An interview with a Kurdish Leader of Hebûn LGBT activist group Introduction Diyarbakir city is the capital of the Diyarbakır Province in eastern Turkey. The population is about 1,600,000. Kurds are the predominant population today. Other groups include Turks, Assyrians, Armenians, Arabs and Yazidis. Kurds rarely make it onto the international media, and that’s even
Due to its strategic location astride two continents, Turkey’s culture has a unique blend of Eastern and Western tradition. Turkey has become increasingly integrated with the West through membership in organizations such as the Council of Europe, NATO and the G-20 major economies. Turkey began full membership negotiations with the European Union in 2005. The human rights of LGBT people in Turkey is one of the most controversial human rights issues in Turkey. Homosexuality is not illegal as such in the Republic of Turkey. However, owing to conservative values embedded in Muslim-majority Turkish society, homosexuality remains a taboo topic in public discourse. The desire of Turkey to join the European Union has forced the government to grant official recognition to LGBT rights organizations, respect a greater degree of the freedom of speech and the press and to entertain gay rights legislation. Gay themed conferences and gatherings now regularly take place, particularly in Istanbul and Ankara. The major LGBT community-based civil rights organization is KAOS GL, established in 1994 in Ankara. Lambda Istanbul, a member of ILGA-Europe, established in 1993 in Istanbul, was dissolved in May 2008. The prosecution argued that its name and activities were “against the law and morality.” The ruling has been criticized by Human Rights Watch. Also see: Islam and Homosexuality
Name: Turkey
Population: 70892500
Capital: Ankara - Pop. 4500400
Area: 784562 sq. km/ sq. miles
Language: Turkish
Religion: Muslim
Status of Homosexuality: Legal
Telephone Country Code: 90
Turkey, Istanbul 2012
The ancient city of Istanbul is divided into Europe and Asia, old and modern, tradition and innovation. Muslim tolerance, magnificent mosque Ottoman architecture, a beautiful location on the sea, and the countless high and low end eateries, all make this city a universally appealing place to live and visit.
Turkey – Istanbul: City (1)
Istanbul (historically Byzantium and later Constantinople) is the world’s 3rd largest city and Turkey’s cultural and financial center. It extends both on the European (Thrace) and on the Asian (Anatolia) side of the Bosphorus, and is therebythe only metropolis in the world which is situated on two continents. In its long history, Istanbul served as
Turkey – Istanbul: City (2)
Istanbul (historically Byzantium and later Constantinople) is the world’s 3rd largest city and Turkey’s cultural and financial center. It extends both on the European (Thrace) and on the Asian (Anatolia) side of the Bosphorus, and is thereby the only metropolis in the world which is situated on two continents. In its long history, Istanbul served
Turkey – Istanbul: City (3)
Turkey – Istanbul 9/11/01 We arrived in Istanbul on September 10, 2001 in the evening. The next day we went for a boat ride up the Bosporus toward the Black Sea returning to our apartment about 5PM. On the ground floor was a local grocery store with a small black and white TV showing some
Turkey – North Aegean Coast
Along the Aegean north coast of Turkey are some of the most famous landmarks of human civilzation. Canakkale (photos 1-4) and the haunting battlefields of Gallipoli (photos 5-22), the great city Ruins of Pergamon (photos 26-33) and Ancient Troy (photos 34-50).
Turkey – Ferry to Cyprus
Cyprus is the third-largest Mediterranean island and one of the most popular tourist destinations, attracting over 2.4 million tourists per year. A former British colony, it gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1960 and became a Commonwealth republic in 1961. The Republic of Cyprus is a developed country and has been a member of
Turkey – Ankara
Ankara is the Turkish capital and final resting place of Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey. His enormous mausoleum–Anitkabir–is a beautiful solemn place, guarded 24 hours a day by precise honor guards. Along the Black Sea coast is the pleasant town of Amasra with its fishing harbor and old castle ruins.
Turkey – South Aegean Coast
Along the Aegean south coast of Turkey are some of the most famous landmarks of human civilzation – the enormous city ruins at Ephesus, Sardis, the Apollo Temple in Didymi, and Euromos.
Turkey – Cappacodia
In the Cappadocia region, the rocks of near the town of Göreme have over millions of years eroded into hundreds of spectacular pillars and minaret-like forms. The volcanic deposits are soft rocks that the people of the villages carved out to form houses, churches, snd monasteries. Göreme became a monastic center between 300-1200 AD. The
Turkey – Mediterranean Coast
Turkey’s Mediterranean coast is very historic, beautiful and sunny. There are charming towns, ancient ruins and countless appealing beaches, restaurants and cafes.