Quote:
Originally Posted by grega94
how much does say Zonguldak, Sinop, Bafra differ from Izmir, Antalya, and Mersin on a cultural basis.
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The Turkish Black Sea region can be divided into 3 parts: Western(Zonguldak and Sinop would be in this region), Central (Samsun Ordu and Giresun are the main areas here) and Eastern (Trabzon and Rize). Some of the neighboring inland provinces are included in this area due to cultural similarities. Kırklareli is on the Black Sea, but is considered part of Thrace.
The culture in Kırklareli is not unlike that of a Balkan country. The people from Thrace are often stereotyped as heavy drinkers, and there is a fair amount of truth to that stereotype. On the other end, the people in Rize are more similar Caucasus people (many of them are Laz, a group related to Georgians). In Trabzon, the people are a mix of Pontic converts to Islam and Turks. Many of the people are pale complexioned in these Eastern parts, and blue-eyed blonds are not uncommon. They are stereotyped as having quick tempers and strange ways of thinking.
In terms of culture, generally speaking the further East you go, the more conservative and traditional people are. In the Western Black Sea region, people are relatively moderate. In the Eastern part, they are quite conservative and traditional. The Central part is conservative, but not as much as the Eastern part.
The Mediterranean region, people are more laid back that their Black Sea counterparts. They are also Mediterranean in appearance (ie darker-complexioned). In general, they are fairly moderate, especially in the cities, and the closer you get to the Aegean, the more progressive they become--in the Aegean itself, people are quite progressive (Izmir is more progressive than most American cities).
In terms of culture, they have the same religion, language and some 'Ottoman' cultural traditions, but that's where the similarity ends. Their food, music, dance and behavior are totally different.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Natalya_
The black sea coast of Turkey was historically populated by Greeks (pontic Greeks) until early 20th century  |
True. And unlike most Christian groups under the Ottomans, the Pontics were more receptive to converting to Islam, and a large portion of the people still living there still have Pontic blood.
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On a coast belonging to Georgia/Abkhasia ( or Greeks or whoever used to populate that area back in history) everything looks more befitting - the mountains, the sun, the sea, and people with darker skin and more "Southern" cultures. 
