TEKEL

Tekel is a term with multiple meanings in religious, linguistic, and historical contexts. In Semitic languages, tekel (from Aramaic teqel) means “weighed.” It appears in the biblical Book of Daniel as part of the phrase Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin, written on the wall during Belshazzar’s feast. The passage is commonly interpreted as a divine judgment, with Mene meaning “numbered,” Tekel meaning “weighed,” and Upharsin meaning “divided.” The sentence is taken to signify that the kingdom has been weighed in the balance and found wanting, presaging its end.

In Turkish usage, Tekel refers to the former state monopoly over tobacco and alcoholic beverages, and to the state-controlled company commonly known as TEKEL. For much of the 20th century, the Turkish government held exclusive rights to production and sale of these products. Beginning in the early 2000s, reforms led to privatization and the divestment of TEKEL assets to private firms, ending the government monopoly in most areas. The name Tekel remains a historical reference to that period, and some related brands persisted briefly after privatization.

Thus, tekel can denote an ancient weighing term in biblical or linguistic contexts, or a historical reference to Turkey’s former state monopoly on tobacco and alcohol. The two uses are unrelated aside from sharing the same spelling.