Overview
Straddling two continents, Europe and Asia, and bordering the volatile Middle East, Turkey has an unrivalled history stretching back thousands of years. From the ancientHittites to the Ottomans, dozens of civilisations have made Turkey their home, leaving behind them a dazzling historicaland archaeological heritage.
But despite its ancient roots, Turkey is a rapidly developing modern state. Born from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire in 1923, the country was transformed by its far-sighted and ambitious first leader Kemal Ataturk. Since his death, the republic has maintained its Western orientation and European aspirations, despite the often-strong counter-current of traditionalism and Islam.
Today, the country’s archaeological and cultural wonders, and its long Mediterraneancoastline, are a Mecca for tourists, attracting millions of European holidaymakers each year. Among the top draws is Istanbul with its fabulous setting, wealth of historic sights and vibrant cultural life. Also not to be missed are the amazingly well-preserved remains of Greco-Roman cities such as Ephesus or Pergamon, and the coastal resorts with their sandy beaches and hedonistic nightlife.
For the adventurous, the austere beauty of the Anatolian plateau, the surreal eroded landscape of Cappadocia and the atmospheric ruins of the enigmatic Hittites await discovery. Here, too, is the unique experience of watching the Whirling Dervishes spin their way to ecstasy.
Wherever visitors travel in Turkey they are assured a warm welcome. Turks have a strong tradition of hospitality and the words ‘Hos Geldiniz’,which means literally ‘Your coming brings happiness’, will ring often in a traveller’s ears.
Author
Kate Clow
General Information
Southeastern Europe/Asia Minor.
Area
779,452 sq km (300,948 sq miles).
Population
73.3 million (UN estimate 2005).
Population Density
94.04 per sq km.
Capital
Ankara. Population: 3.5 million (2005 estimate).
Government
Republic since 1923.
Turkey borders the Black Sea and Georgia and Armenia to the northeast, Iran to the east, Iraq to the southeast, the Syrian Arab Republic and the Mediterranean to the south, the Aegean Sea to the west and Greece and Bulgaria to the northwest. Asia Minor (or Anatolia) accounts for 97% of the country’s area and forms a long, wide peninsula 1,650km (1,025 miles) from east to west and 650km (400 miles) from north to south. Two east-west mountain ranges, the Black Sea Mountains in the north and the Taurus in the south, enclose the central Anatolian plateau, but converge in a vast mountainous region in the far east of the country. It is here that the ancient Tigris and Euphrates rivers rise.
Language
Turkish. Kurdish is also spoken by a minority in the southeast. French, German and English are widely spoken in cities and tourist areas.
Religion
Muslim with a small Christian minority. Turkey is a secular state which guarantees complete freedom of worship to non-Muslims.
Time
GMT + 2 (GMT + 3 from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October).
Social Conventions
Shaking hands is the normal form of greeting. Hospitality is very important and visitors should respect Islamic customs. Informal wear is acceptable, but beachwear should be confined to the beach or poolside. Smoking is widely acceptable but prohibited in cinemas, theatres, buses, coaches and dolmuses (collective taxis).
Electricity
220 volts AC, 50Hz.
Head of Government
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan since 2002.
Head of State
President Abdullah Gul since 2007.
Passport / Visa
Passports
Passport valid for at least six months from date of departure from Turkey required by all nationals of countries referred to in the chart above, except nationals of the following:
1. Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands and Spain, who can enter with a national ID card (which must have a validity of one year).
Visas
Sticker-type entry visas: Tourists and business visitors from the following countries do require visas and can obtain a sticker-type entry visa at the point of entry for a fee (prices are dependent on nationality):
(a) 2. Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Ireland, Italy, Malta, The Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, the UK* and USA for stays not exceeding three months;
(b) 3. Greek Cypriot Administrative Region, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovak Republic for stays not exceeding one month.
Except 4. Nationals of Bulgaria who do not require a visa for stays up to three months, but do require a visa for transit and for entry at certain points in Turkey; check with consulate.
Visa Note
(a) *British National Overseas passport holders should contact the visa section of the consulate general before travelling. (b) Nationals of countries not referred to in the chart above are advised to contact the embassy to check visa requirements (see Contact Addresses).
Types of Visa and Cost
British passport holders can obtain tourist visa either at the port of entry in Turkey for £10 or from the consulate general in the UK for £50. Single entry (six months): £63. Single entry (one year): £85. Single transit: £44. Study: £99. Work: £200. These prices are provided by The Consulate General for the Republic of Turkey in London; prices may vary according to nationality.
Validity
Single entry: up to six months or one year. Multiple entry: up to five years. Transit: three months. Work or Study: one year.
Applications to:
Consulate (or consular section at embassy); see Contact Addresses. Applicants must pre-book an appointment with the relevant consulate. An online appointment system is available for The Consulate General for the Republic of Turkey in London (website: www.turkishconsulate.org.uk/en/visa).
Working Days Required
Usually three, but dependent on nationality of applicant and type of visa. Some applications may be referred to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Ankara, which may take much longer (minimum six to eight weeks).
Money
Currency
New Turkish Lira (TRY; symbol YTL) = 100 New Kurus (Ykr). Notes are in denominations of YTL100, 50, 20, 10, 5 and 1. Coins are in denominations of YTL1 and 50, 25, 10, 5 and 1 New Kurus.
Note: The old Turkish Lira (TL) was withdrawn from circulation on 1 January 2006.
Currency Exchange
Cash can usually be exchanged commission free in bureaux de change, banks or hotels. Traveller’s cheques can only be exchanged in banks with a passport. Travellers planning to exchange currency back before leaving Turkey, or making a major purchase which may need to be declared to customs, must retain transaction receipts to prove that the currency was legally exchanged.
Credit/Debit Cards and ATMs
American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard and Visa are accepted. ATMs are available in most areas.
Traveller's Cheques
Traveller’s cheques can only be exchanged in banks. To avoid additional exchange rate charges, travellers are advised to take traveller’s cheques in Pounds Sterling or US Dollars.
Banking Hours
Mon-Fri 0830-1200 and 1330-1700. Some banks in tourist areas and large cities are open daily.
Exchange Rate Indicators
| Date | Jul 07 |
| £1.00= | YTL2.61 |
| $1.00= | YTL1.30 |
| €1.00= | YTL1.77 |
Transport
Getting Around By Air
Turkish Airlines (website: www.turkishairlines.com) provides an important network of internal flights from Istanbul, Ankara, Adana, Antalya, Dalaman, Izmir and Trabzon to all of the major Turkish cities. Recent liberalisation of the domestic air industry has allowed the proliferation of cheap, no-frills carriers operating routes from Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir to the main regional airports. Private airlines include Atlas Jet (website: www atlasjet.com), Onur Air (website: www.onurair.com.tr) and SunExpress (website: www.sunexpress.com.tr).
Getting Around by Water
A frequent car ferry crosses the Dardenelles at Gallipoli, from Canakkale to Eceabat and Gelibolu to Lapseki. Istanbul Fast Ferries (tel: (0212) 444 4436; website: www.ido.com.tr) operates frequent seabus services from Bostanci, Kadiköy, Kartal, Yalova and Büyükada Island to Auça, Bakirköy, Karaköy, Yenikapi, Yalova and Bandirma. Deniz Cruise & Ferry Lines (tel: (0212) 444 3369; website: www.denizline.com) serves the Istanbul-Izmir route. Local travel agents can make reservations.
Getting Around by Rail
Many trains of the Turkish Railways (TCDD) (tel: (0212) 527 0050 or 520 6575 (reservations); website: www.tcdd.gov.tr) have sleeping cars, couchettes and restaurant cars. Some are air-conditioned. Fares are comparatively low, but are more expensive for express trains. Discounts of 20% are available for students (though a Turkish student card may be required), groups, round-trips and passengers over 60. Children aged seven and under travel free. Tickets can be purchased at TCDD offices at railway stations and TCDD-appointed agents. The journey from Istanbul to Ankara takes five to nine hours, depending on the type of train.
Rail Passes
InterRail One-Country Pass: offers travel for three, four, six or eight days in one month within Turkey. Travel is not allowed in the passenger’s country of residence. Travellers under 26 years receive a reduction. Children’s tickets are reduced by about 50%. Supplements are required for some high-speed services, seat reservations and couchettes. Discounts are offered on Eurostar and some ferry routes. Available from Rail Europe (website: www.raileurope.co.uk/inter-rail).
Getting Around by Road
There is currently huge investment in road building, but road conditions and standards of driving in Turkey can be poor. Serious road accidents are common. All visitors should be extra careful when using Turkey’s road network. Traffic drives on the right. In case of an accident, call the traffic police (tel: 154) and do not move your car until they have arrived. The Turkish Touring and Automobile Club (Turkiye Turing ve Otomobil Kurumu) (tel: (0212) 282 8140; website: www.turing.org.tr) provides insurance and advice for foreign drivers.
Coach: Many private companies provide frequent day and night services between all Turkish cities. Services are faster than trains and competition between operators has led to lower fares. Tickets are sold at the bus or coach companies’ branch offices either at stations or in town centres. Shop around for the best prices. Coaches depart from the bus stations (otogar) in large towns and from the town centre in small towns. There is generally a service bus (servis) from the centre to the bus station. The best coach operators are Varan (tel: (0212) 551 5000; website: www.varan.com.tr) and Ulusoy (tel: 444 1888, within Turkey only; website: www.ulusoy.com.tr).
Car hire: Both chauffeur-driven and self-drive cars are available in all large towns and resorts. All international companies are represented.
Regulations: The minimum driving age is 18 and front seat belts are compulsory. The speed limit is 120kph (75mph) on dual carriageway, 90kph (56mph) on highways and 50kph (31mph) in built-up areas.
Documentation: An International Driving Permit or photo-ID licence is required for visits of over three months. Green Card International Insurance, endorsed for Turkish territory in both Europe and Asia, and Turkish third-party insurance (obtainable from insurance agencies at frontier posts) are also required. Cars can be brought into Turkey for a maximum of six months in any year. On entering, an entry-exit form is filled out. For longer stays, it is necessary to apply to either the Ministry of Finance and Customs or the Turkish Touring and Automobile Club.
Getting Around Towns and Cities
Bus and trolleybus: Extensive conventional bus (and some trolleybus) services operate in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir. There are buses in all other large towns. These are generally reliable, modern and easy to use. Tickets are bought in advance from kiosks and dropped into a box by the driver.
Taxi: There are many types of taxi, share-taxi and minibus in operation. Taxis are numerous in all Turkish cities and towns and are recognisable by their chequered black and yellow bands. All taxis have a meter which must be switched on at the start of the journey. For longer journeys, the fare should be agreed beforehand. A dolmus is a collective taxi or minibus which follows specific routes. Each passenger pays according to the distance travelled to specific stops. The fares are fixed by the municipality. The dolmus provides services within large cities to suburbs, airports and often to neighbouring towns. This is a very practical means of transport and much cheaper than a taxi. Taxis may turn into a dolmus and vice versa according to demand.
Ferry: There are extensive cross-Bosphorus and short-hop ferries in Istanbul.
Metro: Ankara has a two-line metro system. Further expansion is planned. Istanbul has a single metro line.
Journey Times
The following chart gives approximate journey times (in hours and minutes) from Ankara to other major cities/towns in Turkey.
| Air | Road | Rail |
| Istanbul | 0.45 | 6.00 | 7.00 |
| Izmir | 0.50 | 7.00 | 10.00 |
| Antalya | 1.00 | 8.00 | - |
| Erzurum | 1.15 | 11.00 | 18.00 |
Entertainment
Food and Drink
Turkish food combines culinary traditions from the people’s nomadic past in Central Asia with influences of the Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine. Guests are usually able to go into a kitchen and choose from the pots if they cannot understand the names of the dishes.
Things to know: Turkey is a secular state and alcohol is widely enjoyed, although during Ramadan it is considered polite for visitors to avoid drinking alcohol in public.
National specialities:
•Meze (starters brought to your table on trays or chosen from glass-fronted refrigerators).
•Shish kebab (pieces of meat threaded on a skewer and grilled).
• Doner kebab (pieces of lamb packed tightly round a revolving spit).
•Dolma (vine leaves or vegetables stuffed with pine nuts and currants).
•Turkish Delight (originally made from dates, honey, roses and jasmine bound by Arabic gum and designed to sweeten the breath after coffee).
National drinks:
•Raki (anisette), known as ’lion’s milk’, which clouds when water is added. Drinking raki is a ritual and is traditionally accompanied by a variety of meze.
•Ayran (a refreshing yoghurt drink).
• Tea.
• Strong black Turkish coffee.
• Turkish beer, red and white wines.
Legal drinking age: 18.
Tipping: A service charge is included in hotel and restaurant bills. It is customary to leave a small tip (10 to 12%) for barbers, hairdressers and waiters.
Nightlife
There are nightclubs in most main centres, either Western or Oriental, with music and dancing. There are theatres with concerts in Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir and most towns have cinemas. Turkish baths (hamam) are popular. Turks like to dine in tavernas called meyhane, where traditional food is accompanied by folk music and dancing.
Shopping
Istanbul’s Kapali Carsi Bazaar has jewellery, carpets and antiques for sale. Turkish handicrafts include a rich variety of textiles and embroideries, articles of copper, onyx and tile, mother-of-pearl, inlaid articles, leather and suede products, jewellery and, above all, carpets and kilims. Most of the other cities and larger resorts have a market area where visitors can buy souvenirs and handicrafts.
Shopping hours: Daily 0930-1900 in tourist areas. Closing hours vary, with some shops staying open until midnight. Outside tourist areas shops may close at lunchtime and on Sundays. Istanbul covered market: Mon-Sat 0800-1900 (closed Sunday).
Top things to do
• Discover Istanbul’s Old City which was the capital of the Christian Byzantines and then the Islamic Ottoman empire. Highlights include the Blue Mosque, the Topkapi Palace, St Sophia Church and the city’s Archaeological Museum.
• Explore the Bosphorus suburbs of Istanbul by ferry-boat, and cross the Sea of Marmara to the Prince’s Islands, where horse-drawn carriages are the only transport and graceful belle époque houses line the streets.
• Tour the WWI battlefields and the memorials commemorating the 250,000 British, Turkish and ANZAC troops that died on the Gallipoli Peninsula. Cross the Dardanelles, the straits dividing Europe and Asia, and visit the ruins of ancient Troy.
• Take in the grandeur of the remains of the Hellenistic and Roman city of Ephesus (modern Selçuk). Founded in the 13th century BC, it has been carefully restored and is now one of the most spectacular ancient sites in the world.
• Visit Bodrum,site of one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Mausoleum of Mausolus, and now Turkey’s finest Aegean resort. Dominated by the Castle of St John, the town is renowned for its shopping, dining and nightlife.
• Experience the charm of the Mediterranean city of Antalya, with its atmospheric old town and harbour, Kaleiçi. Visit the superb Archaeological Museum and tour the many historic sights surrounding the city.
• Visit the historic town of Safranbolu, between Istanbul and Ankara, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site and renowned for its Ottoman architecture.
• See the spectacular 14th-century Sumala Monastery, 54km (34 miles) from Trabzon. Set into a sheer cliff, 300m (1,000ft) above the valley floor, it contains some magnificent frescoes.
• Tour Konya, capital of the Selcuk empire and one of Turkey’s great religious centres. The city is home to the Mevlana Tekkesi, the monastery and mausoleum of Mevlana Celâddin Rumi, one of Islam’s most celebrated mystics and founder of the Whirling Dervishes.
• Do not miss Cappadocia: marvel at the spectacular landscape of rock cones, pinnacles and ravines. There are cave houses, underground cities and subterranean churches to explore, plus visitors can stay in a cave hotel too.
• Gaze at the amazing Ishak Pasa Palace, which overlooks the frontier town of Dogubeyazit in eastern Turkey and which is shadowed by the mighty cone of Mount Ararat, the country’s highest peak and mythical resting place of Noah’s Ark.
• Tour around the shores of Lake Van and catch a boat out to the island church of Akdamar, which is famous for its lively friezes. Visit the crater lake of Nemrut Dagi and the ancient Urartian sites of the area.
See Contact Addresses for further tourist information.
Top things to see
•Shop in the world’s largest covered market, Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar, then head uptown to browse for cut-price fashion goods and clothing in the department stores along Istiklal Caddesi or upmarket Nisantasi.
• Try out a new watersport in the Aegean and Mediterranean resorts. Diving, windsurfing, waterskiing and sailing are all possible in the warm waters offshore.
• Charter a traditional wooden boat, known as a gulet, for a leisurely cruise along the coast. Itineraries of a week or more are possible, with a variety of destinations and ports of call.
• Rock climb and mountaineer in one of the country’s lofty mountain ranges, with popular destinations including 5,165m (16,945ft) Mount Ararat in eastern Turkey and the Kackar Mountains of the Black Sea region.
•Ski in the resorts of Uludag, 36km (22 miles) south of Bursa (Marmara), Erciyes, 25km (15 miles) from Kayseri (Cappadocia), or Palandoken, 5km (4 miles) from Erzurum (eastern Anatolia). There are also many smaller resorts.
•Trek the Lycian Way, which stretches for 500km (311 miles) between Fethiye and Antalya, providing a month’s walking through some of Turkey’s most spectacular scenery (website: www.lycianway.com).
• Experience white-water rafting on the Dalaman River, the Köprülü River, the Zamanti River or the Coruh River, which is rated by professionals as one of the top rafting descents in the world.
• Relax in a steamy Turkish bath, known as a hamam, and have a scrub and massage. In Istanbul, the most popular historic baths are the Galatasaray Hamam in Beyoglu and Cagaloglu Hamam in Sultanahmet, though local baths are often just as good.
• Catch a ceremony by the renowned Whirling Dervishes, who are members of the Mevlevi Order and who perform the famous whirling dance (Sema). Their amazing ceremony can be seen in Konya, where the Order originated, or in Istanbul.
• Tee off at one of eight golf courses in the Mediterranean resort of Belek, near Antalya, which has become the country’s main golfing centre. The best playing conditions are from September to May, with many large resort hotels to stay in nearby.
• Attend the Aspendos International Opera and Ballet Festival in June and July, during which performances are held in the remarkable surroundings of a second-century AD Roman amphitheatre.
See Contact Addresses for further tourist information.
Business
Statistics
• GDP: US$361.5 billion (2005).
• Main exports: Clothing and textiles, manufactured goods, electrical machinery and fruit and vegetables.
• Main imports: Machinery, appliances and parts, mineral fuels and oil, road vehicles, iron and steel products and plastics.
•Main trade partners: Exports to: Germany, UK and USA; Imports from: Germany, Russia and Italy.
Economy
Turkey has a large agricultural sector and is self-sufficient in basic foodstuffs including maize, sugar, wheat and barley. Cotton, tobacco, fruit, vegetables and nuts are grown for both domestic consumption and export. Agriculture still accounts for around 12% of total economic output and is a major employer, especially of women in the workforce, 60% of whom work on the land.
Manufacturing and services are the most important and fastest growing sectors, with the textiles and clothing industries alone employing 35% of the workforce. Electronic goods and appliances are also important, with the banking, financial services and construction industries enjoying major growth. The country’s tourist industry is of primary importance to the economy; in 2005, 24 million tourists visited Turkey, raising US$18 billion.
Underlying structural problems coupled with years of mismanagement and world events brought the Turkish economy to its knees in 2001. The value of the Turkish lira plummeted 40% and inflation rocketed overnight as investors fled the market. Thousands of workers were made redundant as businesses folded and the economy contracted by 7%. In the face of this crisis, the government introduced an IMF-backed austerity program, which included cutting subsides, public sector wages and privatising loss-making state industries. The banking sector was also reformed.
These measures have succeeded in cutting inflation from 70% to its current level, below 10%. The economy was expected to grow by over 6% in 2006 and despite a major current account deficit, investor confidence is high, with foreign direct investment forecast to double in 2007 to US$20 billion.
Business Etiquette
A formal suit or jacket and tie should always be worn for business. English is widely spoken in business circles, although an effort by the visitor to speak a little Turkish is appreciated. The majority of people in business value punctuality and business cards are widely used.
Office hours: Mon-Fri 0830-1200 and 1330-1730.
Commercial Information
Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey
TOBB Atatürk Bulvari, 149 Bakanliklar 06640, Ankara, Turkey
Tel: (0312) 413 8000.
Website: www.tobb.org.tr
Istanbul Convention and Exhibition Centre
Harbiye 80230, Istanbul, Turkey
Tel: (0212) 296 3055.
Website: www.icec.org
Conferences & Conventions
Istanbul and Antalya are the most popular venues, followed by Ankara, Marmaris and Bodrum. There are many 4- and 5-star hotels, which provide facilities and can host conferences and meetings to international standards. The Crowne Plaza Istanbul has a conference centre with facilities for up to 1,000 people.
Communications
Telephone
Country code: 90. The cheapest way to make calls is from PTT telephone booths, which are found in all areas. Telephone cards are available for these.
Mobile Telephone
Roaming agreements exist with most international mobile phone companies. Coverage is mostly good, but can be patchy in some rural areas.
Internet
Internet cafes exist in main urban areas.
Media
The Turkish media is dominated by several large corporations that own the main newspapers and private television channels. The Turkish press is fairly free and outspoken in most areas, although a significant number of journalists have been prosecuted under highly controversial laws against ‘insulting’ the country, state institutions or ‘Turkishness’. These are viewed by many, including the European Commission, as against the right to freedom of expression. Kurdish-language broadcasts have been introduced in order to meet EU criteria on minorities.
Post
Turkish post offices are recognisable by their yellow PTT signs.
Post office hours: major outlets Mon-Sat 0800-2400, Sun 0900-1900; smaller post offices have the same opening hours as government offices.
Press
• The main newspapers are Hürriyet, Milliyet, Sabah and Zamam.
• English-language daily newspapers include The Turkish Daily News.
Radio
•TRT stations include TRT 1 (cultural and educational), TRT 3 (popular music) and TRT 4 (folk and classical music).
•Show Radyo and Capital Radio are commercial stations.
• Radyo Foreks broadcasts news.