Metin And was born in Istanbul in 1927 and studied law at Istanbul University. He worked as a theatre lecturer at Ankara University for over thirty years. He published 54 titles and around 1,500 scholarly articles on Turkish theatre. He won numerous awards including the French Officier de l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres
Published by Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism in 2009. Contains 174 pages with illustrations and 20 cm dimensions. Translated by Cumhur Orancı
Meddah tradition features single storytellers performing improvised stories with canes. Mevlevi Semah symbolizes path to God with mystical movements and music. Âşıklık tradition includes oral duels and recitations with saz. Karagöz is shadow theatre with animated characters on water buffalo skin. Ebru is traditional water-based marbling art using natural pigments
Shadow puppets arrived in Turkey through Turkic migration or Sultan Selim's visit. Evliya Çelebi documented puppet theater in Ottoman Palace during Bayezid I's reign. Shows were performed in palaces, coffeehouses, parks, and during special occasions
Karagöz and Hacivat are lead characters of traditional Turkish shadow play. Plays originated in Ottoman Empire, spreading to multiple countries. Karagöz represents illiterate public, Hacivat represents educated class. Plays feature various ethnic characters including Greeks, Arabs, and Jews