14.06.2026 21:50
Following baklava, döner, and cacık, Greece continues targeting our traditional values, this time setting its sights on our centuries-old Anatolian heritage, the Zeybek dance. By copying its figures and performing it under the name 'zeibekiko,' 850 Greeks took to the dance floor and entered the Guinness World Records.
Greece has added a new move to its long-standing cultural appropriation efforts. The neighbor, which markets many Turkish delights such as baklava, cacık, döner, and coffee to the world as if they were its own culture, has now set its sights on our national dance, the zeybek, inherited from the efes of Anatolia. Greece, appropriating our traditional zeybek under the name "zeibekiko," has achieved a certified audacity by breaking a Guinness World Record with this dance.
THE FINAL ACT IN CULTURAL THEFT
The zeybek dance, one of the most deeply rooted and noble cultural heritages of Anatolian lands, has been openly copied by Greece. In a large organization held across the country, 850 people simultaneously took to the dance floor, performing zeybek figures as if they were their own traditional dance. Hundreds of people appeared before the world press with this performance, which is an imitation of our culture.
THEY ENTERED GUINNESS WITH OUR DANCE
Guinness World Record referees present at the event site examined the synchronized performance of the dancers and officially certified the record. Greece was declared the new owner of the record for "Most People Performing the Zeibekiko Dance" with the zeybek steps that are an integral part of Turkish culture.
The appropriation of figures reflecting the nobility of efe culture in this way has sparked great reaction in Turkish cultural circles.
THEY APPROPRIATED IT BY CALLING IT "ZEIBEKIKO"
"Zeibekiko," introduced as a solo dramatic dance in Greece but completely copied from the Anatolian zeybek in everything from its figures to its rhythm, has now been globally certified with this record. Greek authorities, who have previously tried to register many of our cultural values in their own names, appeared before the cameras after this broken imitation record and expressed their great joy.
A WAVE OF REACTION ON SOCIAL MEDIA
After the news spread, Turkish social media users were practically up in arms. Citizens, rebelling against the appropriation of our national dance following the baklava and lokum debates, expressed their reactions with comments like "What's next, are you going to turn the efes into Greeks too?" Experts, meanwhile, warned that more serious steps need to be taken internationally to protect cultural heritage.