Uysal-Walker Archive of Turkish Oral Narrative

Over the past 40 years, researchers at Texas Tech University collected thousands of Turkish folktales through interviews with several hundred Turks. This website presents English translations of more than 2,200 of these folktales (as PDF files), preserving many oral traditions that might otherwise have been lost in a dynamic, rapidly changing 21st-century Turkey. The folktales are accompanied by hundreds of additional primary and secondary sources. More than 40 topics in the “Guides” section contextualize the folktales, ranging from original Turkish publications of folktales to secondary accounts of the historical value of such literature in Turkey. Additional resources include 100 stories and poems, three audio files of readings, 100 audio files (MP3) of Turkish folk music, as well as lyric sheets for many songs, and close to 100 images of Turkish landmarks. These materials also present the opportunity to study the Karagoz puppet tradition, a representation of Ottoman popular culture. While this bilingual website is sometimes difficult to navigate, persistent users will uncover a treasure trove of information.

Read a more in-depth review of the Uysal-Walker Archive of Turkish Oral Narrative written by Nancy Stockdale of the University of Central Florida.

Or explore other website reviews at World History Sources – Finding World History.