The Turkish are a proud people who once have ruled most of the Middle East and a significant chunk of Europe. Because they are Muslims all Turkish males must be circumcised.
In fact Circumcision is so deeply ingrained in Turkish identity that even those who otherwise have a casual attitude towards religion and various rules that come with it consider circumcision to be mandatory, and growing up uncircumcised is just not an option. An uncircumcised Turkish man or even an older boy would be socially an outcast. Apart from being Muslims, it is a warrior culture after all.
Typically Turkish children are not circumcised at birth (although it is becoming more common), but at a later date, in accordance with the old tradition that one's circumcision should be an event that he remembers.
Usually a Turkish circumcision is a big celebration with gifts and party guests. It is a rather public affair that the entire village must know about.
http://www.turkishculture.org/lifestyles/ceremonies/circumcision/tradition-of-circumcision-541.htm?type=1
Inside Turkey's Circumcision Palace - in pictures
Sultan of Circumcision still reigns in Turkey
The operation is often done the old fashioned way, removing the foreskin with one cut, even though some modern surgical instruments are now in common use instead of the traditional razor. Also cutting under local anesthesia is common, which combined with the relatively quick traditional technique minimizes discomfort during the procedure.
On the low end of the spectrum untrained circumcisers on the country side sometimes inflict a lot of unnecessary pain on their unfortunate patients and the results may not be very good medically. Which is a shame because a Turkish sünnet supposed to be a joyful occasion elevating one's status in society. While traditionally -- before the use of local anesthetics became common -- pain was considered to be part of the procedure, it is definitely not supposed to be torture. Unlike African circumcisions that are a test of the initiate's endurance, the Turkish ritual only supposed to be memorable, and the operation is not supposed to cause more pain than what is unavoidable. The patient is generally much younger than African initiates and he is allowed to show signs of discomfort.
The short film entitled "Meine Beschneidung" shows some of the customs, and gives a sense of the significance of the sünnet in the life of a adolescent Turkish boy from Germany. The film is intended to be funny, not scary. (It is safe to watch, the actual operation is not shown.)
Meine Beschneidung / My Circumcision
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