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'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.
- 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