Turkey is a paradise of sun, sea, mountains, and lakes that offers the vacationer a complete change from the stress and routine of every life. From April to October, most places in Turkey have an ideal climate that is perfect for relaxing on sandy beaches or enjoying the tranquility of mountains and lakes.
Turkey has also a magnificent history and culture, and is a land full of historic treasures from more than 20 successive civilizations spanning 10.000 years. Even you spend a short time in Turkey you can see a lot of this wonderfull past.
There is no doubt that one visit will not be enough, and you will wish to come back again and again as you discover one extraordinary place after another.All of them, no matter how different is, have one thing in common: the hospitality and friendship of this unique country’s people.
Turkey is 780.000 sq km in area.The 3% of it is in the European side, 97’s in Asian side. Separated by the Bosphorus, the sea of Marmara and the Dardenelles. Anatolia is a high plateau rising progressively towards the east, broken up by the valleys and rivers including Halys, Euprates, Tigris There are numerous lake and some such as Lake Van are as large as inland seas. İn the North the Black Sea Mountain Chain runs paralel to the Black Sea. İn the South the Taurus runs paralel to the mediterrannean. Fertile coastal plain along the cost.Turkey enjoys a variety of climates ranging from the temperate climate of the Black Sea region, to the continental climate of the interior, then to the mediterranean climate of the aegean and Mediterranean coastal region.The coastline touching the four seas that border the country is 8330km in length.
Turkey has been called ’’the cradle of civilisations’’ by travelling through the historic land, one will discover exactly what is meant by this phrase.The world’s first known settlement is Çatalhoyuk, a neolithic city, dates back to 7000 B.C.From the days of Çatalhoyuk up to the present Turkey boasts a rich culture that through the centuries of cultures makes Turkey a paradise of cultural wealth;
Hattis, Hittites, Phrygians, Urartians, Lycians, İonians, Lydians, Persians, Macedonians, Romans, Byzantins, Seljuks, Ottomans have all made important contributions to history of the area. Ancient sites and ruins scattered throughout the country give sufficient proof of each civilisation’s unique distinction.
Turkey has also very fascinating recent history.Upon the decline the Otoman Empire a young man named Mustafa Kemal ,who was a general of great visionary took the defeat of World War 1 and turned it into a shining victory by liberatingTurkey from all occupying forces.Mustafa Kemal Ataturk founded the Republic of Turkey on October 29,1923. He led his country towards peace and stability that brought about the tremendous economic growth and increasing modernization.
Turkey’s population is about 77 million. 75 % of whom live in the cities. The rest live in the countryside. The major cities are Istanbul, Ankara (the capital), İzmir, Bursa, Adana, Antalya.
The Turkish language belongs to the Ural-Altaic group and has an affinity with the Fino-Hungarian languages. Turkish is written in the Latin alphabet and it is spoken by 200 million people around the world.
99% of turkish population is muslim. This is a secular state with a complete freedom of worship to the non-moslims in İstanbul many Churches and Synagoges remained since the ottomans time.
Turkey enjoys variety of climates ranging from the rainy climate of the Black Sea to the continental climate in the center, then to the mediterranean climate of the Aegean and the Mediterranean coastal regions. Summers are considerably hot, spring and autumn are warm, winters are cold or cool. Autumn is nice for the entire duration of September and October and then the weather starts to cool down. The above what is expected normally, as is known the global climatic conditions are changing and accordingly you may expect slight variations from the details given above.
Agriculture plays an important role in the Turkish Economy. Turkey is one of the most important food exporters on the world. The main items are wheat, rice, cotton, tea, tobacco, hazelnut and fruits. Sheep are Turkey’s most importent livestock. Turkey is one of the largest wool and cotton producers in Europe. Recently industrial goods also became an important element in the Turkish economy, bringing the economic growth to a higher ratio, especially household goods and cars. In addition to the above. Turkey has become a major touristic destination in Europe. With the help of the rapid development of the touristic facilities, both winter & summer, the country is now able to welcome a higher number of tourists from all over the world.
In high summer, that is mid-June to mid-September, you’ll need light cotton summer clothes, and a light sweater or jacket for the evenings or to wear up on the Central Anatolian plateau.You won’t need rain gear at all, expect perhaps on the Black Sea coast. You would do better to duck between the showers rather than haul rain gear during to entire trip just for a possible day or two of rain on the Black Sea coast. In spring autumn, summer clothing will still be OK, but the evenings will be cooler. If you plan to travel extensively in Central Anatolia (Ankara, Konya, Cappadocia, Nemrut Dağı) pack a heavier sweater and perhabs a light raincoat. Winter wear -December to March- is wooles and rain gear. Though it doesn’t get really cold along the Mediterranean, it does get dramp, rainy and chilly in most of the country, including the south coast. Istanbul gets dusting of snow, Ankara gets more and the eastern region are frigid and covered in snow.
The unit of currency is the Turkish Lira or TL. Exchange rates are published daily in newspapers. In big cities there are numerous exchange bureaus, and many tourist shops, travel agencies, expensive restaurants and some hotels have licences to accept foreign currency. At the same time a wide range of traveller’s cheques and credit cards are accepted.
Most of the tipping you will do will be in restaurants, in the cheapest places tipping is not necassery. In expensive restaurants, hotels and hairdressers tipping is a custom.
There is a large number local and private TV and radio channels in Turkey as well as the national channel TRT. On TRT short news are given in English, and in the evenings also in French and German. International channels such as CNN, NBC, BBC, Eurosport are also available.
Electricity is supplied at 220 volts. Plugs have two round prongs.
Bottled water is suggested. Tap water has no guarantee to be clean enough or it may not be tasty since it is being chlorinated in most places.
Medical services are fairly well distributed in Turkey and in larger cities some doctors speak foreign languages. Your guide can recommend a good doctor or dentist.For minor problems it is customary to ask at a drugstore.
Government Offices open at 08:30 am and close at 17:30 am (Mon-Fri) (12:30 am-13:30 am lunchbreak). Shop are open between 9:00 am and !9:00 am (Mon-Sat). In big cities shopping centers are open 7 days a week from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm.
JAN 1 : New’s Year Day
APR 1: National Independence and Children’s Day
MAY 19: Youth and Sports Day (heald to commemorate Atatürk’s ( birthday)
AUG 30: Victory Day
OCT 29: Republic Day
Religious feasts such as Ramazan Bayramı (Seker Bayramı) and Kurban Bayramı are also offical holidays. But since the dates of these two feats are reset each year according to the Hicri calendar (Lunar Calendar) their dates change.
JAN: Camel Wrestling / SELCUK
MAR: Istanbul International Film Festival / ISTANBUL
APR: Traditional “Mesir” Festival / MANISA
APR: International Children’s Day / ANKARA
APR-MAY: Ephesus Int Festival of Culture and Tourism / SELCUK
MAY: Yunus Emre Culture and Art Week / ESKISEHIR
MAY: International Kilim (Carpet) Festival / USAK
JUNE: Cesme Sea and Music Festival / CESME
JUNE-JULY: Traditional Kırkpınar Wrestling / EDIRNE
JULY: Ceramic Festival / KUTAHYA
AUG: Troy Festival / CANAKKALE
AUG: International Fair of Izmir / IZMIR
SEPT: The Golden Orange Film Festival / ANTALYA
NOV: International Yacht / MARMARIS
DEC: Mevlana Commemoration Festival / KONYA
