Every society is characterized by a set of values and rules that control life in it. Therefore, those coming to Turkey should familiarize themselves with the etiquette of life in Turkey, the rules and norms that regulate relations between members of society, and some customs that foreigners must know and abide by in order to facilitate integration with Turkish society to obtain A comfortable life in Turkey.
Therefore we have collected the most important rules and etiquette of life Turkish people to inform you about them, and we mention the most important of these rules:
The etiquette while talking on the phone for the Turkish people
Turkish people are very keen in phone calls etiquette, and here are some rules to follow while making a phone call with a Turk:
introducing your self
Introducing yourself directly when starting the communication, especially if you are talking to an unfamiliar person, this etiquette is important for business owners who communicate with Turks, or when communicating with a Turkish doctor, lawyer or others with whom you need to communicate.
Try to shortcut while making a phone call
Turkish people do not like to communicate on the phone unless necessary, they’re also annoyed when the sound volume is raised during a phone call
Avoid talking with a foreign language
Turkish people get annoyed when a foreign person speaks with their mother tongue on the phone in crowded places, and if you do that, you will find signs of distress on the faces of those around you because they do not understand your words.
Greetings on phone calls
Turks begin their phone calls with gretting and ask about the situation, and end with thanks and wishing a happy day to those they talk to, so try to maintain this etiquette when communicating with your Turkish friends
Etiquette inside transportation in Turkey
In Turkey, especially major cities, you have to spend a long time on the move, even on tours, so you should know the rules for dealing with Turks in transportation:
1· Turks respect the queue at bus stops, and they automatically line up behind each other when boarding the bus, so you never think of violating this system.
2- Every Turkish or foreigner in Turkey usually owns a private transportation card, but if someone is surprised with his card empty, he can ask you to use your own card to cross, and he pays you for that lump sum as transportation in cash. Do not refuse to take the amount from him They may get annoyed with this behavior even if you consider it as a positive behavior.
3- Priority to sit on bus chairs for the elderly, sick and children, especially in minibuses known as “dolmush”.
4- Talking loudly or laughing is one of the reprehensible things in Turkish transportation.
5- A stampede or a fight on the bus is also reprehensible.
6- Refrain from smoking cigarettes while riding the bus under penalty of prosecution and a fine
7- Try to be shorten in your phone calls inside the bus, and if you have to answer a call, make sure to speak in a low voice.
8- When you ride the Dolmush, there is no assistant driver for this type of bus, so the one near the driver will be responsible for taking the fare from the new passengers and informing the driver of the place they want to reach, and returning the remaining money to them, if you do not speak Turkish or do not memorize The names of the areas the bus passes through, it is better not to sit near the driver.
9- When getting off the bus, you must speak with the driver in a tactful manner, and there is a mistake that many foreigners make, they say to the driver when they reach the place they want to get off at: Dur
This word means: stop.
But it is not appropriate for this situation, but it should be replaced by one of the following phrases:
- Durakta inecek var : There is a person who will come down at the parking lot
- Müsait bir yer : Is there a place available for disembarkation?
- Burada indirir misiniz : Can you drop me here?
- Durakta inebilir miyim : Can I get into the parking lot?
If you want to get off the back door of the bus, you can say:
Arka kapıyı açar mısınız? Can you open the back door?
Rules for dealing with neighbors in Turkey
Turks greatly respect the rules of dealing with neighbors, and the following are some of the Turkish customs followed when dealing with neighbors:
- Respect the privacy of the neighbor
- Respect for hygiene
- Obligation not to make noise from your home, and this may expose you to a complaint from your Turkish neighbor
- The neighbor also has the right to object if you are going to rent your house to young people or students and not to a family, so you should ask them before doing such a thing.
- If you want to move things into your home, and that requires making some kind of noise, avoid doing so on the morning of the holiday.
- The Turks do not stay up after eleven in the evening, so do not visit your Turkish neighbor at this time.
- The Turks are bound by official celebrations, visiting the sick, congratulating a new born or offering condolences, especially if they are familiar with you, and they blame those who do not abide by such matters.
In the next paragraph, we will mention some manners of courtesy among the Turks to expand further in this aspect.
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Courtesy Etiquette in Turkey
Turkish people are always interested in the expressions of courtesy and morning and evening greetings and consider them one of the basics of dealing with each other, so you must learn the most important phrases that are used at specific times or occasions to say them when necessary:
Greetings and peace to the Turks
1- selamun aleykum: It means “Peace be upon you” and is pronounced similar to the Arabic “Peace be upon you”.
It is said when meeting with anyone, especially the elderly.
2- Merhaba: It means hello
3- Günaydın: good morning
4- iyi akşamlar : Good evening
5- iyi Günler: good day
6- iyi geceler: good night”
The etiquette of reception and farewell to the Turks
When you enter an office or shop or arrive at the house of a Turkish friend, he will tell you the word Hoşgeldiniz , which means: Welcome, and the answer to it is the word Hoşbulduk .
When saying goodbye, use one of the following two words:
- Görüşürüz : See you later
- Güle güle : Bye
Acquaintance with the Turks
Although it is well known that Turks are by nature always busy, and their long working hours impose on them fewer friends, and they are not allowed to build new friendships except by virtue of work, study or communication with neighbors, but there is important information to know about Turks in this regard.
They ask for your name directly, and are happy when you ask them for their names, as they consider name acquaintance as the beginning of a tactful way of getting to know each other.
When you want to ask a Turk about his name, you are supposed to greet him first and then ask:
1- Merhaba, adın ne? Hi, what is you’r name?
If you want to be known by your name, you should say:
2- Benim adım ahmed: my name is Ahmed
You can also express your gratitude to him by getting to know him, by saying:
3- Memnun oldum: nice to know you
Other nice phrases used by Turks
Turks like to use polite words in their conversations, especially when dealing in an official way, so they like foreigners to exchange them the same method of polite treatment, and the most frequently used terms are:
1- Lutfen: excuse me
This word is always used in any request, and is considered a sign of polite request, which is popular with the Turks
2- Pardon: Sorry
And sometimes it is used to ask permission when asking to pass in front of someone, especially in crowded places, or transportation.
1- Teşekkür ederim: Thanks
2- Rica ederim: No thanks on duty
3- Özür dilerim: I’m sorry
4- Geçmiş olsun: I wish you well, the sick are told
5- Kusura bakma: Pardon me
6- Maalesef: Unfortunately
7- Afedersiniz: Amnesties
8- Afiyet olsun: With wellness, it is said to someone who is eating or after someone has finished eating
9- Tebrikler: congrats
10- Başın sağ olsun: The literal meaning of it is “the safety of your head” and it is said to console
11- Hayırlı olsun: congratulations to you
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Rules of Turkish official institutions
Also, when reviewing any government institution, foreigners in Turkey should adhere to several important criteria that cannot be overlooked, the most important of which are:
Adherence to deadlines, especially with regard to the appointments of the Immigration Department or the wishes necessary to obtain residence in Turkey
Knowing the official working hours, which are between ten in the morning and five in the evening, so that your review of these institutions is within these dates only
There is a break hour in all Turkish government institutions, during which Turkish employees do not perform any task during it because it is for lunch and rest, and it is often between twelve and one in the afternoon
The official holiday is Sunday, and most government departments in Turkey are closed on Saturday and Sunday, except for the Turkish Post, which works part-time on Saturday between ten and one in the afternoon.
You must ask carefully about the papers that you need to take with you, because Turkish transactions are very accurate
Commitment to the role and often in Turkish government departments there is a machine to reserve the role, and if you do not know how to deal with it, ask one of the employees, the guard official, or one of the auditors, because you cannot conduct your transaction without booking the role.
In the event that you have any problem that has not been resolved by the employee, you must write a request explaining your problem and submit it to the director of the institution. It is preferable to communicate with a sworn translator in such a case.
Commitment to cleanliness and calm while you are in government departments
Refrain from smoking inside government departments under penalty of accountability and a financial fine
There are many legal transactions that can be carried out through the application of the electronic government E-Dawlet, so it should be known and the way to use it and benefit from it
Etiquette and other rules
- In mosques: Turkish people do not like you to enter the mosque barefoot, so you must be wearing socks
- In parks, beaches, and public places: Turkish people criticize those who drink water pipes .
- Turks care about hygiene in general
- You rarely hear car horns
- The Turks places their hands on their chest when mentioning the name of the Prophet Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace, especially the elderly among them
- Turks are greatly annoyed and provoked by any harassment of females
- In Turkey, you can find women doing some hard work for a long time
- Turkish law does not allow marriage to more than one wife, as well as for foreign residents who wish to grant family residence, he is only entitled to grant it to one wife
In this article, we have presented a variety of rules and public morals that must be adhered to and adhered to while you are in Turkey in many ways that interest foreigners in Turkey, such as public morals in transportation, government departments, or when making a phone call or dealing with your Turkish neighbors, in addition to the etiquette of courtesy when The Turks, and other rules and etiquette