Cultural heritage incorporates more than just monuments and artefacts; it also includes customs, rituals, social practices, and the knowledge and skills passed down through master-apprentice relationships, as defined by UNESCO. We ” inherit these things from our ancestors and pass them on to our descendants.”

Turkey is one of the top five countries with essential intangible cultural items on the UNESCO list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humankind. Due to its long history, Türkiye has a rich heritage with many of its oral traditions, local knowledge, and traditional skills making a list.

Here are 10 of the most genuine Turkish cultural values recognised by UNESCO that you will undoubtedly appreciate!

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Collective Flatbread-making Culture

In 2016, traditional Turkish flatbread joined a global file that included Turkiye, Iran, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan on UNESCO’s Representative directory of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

With three or more persons actively involved in the preparation and baking procedures, flatbread manufacturing is a custom that has been upheld for multiple generations thanks to its social mission and general observation. There are various bread varieties in it. These round-shaped bread include lavash, katyrma, jupka, and yufka, while the several baking methods include tandir, sac, or kazan. These are a few unusual culinary tools that are popular there.

This tradition still practised in rural areas of Türkiye and handed down from master to student, strengthens the sense of community that all members are expected to feel. Click here to read more about the significance of bread in Turkish cuisine.

The Tradition of Nevruz (Nowruz)

Nowruz is a long-standing ritual that celebrates the first day of spring. It is an ancestral holiday. It consists of rituals, ceremonies, and a feast that unites individuals in happiness—usually close family or small groups of people.

Nowruz is a genuine celebration of peace and unity. As a shared cultural property of Türkiye and 11 other countries, it was added to the Representative Intangible Heritage List of UNESCO in 2016.

Turkish Coffee Culture and Tradition

They were participating in the UNESCO Intangible Heritage list, Turkish coffee symbolising much more than a basic brewing procedure. Over time, a vibrant traditional communal culture emerged, bringing people together for celebrations like weddings or simply for pleasure.

The practice of reading the coffee beans as part of a fortune-telling tradition has developed throughout the country’s history. In effect, once the coffee is consumed, the cup is placed upside down on a saucer and left to cool. When you finally open it, a variety of patterns are visible. Animals, hearts, the moon, eyes, teardrops, and other similar symbols are the most frequently associated images. They mean many things, such as getting some news, getting rich suddenly, good or bad luck, and happiness or sadness. However, once you give this tradition a shot, you can become addicted.

Mesir Paste Festival

Mesir Macunu, a sweet paste made up of 41 herbs and spices, was initially created to treat the severe illness that Hafsa Sultan, the mother of Süleyman the Magnificent, was suffering from. The Sultan ordered it to spread to the broader population because it was delicious and practical.

Every year for the past 400 years, people have gathered in Manisa, Turkey, for a festival to celebrate this authentic product and watch a chef and his apprentices prepare it. In 2012, the festival was added to UNESCO’s Representative catalogue of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Ceremonial Keşkek Tradition

Keşkek is a meat and wheat dish popular in Turkey. Its preparation in large cauldrons, known as Kazan, for wedding ceremonies, circumcisions, and religious holidays has become a tradition. The younger residents of the village typically beat the wheat as the crowds’ cheer. Keşkek was given a seat on the UNESCO directory of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity because of this entertaining aspect of the custom.

Ebru, the Turkish Art of Water Marbling

Ebru is the name for making vibrant designs by dusting colours on a pan of oily, condensed water and then transferring the patterns to a specific type of paper. Before it became a distinct art form, it was first used as decoration in the margins of books. It is currently regarded as a fundamental, traditional component of Turkish cultural identity. In 2014, Ebru was added to UNESCO’s directory of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Kırkpınar Oil-wrestling Festival

Pehlivans, or wrestlers trained in the master-apprentice tradition, take part in the historical celebrations known as the Kirkpinar Oil-wrestling Festival every year in Türkiye’s Edirne city. Numerous participants of all ages and geographical areas attend this event to see wrestlers fight for the Kirkpinar Golden Belt & the title of Chief Pehlivan. The ritual includes forty bands performing on ancient Turkish instruments like the zurna and davul, and the pehlivans are dressed in thick-bottomed traditional clothing called kispet.

Semah, Alevi-Bektashi Ritual

Semah is a Mevlevi sect ceremony that stresses one’s mystical relationship with God and has intricate themes and aspects. Mevlâna Celaleddin Rumî, a well-known Sufi figure most often associated with the movements of the whirling dervishes, died many years after the tradition was established.

Eb-i Aruz, which translates to “the Wedding Day,” is a holiday honouring Mevlâna’s passing observed annually on December 17. Numerous crowds gather at the Mevlana Museum in Konya to remember him and celebrate his reunion with “his Beloved” (the God as he is commonly referred to in Sufism). According to Mevlâna, death is the moment of escape from the prison of the body and the final opportunity to reunite with God. People continue to celebrate this custom as a festival by giving gifts of all types to one another.

Âşıklık (Minstrelsy) Tradition

For the past 12 years, the minstrelsy tradition has been listed by UNESCO. The word “âşik” refers to nomadic poet-singers who perform at weddings, coffee shops, and public festivals and celebrations while playing the stringed instrument “saz.” These singer-poets go through a lengthy education during which they learn how to play the percussion and stringed instruments and oral storytelling.

Arts of the Meddah, public storytellers

Public storytelling is a general definition and explanation of the art of the meddah. The meddah, who performs this art, usually strives to entertain the crowd with impersonations and animations.

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