Why do they have separate slippers in each room in Turkey: what do they do with them?

There are many traditions in Turkey that only locals understand (and accept). And one of these oddities is that in Turkish houses there are slippers in several rooms at once. Moreover, these slippers are by no means for guests, but for the residents themselves.

In general, the Turks have a lot of rules related to shoes. For example, you cannot leave your shoes upside down - the sign brings death, tourists can visit the mosque, but everyone is simply obliged to take off their shoes when entering it, and many others.

But why do people have to constantly change their slippers if they go from one room to another?

So, it is customary for the Turks to have separate slippers for the following rooms:

• the house/apartment itself;
• terrace;
• balcony;
• bathroom;
• toilet.

In some Turkish homes, the cult of shoes is so strict that you can see separate slippers in every room. Where did such a quirk come from and what could it mean?

Why do Turks need separate slippers for each room?

In fact, such a habit (if you can call it that) stems from a great love of cleanliness. In a Turkish home, the paint on the walls may be chipped, the carpet torn, the floor creaking, but the rooms will always be very clean. In general, the residents of Turkey are still clean people. Women are constantly washing, vacuuming, wiping something. The men, however, were also not far behind them.

But let's get back to the slippers. In fact, everything is extremely simple. It is believed that, for example, it can be dirtier on the balcony than in the living room, where the carpets are, and therefore there is no need to drag dirt, roughly speaking, from the street.It’s the same story with the toilet, bathroom and terrace. That’s why they change their shoes several dozen times a day, which, however, doesn’t annoy anyone, since this is a stable tradition, firmly rooted in everyday life - everyone has already gotten used to it and accepted it.

If you know about this feature of Turkish life in advance, then, having visited the local market, no one will be surprised by the variety of slippers - I don’t want to take them. The price starts from 40 rubles per pair, and the most expensive ones are about 3,500 rubles - you can say they are a work of art - very soft, beautifully decorated, and look stylish on the foot.

This is a simple explanation for the extra slippers in Turkish homes - just the desire for cleanliness and hygiene. Are you surprised by this tradition? Do you agree that the Turks are right somewhere and are acting, in fact, quite logically? Share your opinion in the comments.