This urban legend is centered on a king’s daughter who was extremely beautiful so she had to cover her face with a veil because no one was able to handle her beauty. As the years went on, her father believed that it was time for her to find a husband and get married so he sent out the news that whoever was able to lift her veil and withstand her beauty and also see beyond her appearance, would become her husband. A lot of young men who wanted to ascend the throne lined up in order to lift the princess’ veil but they were immediately overcome by her beauty. This continued on for several days until a young man was able to live her veil and withstand her beauty. They had such an electrifying force that caused the fire to surround them. Eventually, the two of them burned to death because of the heat from their connection. Their bodies are said to be buried in a cave outside of town and every time the sun shines on their tomb, the surface will burst into flames.
9. The Myth of Sarikiz
This urban legend focuses on the highest peak of the Kazdaglari mountains in Turkey. According to the story, a beautiful young girl named Sarikiz lived in a very small village where all of the young men fell in love with her and they wanted to ask her permission to get married to her. The girls’ father was very stubborn and criticized all of the men, he didn’t think that they were good enough for his daughter so he turned them all away. Well, the men were furious and felt rejected so that made up a lie that his daughter had committed a very sinful act. So, they demanded that the father killed his daughter or he banishes her from the village. The father couldn’t bring himself to murder her, so he sent her away to live on the peak of the Kazdaglari Mountains hoping that she would be able to survive. Rumors spread like wildfire that she managed to survive the harsh conditions and she even helps wanderers who have lost their way on the mountain but if you are a sinful person, she will keep you lost and you will never find your way home again.
8. The Legend of Kiz Kulesi
This is one of Turkey’s most popular urban legends and it goes something like this; an emperor had a beautiful young daughter and an oracle predicted that she would be killed by a venomous snake on her 18th birthday. In order to try and protect her and keep her away from any snakes, he had a tower built in the middle of the sea to keep her safe until her 18th birthday. So, the princess was placed in the tower where the only visitor was her father. On her 18th birthday, the emperor brought her a basket of exotic fruit, but when she placed her hand in the basket, she was bitten by a very venomous snake that had been hiding at the bottom. She died instantly in her father’s arms exactly how the oracle predicted that she would die.
7. The Shahmaran
According to this urban legend, Shahmaran is a strange creature whose head is of a beautiful woman but the bottom of her body is a snake. She apparently lives in the land of the snakes under the earth. In this story, a poor young man living in the woods stumbles across a deserted cave that has a honey well inside. Once he climbs down into the well, he notices that there is a secret passage that leads him to the land of snakes underground. Hmm… that’s not a place that I would want to find myself in. Anyways, there are a thousand snakes that are circling him and in the middle of these snakes, he saw Shahmaran and falls instantly in love. The young man spent months of his life living in this secret underground village.
Shahmaran taught him all about medicines and medicinal herbs but the young man was missing his family and friends on Earth so he decided to leave his love and return to Earth. The Shahmaran warned him that he must not talk about her to other humans so the young man kept this secret for a long time until one day the King became ill and the treatment of his disease was to eat the flesh of the Shahmaran. So, the young man spilled his guts and gave away all of his secrets. Wow, talk about giving up all of your morals and ethics. The Shahmaran was slaughtered and the king ate her flesh in order to survive.
6. Jesus Beach
Over on the southern coast of Turkey, a fisherman and the daughter of the king fell madly in love with each other. However, the love between a fisherman and a princess was forbidden and seen as an act of treason. They knew that they would never get her father’s blessing to they would meet secretly at night. But, the King quickly found out what was happening behind his back so one night he asked his guards to follow his daughter. When the guards returned, they told him that his daughter was sneaking out to meet a poor fisherman in a small bay outside of town and that she would signal the fisherman at the other end of the bay by flashing a light so that he would be able to get to her.
After hearing this, the king ordered his soldiers to set up a trap to kill the fisherman. The guards followed the princess, captured her and flashed the light in order to trick the fisherman. The princess managed to escape from the guard and she ran as fast as she could in order to warn her lover. But as she approached the fisherman, the guards accidentally shot an arrow into her heart, killing her instantly. So now, the people in this village say that when the blood of the princess got mixed with the sea water, it changed the color of the sand and that’s why today, it looks like a shade of red, bloody sand.
5. The Gate of Hell
Archaeologists in Turkey are claiming that they have discovered the gates of hell in the southwestern part of the country. The gates of hell have a legendary reputation for being entrances to the underworld. These gates of hell have steps going into a cave that leads to a doorway. This doorway is filled with foul and noxious gases so any animal or human who attempts to open the door will instantly die. People in Turkey have tested this theory by throwing live sparrows down the steps. The locals discovered that these birds died immediately, so they knew that it was not safe to explore. And now, the locals believe that these are the gates of hell and anyone who sets foot in this vicinity will either be cursed or will die suddenly of unknown causes.
4. Ocu stabs
The Ocu is really similar to North America’s boogeyman. This is an urban legend created by parents in order to get their children to behave. This monster doesn’t really have a specific appearance and this legend differs from household to household but the most common explanation of the Ocu goes something like this. If you are caught misbehaving or committing a sinful act, the Ocu will get you. He is known to carry a sack and he uses it to capture and keep children. So if you are found to be misbehaving, you might be visited by Ocu who will steal you away from your family and you will be forced to live in a small sack with little air and no space. Wow, this sounds more like parental abuse than an urban legend.
3. The Black Sea
No one knows for certain what is lurking at the bottom of the black sea. For those of you who don’t know, the black sea got its name because it was considered to be inhospitable because it was difficult to navigate and because its shores were inhabited by savage tribes. Because of these rumors, the black sea is now the focus of several scary urban legends and myths. One urban legend claims that dead corpses can be found floating in the black sea. If you attempt to swim in the black sea, you will most likely float because of the high levels of minerals and salt but just keep in mind that according to this legend, you are sharing this body of water with the dead, who might want to pull you under the water.
2. The Gulyabani
The Gulyabani is a gigantic ghoul with a long beard who wanders at night scaring and abducting people. According to the story, a group of young friends travel to a house in the forest and discover a well in the middle of nowhere. They decide to remove the piece of wood that is sealing the opening of the well and that might have just been the biggest mistake that they ever made. They go back to the cabin in the woods but now they are not alone. The Gulyabani followed them from the forest and now, he is trying to murder them so that he can steal their souls.
1. Karabasan the sleep demon
In Turkey, an unwanted paranormal creature who enters your dreams or nightmares is called Karabasan. This urban legend says that this demonic creature will enter its victim’s room and will hold them still before strangling them. The victim will know exactly what their fate is going to be, but they are unable to move or scream. It’s almost like they are paralyzed and trapped in their own bodies. But, if you want to try and beat this demon, you can try to steal the hat from his head and if you manage to do this, the demon will transform into a genie who will then be your slave.
