More on Turkey (people & language)

Cihan Orhan's Trip to the Niagra Falls. It was a nice sunny December day when we left Kent. Cihan, being familiar with the snowy weather, dressed appropriately, but for the sun. When we reached at the Falls, Canadian winds did their number. I offered him my old leather jacket for the occaion, but Cihan's Turkish warm blood could not accept artifical ways of warmth. Cihan's posture in the following two memorable pictures tells the rest of the story.
- Cihan (cold but defiant) at Niagra Falls (Cihan is on the left)
- Cihan (still cold but defiant) at Niagra Falls
  If you look carefully, you will notice that the buttons are open in the first picture, and they seemed to be closed tightly in the second one. To make matters more interesting, just before our return trip I, uncharacteristically, checked the oil dipstick in my Ford Escort. There was no oil. We walked around in the wonderful below zero temperature for the nearest gas station. Not even once did Cihan complain about the weather, however, his eyes and nose told another story. The coffee cup, at the first rest area on our way back, was most refreshing.

My Trip to Turkey. Ten years after Cihan's trip to the US, I spent fifteen days in Ankara and visited Kapadocea region. Here are some of these pictures.
- Cihan and Me (Ankara) Mizar in the background
- Cihan, the Doc and Me Kapadocea
- Cihan, the Doc and Me Kapadocea
- Cihan, the Doc and Me Kapadocea
- Cihan and Me Kapadocea
  The level of Turkish hospitality turned out to be more than what I had been informed.

Cihan's Second Trip to US. In 2003 Cihan spent a few months in Kent and Minnesota. Here are some pictures from our trip to Mount Rushmore.
- Mount Rushmore (South Dakota)
- Cihan On the way
- Cihan Main Entrance
- Me On the way

My Second Trip to Turkey. In 2006 I spent two weeks in Turkey, mostly in Ankara, Here are a few photos taken at the Univeristy of Ankara and at the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul.

My Third Trip to Turkey. In 2011 I spent three days in Istanbul and two weeks in Ankara. Here are a few photos taken by Hifsi Altinok of Firat University.

When I visited Turkey, one of the surprising things for me was the number of words that are shared Turkish and Urdu languages. In a matter of hours I noted the following words (written phonetically in English spellings) that happen to be common in Turkish and Urdu, sometimes pronounced slightly differently.

aadami

aadet (i.e., habit)

adalet (i.e., court)

afiyet

aeena (i.e., mirror)

agar (i.e., if)

ajaeb (i.e., strange)

akal (i.e., inteligence)

akraba (i.e., relatives)

bahar (i.e., spring)

beledeya (baldiya, i.e., municipality)

braber (i.e., side by side, equal)

chinar (i.e., maple tree)

chunkeh (i.e., because)

dafa (i.e., times)

devlet (daulet)

dewana (i.e., crazy)

dokan (dukan, i.e., shop)

dost

durust (i.e., correct)

dushman

dut (tut, i.e., mulbery)

ejaad (i.e., invention)

elbette (albutta, i.e., but)

fahari (fakhari, i.e., honorary)

fakir (fakir, i.e., destitute)

ferq (faraq, i.e., difference)

gazi (ghazi)

giza (i.e., punishment)

gul (i.e., flower)

gumbed (i.e, tomb)

gunah (i.e, sin)

hafiza (i.e., memory)

hakikat (...)

hakim (i.e., judge)

haq (i.e., truth)

harab (kharab, i.e., bad)

hava (i.e, air)

hayat (i.e., life)

hazir (i.e., present)

her (i.e., every)

heyraan (...)

heywaan (i.e., animal)

hukumet (hakoomat)

ijtama

emlak (i.e., pocessions, property)

imtahan (exam)

insaf (i.e., justice)

insaniyet (i.e, humanity).

ishq (i.e., love)

jan (i.e., life)

jild (i.e., skin, book cover, volume)

kabliyat (i.e., talent)

kabul (kabool)

kafir (kafer)

kara (kala, i.e., black)

katil (i.e., killer)

keyfeeyat

khanum (Miss/Mrs.)

khat (i.e., line)

khata (i.e., mistake)

ki (i.e., posseive form)

kimiya (i.e., chemistry)

kisap (kisab, i.e., butcher)

kitaab (...)

kofta (...)

kutuphane (Kutub-Khana, Library)

lakab (self-given, i.e., taken name)

madrissa

mahalleh (mahallah, i.e., neighborhood)

majlis

mahkeme (mehkama)

masalan (i.e., for example)

mazi (i.e., past)

merkez (markaz, i.e., center)

meshur (i.e., famous)

mevey (i.e., fruit)

millet (millat)

minare (i.e., minar)

misafir (musafir, i.e., visitor)

muhabbat (i.e., love)

muhagir (muhajar)

mohafiza (i.e., protection)

mohtarim (mohtaram, i.e., dear)

moseki (i.e., music)

mumkin (i.e., possible)

mustakbil (i.e., future)

nafrat (i.e., abhorance)

nakel (nakal, i.e., transfer, copy)

nakit (nakad, i.e., cash)

neyat (i.e., intention)

nukta (i.e., dot)

num (numi, i.e., humidity)

pajama (...)

pehlvaan (...)

peynir (paneer, i.e., cheese)

preshan (i.e., troubled)

saaf (i.e., clean)

sabun (i.e., soap)

sada (i.e., simple)

sawab

schikayet

serv (seru or saroo i.e., the ever-green plant)

shakil (shakal, i.e., shape)

shart (condition)

shehir (shehar, i.e., city)

shehit (shaheed)

shesha (i.e., glass)

shey (i.e., thing)

chorba (i.e., soup, shorba)

sifer (i.e., zero)

sirf (i.e., only)

siyah (i.e., black)

subze (i.e, vegetation)

tabi (i.e., therefore or due to)

taraf (i.e., direction)

tarih (tarikh, i.e. date)

tarif (i.e., definition)

tatil (i.e., holiday)

taze (i.e., fresh)

vaadi (i.e., valley)

yad (i.e, memory)

yani (i.e., in other words)

yunan (i.e., Greece)

wakeel

wakif

waseeat

zameen