--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Phelps, Joseph O. collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 12 number: 8 published: 1909-06 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Joseph O. Phelps, "Typical Turkish Scenes," *Improvement Era* 12, no. 8 (June 1909): 617–619.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1208unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera1208unse start_page: 617 end_page: 619 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1909-06) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1208unse publication_year: 1909 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1909, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Typical Turkish Scenes TYPICALyrURKISH SCENES. BY JOSEPH 0. PHELPS, OF THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS MISSION IN TURKEY. If the people of Europe and America could see the things that have grown commonplace to us, they would consider it quite From a drawing by Joseph O. Phelps. Soldiers "Guarding" a Police Station. a unique experience, but inasmuch as they cannot all come here and see them, they can at least read and hear about the curiosi- ties of this world, though perhaps in a more or less conglomerated way. It will not be long before the antiquities of this country will be no more, as the signs of civilization are in evidence every- where. The old Arab with his caravan of camels transporting goods across the country is being replaced by the more modern modes of transportation, as are many of the once noted curiosities of the Orient. And since the establish- ment of the new regime in the governmental affairs, great strides are being made, and things and conditions are being rapidly changed. But while they yet remain let us take a look into a typical Turkish town and see if there is anything to interest the stranger. Those "Weary Willies" over there are supposed to Drawn by Joseph O. Phelps. be regarded in the light of "His Pension" — a sketch from life. soldiers, they are guarding (?) Drawn by Joseph O. Phelps. Coppersmiths. TYPICAL TURKISH SCENES. G19 a police station. Inside the station are some old blankets, two or three copper buckets, and a bundle of old clothes. If the soldiers were not there, the old clothes would perhaps walk off. In this country soldiery is compulsory for all able bodied Mohammedan men and boys, they serve different lenghts of time, and if they don't get killed in battle or die of some plague or disease while on duty (as is often the case), they come home after serving their country, and, not finding any work, many go to begging for a living. One may find hundreds of beggars in a small city, many of them wearing their old soldier coats, signs of their former occupation. While serving in times of peace they get about $1.25 per month and board, and the board is pretty knotty too, consisting mainly of rice-soup and bread. A thing that.greatly im- presses the stranger here is the markets or bazars, and Drawn by Joseph O. Phelps. the old adage, "Birds of a Street in a City, Turkey. feather flock together," is brought to memory in seeing the different tradesmen crowd to them- selves. The gold and silver smiths are all to be found in one ma- halle, or district, as are coppersmiths, shoemakers, tailors, wood- turners, basketmakers, blacksmiths, and in fact nearly any and all trades that are practiced in this country. The workmen go at their work somewhat crudely, in the eyes of one accustomed to seeing modern methods employed in manufacture. For instance, the woodturner turns his work with a sort of bow, the string of which is wrapped around the wood, and by a foreward and back-