Turkey

The capital: Ankara.

The largest city: Istanbul.

Population: 2007 census - 70,586,256. The larger part of the population is a Turkish, around 10 million Kurds, 1 million Arabs, over then 10 thousands of Greeks, Armenians and Jews.

Holidays: 1 January (New year), 23 April (Day of the autonomy and day of the children as well ) , 1 May, 19 May (Day of Ataturk), 30 August (Day of the Victory), 29 October (put to the democracy) , The different religious holidays.

National particularities: by the Muslim's traditions, entering in a mosque or a private house you must down your shoes. The Turks excel with a uprightness and civility. The discussion has not to begin from the main subject, you must breathe humility. It is nice to the Turks, if some phrases are vocalized in their home tongue.

Geography: Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in western Asia and Thrace (Rumelia) in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe. Turkey borders eight countries: Bulgaria to the northwest; Greece to the west, Georgia to the northeast; Armenia, Azerbaijan (the exclave of Nakhichevan), and Iran to the east; and Iraq and Syria to the southeast. The Mediterranean Sea and Cyprus are to the south; the Aegean Sea and Archipelago are to the west; and the Black Sea is to the north. Separating Anatolia and Thrace are the Sea of Marmara and the Turkish Straits (the Bosporus and the Dardanelles), which are commonly reckoned to delineate the border between Asia and Europe, thereby making Turkey transcontinental. You can see all types of foreshores at the Turkish seashore, Start From Boundless Sandy It come to small rocky gulfs.
Climate: Subtropical for Mediterranean-hot summer ( Between + 23 C + 33 C ) For warm winter as well (between + 13 C + 15 C ) . It is best for you to travel to Turkey in the spring or for the fall- in April in June and from September in October.

Time zone: EET (UTC+2)
Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3)

Official language: Turkish. In the cities and the tourist's centers English, German and French are used so as well.

Religion: Muslims- the Sunnis are the larger part of the population. The large part of the population is religious as well really spheres in the public life with soaked with the Islam .

The currency: Turkish lira. As of 1st of January 2005, six zeroes have been deleted from Turkish currency and YTL (New Turkish Lira) became the new currency unit of Turkey. They started using the New Turkish Lira and the New Kurus (cent).

The bond: all types of telephone connection is paid for. The conversation is well more dear from a hotel, than from a street telephone . The lane telephones are located in imminence in the hotels in all resort towns.

The shops: the affordable products from the leather, the cotton, the gold designs, the onyx and the copper, have rendered Turkey some from the most sympathetic countries for purchases. Besides, stocks have non fixing prices permit the tourists to bargain with the salespersons. The shops normally work from 9: 30 for up to 19 hours. The time off is from 13 for up to 14 hours. The respite day is Sunday. The tip is given to the baggage men (in the 1$ limits), for the servers -10 percent from the order value. For the taxi drivers the tip is not given.


English-Turkish Phrasebook

Hello ....................................................... Merhaba or Merab
Goodbye .............................................. Hoshchakaln
Sorry ..................................................... Affedersiniz
Thank you ........................................... Teshekyur
Yes ......................................................... Evet
No ........................................................... Khair
I lost ........................................................ Iolumu shashyrdym
Where is the toilet? ............................. Tuvalet nerede?
How to reach to .. .................................. Ia kadar nasil gidebilirim…
How much does it cost? .................... Kach para?

Istanbul

Istanbul ... This is not only one of the most beautiful cities of Turkey, but also the whole world ... This is the only city in the world, which is located at the junction of two neighboring continents, Asia and Europe. In its long history, Istanbul served as the capital city of the Roman Empire (330-395) and the Byzantine Empire (395-1204 and 1261-1453). Throughout its history the city was the residence of 10 Roman, 82 Byzantine emperors and 30 Ottoman sultans.
There is a legend of the founding of the city associated with mythology. According to this legend, beloved of Zeus named Io found a haven in the Horn of Golden Bay, here she gave birth to her daughter Keroess, which later also continued its genus. Her son Vizant and became the founder of the city in the future. Io itself has been transformed into a white cow, after which it turned in the strait, which has since become known as "cow roam" or the Bosphorus.
The city is a historical treasure, attracting the attention of all humanity. It is one of the largest and attractive museums in the world outdoors. Like Paris, Rome and London, he also called "City - museum." Istanbul was chosen as joint European Capital of Culture for 2010.

This is the list of museums and monuments in Istanbul, which you can visit:

• Anadolu Hisarı (Anatolian Castle) - is a watch fortress. It was built between 1393 and 1394 by the sultan Bayezid I "The Thunderbolt" as part of his preparations for the Second Ottoman Siege of Constantinople, which took place in 1395.

• Arap Mosque (Dominican Church of St. Paul)
• Beylerbeyi Palace
• Bodrum Mosque (Myrelaion)
• Bulgarian St Stephen Church, also known as the Bulgarian Iron Church - is a Bulgarian Orthodox church, famous for being made of cast iron.

• Chora Church
• Column of Constantine (Çemberlitaş) - constructed on the orders of the Roman emperor Constantine the Great in 330 AD. It commemorates the declaration of Byzantium as the new capital city of the Roman Empire.

• Column of the Goths (Gotlar Sütunu)
• Column of Marcian (Kıztaşı)
• Dolmabahçe Palace
• Fatih Mosque
• Fenari Isa Mosque (Theotokos tou Libos)
• Pammakaristos Church (Fethiye Museum)
• Galata Mevlevihanesi (Galata Convent of the Whirling Dervishes)
• Galata Tower
• The Gate of Galatasaray Lisesi
• Hagia Irene (Aya İrini)
• Hagia Sophia - is a former patriarchal basilica, later a mosque, now a museum. Famous in particular for its massive dome, it is considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture. It was the largest cathedral in the world for nearly a thousand years, until the completion of the Medieval Seville Cathedral in 1520.
• Hippodrome of Constantinople
• Stoudios (Imrahor) Monastery
• Kadırga Sokullu Cami
• Kalenderhane Mosque (Theotokos Kyriotissa)
• Kilic Ali Pasha Mosque
• Küçüksu Palace
• Little Hagia Sophia (Ss. Sergius and Bacchus Church)
• The Milion Monument, used for measuring the distances between Constantinople and other cities of the Roman Empire
• Ortaköy Mosque
• Rumeli Hisarı (Castle of the Roman Lands, i.e. Europe)
• Rüstem Pasha Mosque
• St. Esprit Cathedral
• Serpentine Column
• Sultanahmet Mosque or Blue Mosque – it's named like this for the blue tiles adorning the walls of its interior.
• Süleymaniye Mosque
• Palace of Porphyrogenitus (Tekfur Palace)
• Boukoleon Palace
• Porta Aurea (Golden Gate): Ceremonial entrance gate of the city walls, the largest of the 55 gates, defended by Yedikule Castle
• Topkapı Palace - was the official and primary residence in the city of the Ottoman Sultans, from 1465 to 1853. The palace was a setting for state occasions and royal entertainments. It's full of examples of Ottoman architecture and also large collections of porcelain, robes, weapons, shields, armor, Ottoman miniatures, Islamic calligraphic manuscripts and jewelry.

• Yedikule (Seven Towers) Castle
• Walls of Constantinople
• Zeyrek Mosque (Church of Christos Pantokrator)
• Zoology Museum
• Aeronautics Museum
• Archaeology Museum

• Istanbul Modern Art Museum
• Museum of Classical Ottoman (Divan) Literature
• Istanbul Mosaic Museum, contains the floor mosaics and wall decorations of the Great Palace of Constantinople .
• Museum of Illumination and Heating Appliances
• Museum of Ottoman and Turkish Military History (Osmanbey)
• Museum of Ottoman and Turkish Naval History (Beşiktaş)
• Museum of Printing Press (Sultanahmet)
• Museum of Contemporary Art
• Rahmi M Koç Museum
• Toy Museum
• Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum
• UFO Museum
• Sadberk Hanım Museum