During the Ottoman Empire, public Turkish hammams, commonly referred to as Turkish bathhouses, were built in droves. Despite Islam and Ottoman culture’s reverence for cleanliness, most people did not have bathing facilities in their homes. The public bathhouses gave individuals a chance to clean themselves and socialize within the community.

There are more than 30 languages spoken in Turkey.
Although Turkish is the country’s official language, there are more than 30 minority languages spoken, including Kurmanji, Zazaki and Mesopotamian Arabic. Kurmanji, also known as Northern Kurdish, is spoken by 12% of the population. Zazaki is a Kurdish dialect spoken by the Zazas people in the eastern part of the country.