than the history itself although some overlap will probably be unavoidable.
Before going to
Read more…The Turkish carpet can be one of the most sought after household items in the world. Ever since the 11th century the Anatolian carpet has remained the premier carpet. However, before this time existed the woven rug dominated the scene, not the knot
Read more…I have decided to do this week’s culture post on Iranian traditional music instruments focusing on the Dotar and the Aoud. The first one is the Dotar. Dotar in Farsi means”2 strings”. This instrument can be found in various regions o
Read more…The institution of marriage vastly changes throughout the world and it is much different in Turkish culture than in others. During our MLC 105 class we briefly spoke about the institutions of marriage and a discussion of Turkish marriage would be ap
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I appreciate international cuisine so I have decided to do this week’s culture post on Iranian cuisine. Iranian cuisine has many dishes depending on what region of the country one goes to but I have decided to focus this blog on the famous “kebobs”
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Since my minor is Archeology I have decided to use The site of Persepolis as my first culture post. Persepolis is located east of what is today Shiraz, in the Fars province of Iran. In antiquity this city was known as Parsa. The site is a complex s
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Since my minor is Archeology I have decided to use The site of Persepolis as my first culture post. Persepolis is located east of what is today Shiraz, in the Fars province of Iran. In antiquity this city was known as Parsa. The site is a complex se
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Perhaps the most notable form of non-verbal communication in India is the Indian head bob. Not a nod of affirmation, not a shake of disagreement, but a motion somewhere in between. And what does it mean? It depends. The head bob can mean a numb
Read more…There is a long history of Turkish Cuisine dating back to the Ottoman Empire. Such a long history has given the Turkish culture a variety of recipes used for a myriad of occasions. For example, in Kayseri in the Central Anatolia region, about 10 ho
Read more…Why did you pick 'your' SDLAP language? What about it--either the language itself or the culture(s) where it is spoken--interests you? What do you plan to explore this semester?
Read more…After my first meeting with Maya and discussed various things she experienced while living overseas for several years, I decided discuss a tradition called Birthright in which she participated. Birthright is a program offered to Americans that sends
Read more…The architecture of Istanbul is world renowned and a significant amount of it is due to the State Architect Koca Mimar Sinan. Sinan acquired this position under Sultan Suleyman (1520-66) after his completion of the Sehzade Mosque which was a tribute
Read more…So in a recent documentary by a Turkish film director, Fatih Akin, the new and upcoming genres of Turkish music are explored. From Kurdish cultural music to American style pop and rap, artists today in Turkey are pushing every boundary they can in o
Read more…This year I went to the Richmond Folk Festival for the first time. The main reason I went to the festival was to see Zakir Hussain, an Indian tabla player. It just so happened that the Shanbehzadeh Ensemble, an Iranian folk band, was playing after
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