Uska Dara (A Turkish Tale) is a 1953 song by Eartha Kitt. It is based on the Turkish folk song Kâtibim about a woman and her secretary traveling to Üsküdar. Eartha Kitt recorded it with Henri René and his orchestra at Manhattan Center, New York City, on March 13, 1953. The song was released by RCA Victor Records as catalog number 20-5284 (in USA)[1] and by EMI on the His Master's Voice label as catalog number B 10573. Kitt's recording sold 120,000 copies when it was first released by RCA Victor in 1953.[2][3] Kitt later performed the song in the 1954 film New Faces and included the song in her cabaret act, where she culminated the number with a belly dance.[4][5]
The 1978 disco song "Rasputin" by Boney M uses part of the melody of "Kâtibim", and mimics the line "Oh! those Turks" (as "Oh! those Russians") at the end of the song.