Turkey

Wizarding Turkey (or Turkiye) has largely developed from the remnants of the Ottoman Empire, though many parts of it has resisted Ottoman declined and existed in continuity. This includes its governing body, the Diwan, located beneath the Blue Mosque in Istanbful.

Its borders differ from muggle borders, though much like its non-magic counterpart, there is murkiness where its territory borders on Greece. Wizarding Turkey is also notorious for its hostile history and relations with Armenia.

Politics

The Diwan is led by a Grand Vizier, who is elected into power by a Council of Viziers. Upon appointment, Grand Viziers select an Advisor from the Council to aid in their work.

Within the Diwan are various ministries responsible for different aspects of ruling.

Istanbul

Istanbul has its own ministry within the Diwan, and is often criticised by the public for garnering too much of the nation's resources and attention. Its long and unique history has cultivated a diverse, complicated culture.

There are several small wizarding schools in Istanbul, and many of its older families apprentice their children directly into specialty trades.

Madrassa Sahane

This particular madrassa is an especially old wizarding school in Istanbul, known for accepting pupils from diverse backgrounds. There are fewer than ten wixes in every cohort.

Like many other medreses in Turkey, Sahane educates pupils ages eight to seventeen. There is boarding for students who otherwise have no housing but generally speaking the madrassa only accepts from within Istanbul. Pupils in their final two years are required to board.

Sahane is located in the city, built into the walls of covered alley ways. Haroun ibn Ismaeli is a former student.

Zappeion

Zappeion is an all-girls boarding school in Istanbul. It has a prestigious reputation, often only accepting the daughters of the city's 'old' families. Zappeion provides a thorough and excellent education in a wide variety of subjects.

Hunter St. James is a former pupil.

Asitana

One of the oldest wizarding schools in the world, Asitana is Turkey's largest school. It may be attended by wixes of Greece, Cyrpus, Syria, Iraq and Iran.

The school has gone by many names in the past. It is located by the sea in the Mersin province.

House-elves in Turkey

House-elves have been a part of Turkish society since Roman rule of Constantinople. See History of House-elves for more information.

After the fall of the Ottoman Empire, many found themselves unable to continue keeping house-elves in the Ottoman fashion. However, house-elves continued to maintain communities as well as their own free time.

The rise of Ataturk, secularisation and westernisation in muggle Turkey paved the way for similar changes in its wizarding counterpart during the 1920s and 30s.

Turkish house-elves lost the majority of their rights during this time, in an attempt to ape the ‘superior’ western model of housekeeping. Communal gatherings of house-elves were made illegal. These laws outlived Ataturk’s rule, though house-elves continued to gather in secret and form a resistance movement.

1983 Istanbul saw the uprising of house-elves as part of a resistant movement made up of wixes and other Beings.

Old City was held hostage by the movement for three months before Turkey’s Diwan (national government) agreed to reinstate the rights of house-elves. This caused great social uproar across the country.

Many of the wixes who supported the rebellion were forced to leave Turkey. Haroun ibn Ismaeli, fearing his identity might be revealed, was one of these wixes.