Turkey or Türkiye? Here's The Clarity You Were Looking For As #TurkeyEarthquake Trends

Turkey or Türkiye? Which name to use when mentioning the devastating earthquake? Read this to understand the etymology and why the confusion arose in the first place.

A Turkish flag flies at half-mast to observe a seven-day mourning for the victims of the devastating earthquake.

Source : Getty Images

Turkey or Türkiye? As images of the devastating earthquake in the middle-eastern country flood the internet, this is the question that people are wondering. While different media houses are using different spellings in the articles, people have been left confused about which is right and which is not.

Turkey (or Türkiye) has been the focus of news outlets around the world since Monday morning, when a 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit the country. The earthquake was followed by four more tremors and around 100 aftershocks. The calamity left more than 3,000 dead and thousands more injured. The devastation consumed parts of the neighbouring Syria as well, leaving around 2,000 dead. Rescue efforts in both countries are on, but it's a race against time.

The world responded to the call for aid and rescue, as several countries sent multiple teams and relief material to help both nations. But what came to the internet's notice was how these nations used the name of Türkiye. While some referred to it as Türkiye, others called it Turkey. So what is right?

The short answer: Both, for internet usage. Türkiye for official usage.
 
And now, the long answer. Türkiye has long been called 'Turkey', which was derived from the Ottomman (or Turkish) Empire, or the empire of the Türks (first recorded in the 8th-century Goktürk inscriptions).

The name 'Turkey' is attributed  to English poet Chaucer, who mention 'Turkye' in his work  'The Book of the Duchess'. The modern spelling of 'Turkey' dates back to at least 1719. The country adopted its official name 'Türkiye Cumhuriyeti' in 1923 when it declared itself a republic.

But it continued to be called Turkey by the rest of Europe and the English-speaking world at large. With the advent of the internet, it also had an unfortunate association with Thanksgiving as images of a large bird cropped up when one searched for 'Turkey'. The bird, turkey, is a special item at every Thanksgiving dinner or on Christmas or New Year.

Another unfortunate association with the word was that it means total failure or a stupid person.

Due to these reasons, President Recep Tayyeb Erdogan felt that the country needed a sort of rebranding to "represent and express the culture, civilization, and values of the nation best". Right before the 2021 election, he issued a decree to have "Made in Türkiye" branded on all products for exports.

In 2022, the country was officially renamed Türkiye (pronounced Tour-key-yeh) to connect it more with its cultural roots. The United Nations also implemented the change after its adoption. President Erdogan urged the world to recognise it by its official name.

However, it seems the world, at least the one on the internet, is yet to accept the official name of Türkiye and prefers to use the anglicised version.