There are many types of Marriages in Turkey due to the diversity of ethnicities and races, customs, and traditions. And the family is the basic building block and essence of society, and preservation of this essence is achieved by marriage.
Every society chooses the method that suits its culture and customs in marriage which leads to different forms of marriage.
1-Traditional Marriage
This type of marriage is common in regions where similar customs and traditions prevail. It takes place by choosing the appropriate girl with the consent of the groom’s mother and father.
The consent of the groom is not sufficient for the girl, but rather all family members must agree to her. Its ceremony begins with a visit to the groom’s family and relatives.
It is called the visit of the “public speaking” delegation to the girl’s family home.
This delegation consists of the groom’s mother, sisters, and some female relatives and neighbors.
2-Marriage chosen by the Elders of the Family
This is when the family of the young man from father, mother, grandmother and grandfather chooses a suitable girl for him or vise versa.
The family relatives or neighbors and acquaintances are the ones who choose the young girl or man.
Only families of equal cultural and economic levels do this type of marriage.
As for choosing the girl or the young man, they should be aware and know only each other.
3-Arranged Marriage from Childhood
This type of marriage takes place through the engagement of the girl and the young man from a young age. According to the new Turkish Civil Code, Article No. 11, the legal age for marriage for girls is 18 years.
This marriage is widespread among relatives, close friends, or neighbors. It takes place by tying the girl and the young man from a young age to an engagement without their knowledge or consent, since those who decide this marriage are the parents.
But because of this type of marriage, some problems may occur between the two families.
Because the can girl rejects the young man or vice versa due to the lack of admiration or disparity between them.
All that can lead to the injury of the dignity of the other party because of this rejection.
4-Endogamy
Amongst the Types of Marriages in Turkey is endogamy; Studies in Turkey have shown that one in every three marriages is consanguineous marriages, and that inbreeding rates reach 80%, most of them are cousins in society.
It is the preferred marriage for many for many reasons, including preserving the inheritance and not sharing it with a stranger, and for preserving understanding and relationships between families.
5-Reciprocal Marriage
It is one of the most common types of marriages in Turkey in southeastern and eastern Anatolia.
And it comes to reduce the burden of the dowry on the one who does not have its value, as it is usually found by marrying a young woman on the condition that he marries his sister to the brother of the bride in return.
The reverse also applies if the family that has the ability to pay the dowry wants to marry its son, so it agrees with the other family to marry their daughter to him and to marry their son to their daughter as an exchange process.
In this way, the young man does not have to pay the dowry.
This marriage, called “exchange marriage,” people have known with many names, including “the exchange of girls” and the “method of exchange”.
And it is a great injustice to both parties in the event that a problem occurs with one family, it will be reflected on the other family.
6-Brother marry his Brother’s Widow
To preserve the family’s honor and not let the widow marry another person from another family.
The widow of the deceased brother will marry his firstborn brother, or as the second wife of a married brother.
If the deceased did not have a brother, then she would be married to his cousin, aunt, or any of the available relatives.
One of the reasons for this marriage is inheritance, so that there will be no problems for the heirs later.
It is necessary for the new husband to be a relative of the deceased husband, and the reason for this is in the interest of the children.
7-Marry a foreigner
This marriage is the marriage of a girl or a young man from a foreign country. It is one of the most common types of marriages that have problems and have many faults, including:
The belonging of the children to the country of both parents and their disagreement with the method of raising the children due to different customs and traditions, and religion may be as well.
The other problem may be that this foreign girl is a second wife, as some businessmen do this marriage instead of bringing their wives to the country where he works.
8-The Escape of the young man with the girl called the Kidnapped
This marriage takes place when the girl’s family refuses the advanced husband. So the young man runs away with the girl from her family’s home to force them to accept. Where the lack of consent is due to the social and financial difference between the two families.
If the girl’s family asks for a large dowry for their girl, and the young man is not able to pay this dowry, the young man and the girl agree to flee. Or the young man kidnaps the girl and runs away with her without her consent.
9-Polygamy
Polygamy is one of the most common types of Marriages in Turkey. It is spread mainly in rural areas. The main reason for this marriage is the inability of the first wife to conceive, so the husband marries a second or third wife.
Unfortunately, however, the rights and freedoms of these women are not recognized legally as the law does not allow polygamy.
10-Choosing a Husband or Wife through Advertisements
The spread of technology and mass media have contributed to the possibility of choosing a spouse through advertisements. The young man or woman owner can easily write his or her complete specifications. Note that this method is found on Islamic websites that deal with the method of marriage through advertisements.
There are some satellite channels that take advantage of this type of marriage proposal to raise their viewing levels. Both young men and men of middle ages apply for marriage on satellite channels.
The girl’s mother-in-law then can meet her future daughter-in-law on a television program. Then they can make an agreement for a real marriage after acquaintance between the two parties may take months.