P
Passports
Turks have compulsory ID cards, which
they must carry with them at all times.
Foreigners are also expected to carry such
ID with them, which means that you should
keep your passport with you at all times.
Police
There are two types of police in Turkey
– civil police polis and military police
jandarma. In many areas you will find that
there is just one or the other, and that both
fulfil the same function. In some places,
there are also specialist tourist police. If
you need to report a crime you should go
to the nearest police station to where the
crime occurred. In tourist areas there will
usually be someone available who speaks
English or you can request a translator.You
will usually be asked to submit and sign a
statement. It is advisable to request a copy
of any documents in case you need them
at a later stage.
Post Office Services
Turkish post offices are easily recognizable
by the yellow and black ‘PTT’signs.Major
post offices are open from 08.00-00.00
Monday to Saturday and from 09.00-19.00
on Sundays. Smaller offices are open from
8.30-12.30 and from 13.30 – 17.30 and may
be closed at weekends.
As well as selling stamps and telephone
tokens and cards, some post offices will
exchange cash as well as international
postal orders and travellers’ cheques.
Poste restante letters should be addressed
‘postrestant’ to the central post office
‘Merkez Postanesi’in the town where you
wish to collect your post. You will need
to produce an ID card or passport when
collecting your post.
Property – Buying Property
in Turkey
As stated in the constitution, foreigners
are able to acquire real estate in Turkey as
long as there is a mutual agreement with
their country of nationality, as indicated
in Real Estate Law, article 35. British and
Irish citizens, therefore, do have the right
to buy property in Turkey.
There are some restrictions to this, which
include the fact that foreign citizens are not
allowed to buy property which is within
the limits of a village, but only that which
is within the limits of a Municipality. It is
also not permitted for foreign citizens to
buy property which is within aMilitary or
Restricted Security Zone.
For further information on buying
property in Turkey please visit:
www.turkisheconomy.org.uk/
buyingproperty/property.html
The Authority which is responsible for
overseeing the purchase of property by
foreigners is:
General Directorate of Title
Deeds and Cadastre.
Bas¸bakanlÝk Tapu ve Kadastro Genel
Müdürlügðü YabancÝ IÏs¸ler Dairesi
Bas¸kanlÝgðÝ Dikmenyolu-ANKARA
Tel: (00 90 312) 417 12 60
Fax: (00 90 312) 4170360
Web Site: www.tapu.gov.tr
E-mail: webmaster@tapu.gov.tr
Public Holidays
There are two types of public holiday in
Turkey: those which are decided by the
government and which fall on the same day
each year; and the religious festivals which
change according to the lunar calendar
and, therefore, fall on different dates each
year.
On public holidays, banks and government
offices are closed. In general, life in seaside
resorts is not affected as these are the times
when Turkish people also go on holiday.
Shops and businesses away from tourist
areas may close, however, so you should
bear this in mind when travelling inland
or to city areas.
Public Holidays
New Years Day, 1 January
National Sovereignty and
Children’s Day, 23 April
Atatürk Commemoration and
Youth Sports Day, 19 May
Victory Day, 30 August
Republic Day, 28 (half day) 29 October
Religious Festivals
S¸eker BayramÝ (Eid)
This is the festival which falls at the end of Ramazan, a
period of fasting. Traditionally, sweets are exchanged as
gifts. During Ramazan, strict Muslims fast which means that
nothing must pass their lips between sunrise and sunset -
this means no drinking, eating or smoking. Many Turks are
not strict Muslims, and in resort areas and large cities it
would not be expected that foreigners would observe this practice,
so restaurants and bars will still be open as usual. In more
rural and conservative areas, you may find it more difficult
to eat or drink in public during the day.
2006 22-25 October (22nd is a half-day holiday for the public
sector)
2007 11-14 October (11th is a half-day
holiday for the public sector)
Kurban BayramÝ (Feast of Sacrifice)
Traditionally, a goat is sacrificed at this time and the
meat distributed amongst friends, family and neighbours. 2006
9-13 January (9th is a half-day holiday for the public sector)
30 Dec, 2006 - 3 Jan 2007 (30th is a half-day holiday for
the public sector) 2007 19-23 December (19th is a halfday
holiday for the public sector) Public Transport The preferred
means of transport in Turkey is by coach, and the air-conditioned
intercity coach services are comfortable, fast and inexpensive.
Each town has a bus station (otogar), where each bus company
has its own office, where you can make reservations and buy
tickets. Alternatively, you can buy tickets from local travel
agencies. Unfortunately, there is only one major coach operator
which currently has an online information and reservations
service, see www.varan.com.tr/english Otherwise, it is currently
extremely difficult to make advance reservations from the
UK unless you speak Turkish. Train services in Turkey are
generally quite slow and the south west of the country is
not covered by the rail network at all. There are good services,
however, between Istanbul and Ankara and the overnight sleeper
services are both comfortable and convenient. You can buy
tickets and make reservations at local train stations or through
travel agents based in Turkey. Unfortunately, it is currently
extremely difficult to make advance reservations from the
UK if you don’t speak Turkish but for an idea of prices
and timetables for the most popular services visit www.seat61.com/Turkey2
or see www.turkeytravelplanner..com Within towns and between
local villages, there are local bus services as well as the
dolmus¸ services. These are shared taxis, usually a
minibus, and sometimes a large car, which operate along set
routes, picking up and setting down passengers as they go.
There is a set fare depending on how far you are travelling
and you pay this to the driver. They are an inexpensive way
of getting around. The name, dolmus¸, literally means
‘stuffed’– from the fact that they do not
have a set timetable but wait until they are full before setting
off.
All students and young people holding ISIC,
IYC and IYHF cards or travelling through
member organisations of BITS, FIYTO or
ISTC may take advantage of the youth holiday
opportunities available in Turkey. Either contact
our office or local Tourism Information offices
for details of hostels and camp sites. There are
a number of agencies in Turkey specialising in
youth travel. These include Gençtur Tourism
& Travel Agency (www.genctur.com) and
Seventur Tourism & Travel Agency (www.
seventur.com.tr)
2006 22-25 October (22nd is a half-day
holiday for the public sector)
2007 11-14 October (11th is a half-day
holiday for the public sector)
Kurban BayramÝ (Feast of Sacrifice)
Traditionally, a goat is sacrificed at this time and
the meat distributed amongst friends, family
and neighbours.
2006 9-13 January (9th is a half-day
holiday for the public sector)
30 Dec, 2006 - 3 Jan 2007
(30th is a half-day holiday
for the public sector)
2007 19-23 December (19th is a halfday
holiday for the public sector)
Public Transport
The preferred means of transport in Turkey is by
coach, and the air-conditioned intercity coach
services are comfortable, fast and inexpensive.
Each town has a bus station ( otogar ), where
each bus company has its own office, where
you can make reservations and buy tickets.
Alternatively, you can buy tickets from local
travel agencies. Unfortunately, there is only
one major coach operator which currently has
an online information and reservations service,
see www.varan.com.tr/english Otherwise, it is
currently extremely difficult to make advance
reservations from the UK unless you speak
Turkish.
Train services in Turkey are generally quite
slow and the south west of the country is not
covered by the rail network at all. There are
good services, however, between Istanbul and
Ankara and the overnight sleeper services are
both comfortable and convenient. You can
buy tickets and make reservations at local
train stations or through travel agents based in
Turkey. Unfortunately, it is currently extremely
difficult tomake advance reservations from the
UK if you don’t speak Turkish but for an idea
of prices and timetables for the most popular
services visit www.seat61.com/Turkey2 or
see www.turkeytravelplanner..com
Within towns and between local villages, there
are local bus services as well as the dolmu?
services. These are shared taxis, usually a
minibus, and sometimes a large car, which
operate along set routes, picking up and setting
down passengers as they go. There is a set
fare depending on how far you are travelling
and you pay this to the driver. They are an
inexpensive way of getting around. The name,
dolmu?, literally means ‘stuffed’– from
the fact
that they do not have a set timetable but wait
until they are full before setting off.
S
Student & Youth Travel
All students and young people holding ISIC, IYC and IYHF
cards or travelling through member organisations of BITS,
FIYTO or ISTCmay take advantage of the youth holiday opportunities
available in Turkey. Either contact our office or local Tourism
Information offices for details of hostels and camp sites.
There are a number of agencies in Turkey specialising in youth
travel. These include Gençtur Tourism & Travel
Agency ( www.genctur.com) and Seventur Tourism & Travel
Agency (www.seventur.com.tr)
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