The latest craze in the southeast Turkey: Syrian wives

Many men in southeast Turkey are choosing Syrian girls as second wives,
because their families ask for a lower dowry payment

ANKARA - Turkish Daily News 5 January 2004
http://www.turkishdailynews.com/FrTDN/latest/for.htm#f7

Reports say that many men in southeastern Turkey are choosing young Syrian
girls for their second wives, because the girls' parents ask for a lower
dowry payment.
Especially in Aksakale, Ceylanpinar, Harran, Viransehir and Suruc
municipalities of Sanliurfa, Nusaybin and Kiziltepe municipalities of
Mardin, which are close to the Syrian border reports suggest that there has
been a dramatic increase in the number of Syrian girls coming as wives. Some
girls are arriving to be the second wives of the region's men, reports say.
Nusaybin Education Cooperation Association Chairman Mufit Adnan Yumusak said
on Sunday that the number of Syrian wives had increased in the last few
years, adding that he himself had married a Syrian woman six years ago.
He said he was introduced to his wife through friends and family after his
divorce to his first wife, adding that his marriage was official and that he
had paid no dowry.
He said that there were about 400 Syrian women married to Turks in Nusaybin,
adding that the lower dowry was attracting the region's men to cross the
border.
Nusaybin Municipality Administrator Omer Ulu said that better economic
conditions and a freer environment was attracting Syrian girls to the
country, adding that especially during religious holidays, Syrian girls came
to Turkey to get married.
Syrian Kefe Basli (19) married Ibrahim Halil Basli (27) ten days ago,
becoming his third wife. Kefe Basli, speaking to an Anatolia news agency
reporter, said that she was very happy to have come to Turkey, adding that
she was not bothered with being Halil's third wife. Halil said that he had
met Kefe in Syria, during his business trips and had paid $4,000 dollars as
a dowry.
Meanwhile, Ismail Akdeniz, who married Syrian Vatha five years ago, said
that Vatha was his second wife, adding that he had paid $5,000 dollars to
her parents as a dowry. Vatha said that the living standards in Turkey were
much better than back home, adding that she got along with the other wife
perfectly.