Turkish conquer of Europe? How did it effect to Balkan countries?

Question

Turks didn't had anything good to offer to us. They left many of it's heritage since they were ruling here for centuries, but is anything at all from it positive? They influenced on our languages, food, music, etc. But did they also left to us their way of thinking?
For example, Austro-hungarians were much less ruling in Bosnia, but for each year of it they did much more than Turks in 500 years. They built museums, schools, rail, etc. Turks left few bridges and very deterioreted us in every possible way. Was their only goal to spread islam?
Does anyone from Balkans nations think that Ottoman empire had it's positive things? I would like to hear them if you can find them.

Answer 1

You just about named the areas in which the Turks influenced the people they were holding; language, food, music...

Perhaps they left us the apathy toward the ruler, as a collective way of thinking. We did not face the future challenges of history (Tito, Milosevic) the way a normal nation would have faced them.

They left us the bad habit of smoking without the sevdah in the merak fashion at divan :P Unlike I imagine the Turks, people with cigarettes here are very reactive :P Perhaps we need the opium type, instead of the one now. We allowed Macedonia to be a separate country :))... (best quality of in the world:)

The idea is that we do not feel comfortable with that heritage. We do feel hidden hostility toward the Turks, although they seem to have a nicer way of looking at us.

We are a mixture of many cultures. In our language, we have both Turkish and Western influence. In my city Belgrade, you would find the Austrian type pastry shop to be more known than any Turkish type pastry shops. Even the good "boza" drink is quite difficult to find around the center, and is not found in the main boemic street here. The music tastes here; is a story by itself...

The Turkish - Austrian mix is our heritage. As good or bad as it is, and as poor as it might be seen, the exporting of this cultural brand leaves much to desire. Seems that we are ashamed of selling our: Serbian baklava, tulumbe, boza, projara, pite, gibanice, stuffed paprika, etc. The burek is as much theirs as it is ours.

We are even ashamed of our best product; the reconciliatory mixture of our pagan and father-god heritage and a very tasty and healthy product used for our feasts, and perfect for everyday use, the great and one and only: wheat with whip cream ;(zito sa slagom;). The Turks might have induced the "keep your heads down," but this is not fault of the Turks :) It is not their fault we can hardly even name four Slavic pagan gods when we beat our chests with the Christian culture...

Answer 2

I do not come from the Balkans, and do not want to enter into controversy on this question. But I've found an American academic website, 25 Lecturess on Modern Balkan History to be useful and fair in its general approach. Here is the lecture on the basic aspects of Ottoman rule prior to the 19th century national struggles, which assesses the pros and cons of the Ottoman system: http://www.lib.msu.edu/sowards/balkan/lecture3.html It seems to me that, by our standards certainly, the cons outweigh the pros. However, the author is careful to point out possible positive aspects, for example (in his view) the system of land tenure.

Answer 3

after conquering Constantinople,now Istambul,Ottoman Turcs begin their European campaign.Between 1453 (the fall of Constantinople) and 1683 (the siege of Vienna) they expanded in Europe and muslims begun to settle in some balkanic areas.Muslim communities in Bosnia and Albania are the descendents of these early settlers.

Answer 4

I like some of the food and they also inspired lots of great literature (Andric, for example), but overall, I agree. It was all backwards.

Answer 5

mozes li da zamislis poslasticarnicu bez baklave?
zamisli, Turci kazu da su lenji jer su bili 500 godina sa Srbima!!!!