By Vakkas Dogantekin
ANKARA (AA) – If there is one thing every government is advising its citizens at this critical time of fighting the novel coronavirus, it is the personal hygiene.
A new travel column on Wednesday at U.S.-based Forbes magazine drew attention to Turkey's long history of enshrining cleanliness.
In her new article — Shop The Trip: Turkey’s Culture Of Clean — Forbes contributor Gretchen Kelly praised the profound connection of Turks with soap and water.
"Ask anyone who has been to a hamam, or bathhouse in Turkey and they will tell you that they have never felt so clean as after a traditional Turkish bath," wrote Kelly.
"Turkey’s centuries’ old Ottoman culture of bathing is a sensuous ritual of water, soap, massage and steam — a bath you’ll remember long after you’ve left the exquisite bathhouse where you received it," she added.
She also lauded strong Turkish tradition of welcoming guests with an indigenous hand-sanitizer called "kolonya", a brightly fragranced eau de cologne with a high alcohol content that often features fragrances like rose, wild flowers, citrus fruits and other popular scents.
"Another item that may be harder to purchase now that demand has skyrocketed is Turkish kolonya or the famed Turkish cologne that is having a boom renaissance in post-covid Turkey and beyond," she wrote.
"The Turkish ritual of pouring a high alcohol-content cologne (about 80 percent ethanol in the lemon version) over a visitors’ hands on welcome is being re-embraced by Turks who see it as a fragrant addition to hand sanitizer," she added.
Kelly said international travelers would have to wait until coronavirus-related travel restrictions lifted to enjoy "bathing Turkish style" in Turkey, which she called an "art form".
