Today the weekends in Turkey are Saturday and Sunday, but in Islam the holy day is Friday. Because of this, many places close early on Friday, especially in small towns and more conservative Islamic areas where Friday prayers are an important part of the week. Istanbul also has a huge number of people that attend weekly Friday prayers, but relative to the number of people in the city as a whole, it may not appear that many people actual prayer during this time. In Turkey prayer, both Friday prayer as well as the five daily prayers, are heavily personal as some people never miss a prayer, some only prayer on Fridays, while others simply never attend mosque or only pray from home. Depending on the individual, Islam can have a significant impact on an individual's daily way of life.
The Turks have strong family ties and are very outgoing. Evenings and weekends tend to be times for socialization, socialization with family, with friends, and with random strangers they meet in the streets. Again, every Turk spends his or her free time in differing ways, but it's rare to find a Turk who spends nights and weekends without company.
Identity
Turks identify as such and after listening to them tout their friend's carpet shop, they are eager to inform you that they are liberal Muslims who enjoy beer as much as the next European. This Turkish identity is linked to this culture, but also to the language, foods, and ethnicity of the people. Although the culture takes on a substantial part of the Turkish identity, the culture from region to region and from liberal Muslim to conservative Muslim includes huge variations. Due to this, the Turkish identity is first based on the people's similarities across the country, which includes ethnicity, language, food, and their country itself. The identity of being Turkish is then further defined by individuals, some including their liberal stances, others focused on Islam, etc. In this way, what it means to be Turkish is very personalized, but the unifying traits link the people as one before these differences separate them