Understanding the Differences: Turks vs. Arabs

Many foreigners get confused about the notion of whether Turks are Arabs. Their confusion is because most of the Turkish are Muslims. Moreover, they both have different historical and cultural backgrounds. It is important to note that if foreigners refer to Turkish people as “the Arabs,” it offends them. If you want to know how Turks are different from Arabs, then Turkish translation services can be of great help. 

While talking about Arabs, the first country that comes to mind is Saudia Arabia. This country holds great significance in the Muslim world because Muslims from around the world go for Umrah and Haj in this country.  On the other hand, if we talk about Turkish people, then the first thing that comes to mind is the Ottoman Empire. Even though Turkish people live in other countries too. One of the tourists, who visited  Saudia Arabia and Turkey said that Turkey’s culture is greatly influenced by Europe. The reason can be that Turkey is the country that lies both in Europe and Asia. Furthermore, the tourists discovered that Turkish people are liberal, whereas Saudis in Arabia are very conservative. The new generation in Saudia Arabia is, anyhow liberal. 

Different Races 

Turkish people are successors of Central Asia. Moreover, their roots are connected with  Anatolia. Contrary to this, Arabs are Semitic people. Most of the Arabs are residing in the Middle East. Considering Turk people as Arab is as wrong as saying Canadian people, the Mexican. Turkey is a Turkic country. The other Turkic countries are Uzbekistan, Kırgızistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, and Turkey. On the other hand, you can find Arabic countries in the Middle East and North Africa. 

Two Different Languages 

The races and the region affect the languages that people speak. Do you know that 1.8 billion Muslims around the world can read Arabic?  It is the Holy language. Therefore, it has influenced many other languages of the world. Arabs speak Arabic language whereas Turks speak Turkish language. The Latin alphabets have great similarities with the Arabic language. Turkey adopted the Latin alphabet for writing Turkish. Therefore it sounds very similar to the Arabic language. Approximately 88 million people around the world speak the Turkish language. If you want to differentiate between the Arabic and Turkish languages, then Turkish translation services can be of great help. 

Cuisine 

Food can show us a lot about different cultures. In this case, there’s a tasty and interesting difference. Arabic food is full of exciting spices, like the hot harissa in Morocco or the fragrant cardamom coffee in the Levant. Turkish food, on the other hand, likes to keep it simple but still tasty. They love grilled meats, fresh veggies, and creamy yogurt dips. And don’t forget about the humble pide, a Turkish flatbread that is like a pizza with lots of different toppings.

Ottoman Empire Compared to the Islamic Empire 

Do you know that the Ottoman Empire follows Turkish and Eastern Roman Traditions? On the contrary, the Islamic empire is based on Islamic rules. Rules regarding how to govern the country are different in Islam. It is called Sharia. If you want to read about these rules, then you can get assistance from Arabic document translation services.

Additionally, caliphate, the Islamic empire was ruled according to Islamic principles. A Muslim dynasty governed the Ottoman Empire. Moreover, Ottoman Sultans were called the caliphate after they invaded Egypt in 1571. Here, the important thing to note is that the Ottoman Empire is not the continuation of the Islamic Empire. Ottoman followed the East Roman Empire Byzantine tradition. Furthermore, they adhered to Turkish traditions and were known as East Roman Caesars.

Legal Government System 

The Turkish follow the secular government style. They learned the laws from the Romans and the Byzantine Empire and from other European countries as well.  This history made the Turkish people learn about secular government. Additionally, the Turks follow different religious practices from the Arabs. This is because Turks follow a more moderate form of Islam, while Arabs are often seen as adhering to a stricter interpretation.

Turkey is not an Arab Country 

22 Arab countries comprise an international organization known as the Arab League. Surprisingly, this league does not recognize Turkey as an Arab country. Turkey wants to become a part of the Arab League and wants to be an observer like Brazil, Armenia, Venezuela, India, and Eritrea. Unfortunately, the Arab countries refused because of problems between the Arab world and Turkey. To understand the areas of conflicts between Arab countries with Turkey, we have to dig into the history. For this, you need to get assistance from Arabic document translation services. 

Wrapping Up 

Differences in the cultures create a sense of tolerance among the nations. With globalization, people can understand and respect each other’s culture. Despite differences between Turkish and Arab cultures, there are many things in common, like giving importance to family values, hospitality, and respecting elders. Which part of Turkish and Arab cultures do you like the most?

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