The grandfather generally has one or more sons. The sons and their wives share a home with the grandfather. Married grandsons and their wives also live in the home of the grandfather. The unmarried grandsons and the unmarried granddaughters make up the circle of Turkish singles in any residence with a traditional, extended family.
A Turkish residence does not a floor plan that resembles the typical western home. A Turkish residence usually has a courtyard. In the center of that courtyard is a source of water, such as a pool or a fountain. Each room in the residence has a window that looks out on the courtyard.
When Turkish singles leave their residence, they often meet at a public fountain. That is especially true in Istanbul. During the Ottoman Empire, many notables paid for the construction of a fountain. Therefore, that City has many fountains, some in public places and others in private courtyards.
While fountains often provide the setting for the start of some Turkish dating, the dating couples do not linger long at the fountains. In Istanbul, dating couples soon move to the Kapali Carsi, the Grand Bazaar.
There in the Bazaar young couples can enjoy the 3,000 different shops. They can stroll up and down the Bazaar’s 61 streets. A young man and a young woman can learn a good deal about each other as the walk over the Bazaar’s 75.8 acres.
While the nature of Turkish dating has changed, Turkish singles have long enjoyed many reasons to visit the shops in the Bazaar. In past centuries the Turkish young people visited those shops to look at helmets, quilts, jewelry and carpets. Today a group of Turkish singles visiting the Bazaar might be asked by a tourist to suggest a good souvenir shop.
Yet the old vendors are not forgotten. The nature of their wares is recalled in the names of streets within the Bazaar. Turkish singles might walk down a Fez Makers Street, a Calligraphers Street or a Book Dealers Street.
Back in the late 1800’s some Turkish singles joined the groups that lined the streets, hoping for a glimpse of the incoming prisoners. Unfortunate souls from various parts of the Middle East sometimes ended up in the prison in Acre, Turkey. Crowds would gather to watch those chained prisoners march from the ship to the prison.
At that time, some Turkish singles joined the others, and tried to demonstrate their contempt for the prisoners. They might spit at a prisoner, or they might throw a rock at the man marching in chains. It’s difficult to believe that many dating couples cared to stand close to the prison. Legend has it that the prison emitted a terrible odor.
Today’s Turkish singles do not let the views of society mold their own views. They attend college classes, and they have now learned how to think for themselves. The demise of the extended traditional family testifies to the independent thinking of the young singles in Turkey.