People often call it superstition when they don't understand the technology. Those who "cured" illnesses were called witches when they used techniques the then masses didn't understand.

In Turkey some people wear little amulets (I think the Turkish word for it is a muska. They can be worn around the neck, or pinned onto garments, or hung on the wall. The mostly have verses from the Quran inside. Because it is seen as a sin to get the verses soiled, they are wrapped so as to keep the witten words from getting dirty.

It probably is something like this you have.

Find out if she gardens or does some type of craft. I brought a lot of very nice tatting thread, small beads, sequins and small plastic flowers that could be used in garments. A small brooch

Turkish women may like silky scarves, but they aren't at all practical because they slip off the head easily. A pretty shawl to keep warm in the cool nights.

If she gardens you could bring nice bulbs or seeds...make sure they are not gmo seeds. Tulip bulbs are nice.

Diabetes is a problem for a lot of Turks, so I'd be careful with the sweets.

None electric kitchen gadgets are nice, but be prepared to show her how to use it. A nice cookie stamp, jello mold with some jello...like this one: http://www.ahmedfood.com.pk/bin/prodView.asp?prodid=63&cate=JELLY+CRYSTAL+%28HALAL%29&catId=9

It sets very fast, in fact can set at room temperature and looks very festive.

Oh drat...another reason to not install Vista. Thanks for letting us all know. It is a fabulous program.

Fabulous site! Thank you for posting the link.

It's nice to see you again Azade...

The marks are pretty simple to make. Exactly how they did it in your mother in law's case I don't know, but I have a small pencil point sized blue mark I received when rushing down a very crowded hallway in a in High School to my next class many years ago.

A boy with a sharpened pencil accidentally stabbed me with his graphite pencil on his rush to his next class. That mark has stayed with me for years and years.

It was only fraction of a second, he didn't even realize he stabbed me. It didn't hurt much, but it's been there for years. Although, it has faded through the years.

No Trudy, I was talking about the Berber tattoos in North Africa. The reason I referenced them was because of the similar placement of the markings.

Yes, also it would identify where you came from. When people are missing one of the first things you read are distinguishing marks. Tattoos that were tribal certainly would do that. I wish there were some serious photographic documentation the marks, but the people of North Africa do not like having photographs taken of themselves. I did some a few drawings of the different marks. They were most interesting and it's surprising anthropologists have not done some serious studies of the marks. To me they look almost like the written form of lost language.

The younger women don't often have them. Thus it seems a dying art form.

Quoting AEnigma III: Quoting alameda: From what was told to me they were tribal marks that in addition to beautification helped discourage kidnapping. Wow - I never knew that! I guess it WOULD be a very good deterent to kidnapping.