I just couldn't resist my urge to comment in this slowly fading thread when i read all the posts...
First things first, Greeks and Turks should be seperate in the game (expansion that is) for a variety of reasons; and secondly, Greek culture should include Byzantines, just like Turkish including Ottomans (Mameluks, Safevids, Seljuks, Ghaznavids, Karamanids, Danishmendis etc.)
Now going back on the interesting topic, Turks and Greeks surprisingly have a lot in common (as long as the reader is aware of the distinction between Eastern and Western Turkey), let it be food, music, traditions, attitudes, Mediterraneanism, machoism, folklore, games etc.
I have to disagree with some of you here that claim Turks and Greeks have been together for only 400 years. That comment only includes Greeks originally of modern Greece but excludes Greek citizens who have migrated there after the population exchange treaty of 1924. Oghuz Turks began colonizing Asia Minor at the beginning of the 11th Century (due to climate changes in Central Asia, heavy drought and Mongolian raids) and this migration gained sharp momentum after the Manzikert Battle in 1071. (The reader has to bear in mind the fact that Greeks were also colonizers in Asia Minor who happened to settle earlier.) Thus, Turks have been living together with Greeks (as well as Armenians and other indigenious peoples of Asia Minor) for about a thousand years. They have not only lived peacefully together -save brief periods of later conflicts- but also along with the natural course of humanity have exchanged their cultures. They married eachother, traded with eachother, learned from eachother and blended together in the Anatolian pot for one thousand long years.
Just because of modern nationalism and imperialist foul games, the peoples of Anatolia have been drifted apart from eachother superficially in the last century and unfortunately the new generations have been thought to hate eachother for quite some time now.
One young and unbiased mind could study the history of these people for a thousand years back and notice the past harmony that once existed.
Turks did become partially Hellenized indeed and on the other end, Greeks and Armenians got exposed to Turkish culture, which contrary to the public belief in this forum is quite a remarkable one.
[See. Samarkand, Tashkend, Bukhara, Merv, Transoxiana, Silk Road eg.] Unlike barbaric conquerors who just pillage, loot and dissolve, Turks, throughout history have established strong centralized states, most of them turning into powerful and dominant empires. [See. Gokturks, Khazars, Uygurs, Karakhanids, Ghaznavids, Mameluks, Seljuks, Crimean Khanate, Safavids etc.]
It is simply unfair to assume Turks as ignorant nomadic tribesmen who just happen to ride horses and shoot arrows. It is the intention of biased western ideological teachings to portray Turks as such, which has it roots in the beginning of the last century to justify their imperialistic demands on Ottoman held vast and rich territories. It was the kind of a justification west proclaimed as the CIVILIZED man to tame the un-civilized, let it be Chinese, Turk, Arab, Indian, Native American or African. (Unfortunately this is still the same education system where Firaxis developers, along with many others base their games, blinded by biases.)
In the case of a relatively modern and established Ottoman Empire this goal was achieved by monstrifying Turks as opressors of the noble Greeks, as Western European romantics were long idealizing. Thus they began spreading their ideology and nationalism among non-Turkish citizens of Ottoman Empire. Within a very short period of time, all Ottoman coutryside including distant mountainous rural communities were covered by foreign schools, missions and orphanages to pollute young minds. Please don't think that I am here to advocate that Greeks and other minorities of Ottoman Empire should be deprived of their rights of self-determination. No, that's not my intention. I am only trying to point out how and under which circumstances these people were thought to hate eachother. In this case the Turkish subjects of the Empire were only observing the sudden change in their Greek and Armenian neighbors' radical behaviours but soon they became similarly organised as Turkic nationalist sentiments began to arise in reaction to Greek, Bulgarian, Serbian and Armenian secessive movements, which were almost always violent and in most cases terrorist [See. IMRO(VMRO), Tashnak, Hinchak].
Going back to the topic once more, Turks and Greeks of Anatolia and Roumelia (an old term for European Turkey), before all the mess and unfortunate events of the 19th and 20th centuries were like flesh and blood. Greeks were the most rich of all the peoples of the empire [while Armenians were nicknamed as the loyal subjects of the empire and Turks were considered second class paesants since they payed less taxes due to religion] and were extremely influential in the ruling elite, becoming ambassadors, statesmen and even ministers.
Sultan Mehmed II, having conquered Constantinople, had himself crowned as the Caiser [Kayzer, Caesare, Sezar] of ROMAN EMPIRE and protector of all Moslem and Orthodox peoples of the world, which is remarkably universalist and expresses the continuity of Byzantine Empire. Following the conquest, he preserved and empowered the Orthodox Church and adopted most of the the Byzantine administrative, criminal and legal systems as his own along with Sheria. In his famous portrait by Bellini, Mehmed II is seen under two sets of crowns painted in the background to symbolize eternally the unification of two peoples. This was basicly what the Seljuks tried to accomplish earlier, but failed due to incoming Crusaders. Having established their capital in Ikonium, Seljuk rulers named themselves as Sultans of Rome, as the lands they have aquired were previously known as Roman Empire, thus their country was called Seljuks of Rum [Rome in local].
One of the best verses that summarize my ideas here belong to the people of Karaman region as presented by the Metropolite of Caeserea (Kayseri) in 1896:
Though we are Romans, we don't know any Roman, we speak in Turkish,
We don't read or write in Turkish, neither we say it in Roman,
Such is our unique affiliation,
We feel something very Greek, but can only express it in Turkish.
These verses (please excuse bad translation here) belong to one of the thousands of literature written in Turkish language but with Greek letters in Karaman. Thus, what is said above in a riddleish verse is in fact very true as they didn't read or write in Turkish (Arabic) alphabet, nor they used Roman letters. They were Christian Turks (or Turkisized Greeks) who spoke in Turkish but wrote in Greek.
The Archbishop of Thessalonike states with a gentle smile: "We would be practising the same religion, had we agreed on a formular plane" commenting on the theological discussion of Nicaea. "A day will become when we do agree" replied one of the Turkish Imams. "I believed in this and prayed that this day will arrive soon"
This was the atmosphere where Imams were preaching of Isa bin Meryem (Jesus of Mary) and Bishops were praising the "light of forgiveness" in Islam. Humanism, science and arts have flourished during this period and enlightened people of all races flocked to Asia Minor. [See. Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi (of Rome), Yunus Emre, Molla Fenari, Gorgios Amirutez, Kadizade-i Rumi, Cyriacus of Ancona, Gentile Bellini, Gennadios, Francesco Berlinghieri, Roberto Valtoroio, Ali Kuscu, Haci Bektas Veli etc.]
It was such a tolerant and receptive society that inspired Mehmed II to conquer Rome and once and for all unite all three religions; Islam, Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic under one unified universal religion. Could he have achieved such a Herculesque task, we can never guess, as he was poisoned by Latins shortly after the beginning of his campaign to invade Italy. The castles occupied in Southern Italy and Taranto were soon to be abandoned forever.
I have mentioned all the above historic facts, perhaps a little too long [with apologies] to point out the Greek - Turkish relationship which was the topic, but while doing so, i have not turned a blind eye to the facts of our days. I have personally travelled across Turkey, Cyprus and Greece, including the Greek Islands and have witnessed first hand all the aformentioned particules that form our joint culture. Aside from their names, we eat the exact same food, we dance to the exact same rhythms and we curse or blow a whistle to the exact same emotions. Today, living far from home, whenever I hear a familiar tune coming out of a tavern while walking down Astoria Boulevard, I immediately rush in without checking the name, knowing that I will find my own food wether the name in the menu is Dolmathes or Dolma.
I would like to end my posting here with a quote from a Sufi Dervish from those golden days:
"My heart is open to all forms: the temple of pagans, monastery of the Christian monk, Ten Commandments of Moses or Qur'an of the Moslems, as my religion is the religion of Love."
