The old turkish beliefs living in folklore products in Muğla Kavaklıdere county Menteşe district

Since the beginning, the beliefs have dominated and directed life styles of humanbeings, subsequently of societies. Despite the historical, geographical, political changes and interactions that societies have gotten through in an extant process, these beliefs have preserved their presences in the lives of societies in which they entered. They appear to us sometimes as their functions changed, sometimes as diversed and sometimes as still preserving their essence.In this study, the traces of old Turkish beliefs in Menteşe District of Muğla Kavaklıdere County have been investigated. In the first section of the study, the information about the historical, geographical and socio-cultural structure of Menteşe is given. In the second section, it is emphasized on what could be the traditional religion of Turks; in the third section The Gök Tanrı religion, adopted as old Turkish religion and the elements of this religion and the traces of these elements in the district are analysed. In the fourth section, marriage, birth, giving name; transition ceremonies as engagement, wedding, death are emphasised and relations of district culture with old Turkish culture are identified.As a result of this investigation, the traces of culture and belief belonging to middle Asia and Anatolia are seen in Menteşe District folk culture. All these traces have formed today?s Menteşe folk culture with an Islamic identity.In this study, I am grateful to my sisters Menzil and Firdevs Özkan who supported me morally, to the people who helped me form the investigation, to my dearest lecturer Prof. Dr. Ali TORUN who guided me with his orientations and facilitated my studies.Keywords: District, Folk Culture, Menteşe, Old Turkish Beliefs, Transition Periods