y BC). The death of Alexander the Great, his extensive empire was dissolved into many different kingdoms. This fragmentation was symbolic of the diversity and multiplicity of artistic tendencies in the Hellenistic period. The great centres of art were in the islands and in the cities of the eastern Mediterranean Alexandria, Antioch and Pergamum. The Hellenistic period (4-2 century BC) was a period of eclecticism. Art still served a religious function or to glorify athletes, but sculpture and painting were also used to decorate the homes of the rich. br/>
. Music and dance
music and dance originates deeply from the history and traditions. Ottoman classics, mysterious Sufi songs, different folk music, jazz and pop had an effect on Turkish music. The result of these is a mixture of the ancient and the new styles. Today these styles and traditions are still being fostered. Visitors of Turkey can easily meet these styles.Mevlevi music is the music of Sufis. This music is based on instruments ney, ud and kanun. Their music is long and stands for complex compositions, called Ayin.fa s? L music is similar to gipsy music. It is half classical music and played in concert hall s. It uses traditional wind, percussion and stringed instruments. Fas? L music is mainly listened to and rarely danced to. one third of the Turkish population is alevi, their folk music is well-known. These songs are about mystical topics. They pray through this to Avlevi saints and to Ali.music affected Turkish music also. One of the biggest pop stars in Turkey is Sezen Aksu and the world famous Tarkan. Of course belly dance is famous in Turkey. It is still the favourite of tourists. Belly dance has lots of different styles; the Turkish belly dance is not as light as the Egyptian, it is rather strong and forceful. The traditional instruments can be divided into 3 groups: wind, percussion and stringed instruments. The main stringed instruments are Saz and Ud. Saz is a penance instrument with 3 strings, while Ud has 11 strings and there is a piece of leather on it to protect the strings. The wind instruments are Kaval and Ney. Both of them have ancient origins and both are made of wood. Ney is carved from cane, kaval is made of plum tree. Percussion instruments are Darbuka and Davul. These instruments have Arab origins.
. Literature
Turkish literature means both written and oral texts in Turkish. Early peaces were influenced by the Persian and Arab languages ​​in the Ottoman Empire (Ottoman-Turkish language), later on the reformed Turkish language.Turkish literature is almost 1500 years old. The earliest known Turkish text was found in the Orkhon valley, Mongolia from the 8th century AD. The works from the 9th - 11th centuries were...
