Posts Tagged ‘turkey’
Helpful Hints
HELPFUL HINTS:
-The national currency in Turkey is Turkish Lira but, in holiday resorts and big cities in Turkey you can use EURO, US DOLAR and GBP.
- It would be wiser exchanging in one of the banks or exchange offices. Unless it’s a public holiday, banks are open in weekdays between 08:30 till 17:00 and provide standard services nationwide.
-International credit cards such as American Express, master and visa cards are accepted by all the shops, restaurants,hotels and banks in Turkey.
-Time zone : Turkey is two hours ahead of Greenwhich Meantime and seven hours ahead of Eastern Standart Time.
-Water : In most of the cities it’s safe to drink tap water, but in some areas it can taste unpleasant.You can drink bottled spring water, which is inexpensive.
-Health: There are many public and private hospitals in the country. All health insurance policies covering Turkey are valid within the country borders. In case of necessity you should contact offical representatives of health insurances.
-Drug stores/ Pharmacy: You can access imported and domestic pharmaceuticals.Most of them sell herbal remedies as well as the medicals. You can discuss your intended use and advice the pharmacist of any prescribed or non-prescribed medication that you may be currently taking since most of them speak English in big cities.
-Electricity : Main electricity in the town is 220 watt, 50 (hz). British and American visitors will need plug adapters for their electrical appliances because, plugs and sockets are same as in continental countries of European Union.
-Since it is an old tradition you can feel free about bargaining in traditional shop.
- Useful numbers: 112 ambulance / 155 police / 156 military police / 110 fire department.
The Southeastern Anatolia
THE SOUTHEASTERN ANATOLIA:
Representing only 9.7% of the total area of Turkey, the Southeastern region is the smallest region of the country with its 75.000 square kilometers of land.
The Southeastern region has nine provinces, which are, Adiyaman, Batman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Kilis, Mardin, Sanliurfa, Siirt, Sirnak.
Among the most important agricultural productions, vegetable products, grains such as wheat, barley and lentils, cotton,a valuable type of tobacco called “the Oriental Type” olives and pistachio nuts can be counted. Petroleum is the most important underground resource in the region.
Earliest settlements date back to the Paleolithic age in the region. In the same area remains from different periods and civilisations can be seen; Hurris, Hittites, Assyrians, Persians, Romans, Byzantines, Seljuk Turks and Ottomans.
Zeugma, famous for its floor mosaics, was an important Roman city which is located 10 km from Nizip in Gaziantep province today is worth to see. Known as the second longest city walls after the Great Wall of China, Diyarbakir City Walls were first constructed by the Roman Emperor Constantius.
Hasankeyf which was the capital of the Artukogullari in the twelfth century, is the most important historical center near Batman with its beautiful structures such as the citadel, the remains of a large bridge over the Tigris River, the Grand Mosque and the Zeynel Bey Tomb. are important historical assets in the county. The largest arched bridge of Turkey, the Middle East and the Balkans is the Malabadi Bridge, remaining from the twelfth century, and located over Batman Stream.
Sanliurfa, one of the most sacred cities in Turkey is the city where the Prophet Abraham, the father of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, was born.
Mardin province in this region is located on the rail and highway routes connecting Turkey to Syria and Iraq. The city witnessed various civilizations in history such as; Hurri-Mitani, Hittites, Surs, Babylonians, Persians, Romans, Arabs, Artuklus and the Seljuk Turks.
Other must sees of the region are, Nemrut Mountain (90km South-east of Adiyaman province), Commagene, Hasankeyf , Gobeklitepe and the Deyrulzaferan Monastery.
Turkey
Turkey is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in western Asia and Thrace (Rumeli in Turkish) in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe. The Mediterranean Sea and Cyprus Island are to the south, the Black Sea is to the north and the Aegean Sea to the west.Turkey is bordered by eight countries: Bulgaria to the northwest, Greece to the west, Iraq and Syria to the southeast, Armenia, Azerbaijan (the exclave of Nakhchivan) and Iran to the east and Georgia to the northeast.
Turkish Straits ‘the
Bosphorus’ and ‘the Dardanelles’, separate Europe from Asia. The Bosphorus connects the Black Sea to the Marmara Sea and the Dardanelles connects the Aegean Sea to the Marmara Sea.
Turkey is a democratic, secular, unitary, constitutional republic, which is the successor state to the Ottoman Empire. The political system of the country was established in 1923 under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Turkey is the member of organizations such as the OIC and ECO, Council of Europe, NATO, OECD, WEOG, OSCE and the G-20 major economies.
Breathtaking natural beauties such as beaches, bays, coves, ports, islands, peninsulas, mountains and valleys, lakes, rivers, waterfalls and grottoes, hot springs, healing waters and muds; due to being a crossroads of religions, rich historical and archeological sites, improving hotel and touristic infrastructure, a tradition of hospitality and competitive prices make Turkey one of the most popular tourism destinations in the world.
COUNTRY PROFILE
Official Name
Republic of Turkey
Capital
Ankara
Largest Cities
Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Adana, Antalya
Area
814.578 km2
Geographical Coordinates
Eastern Meridians 26° and 45° and Northern Parallels 36° and 42°
Language
The official language is Turkish. English is widely spoken.
Currency
Turkish Lira (TL)
Time Zone
GMT+2
International Dial Code
+90
