Ramadan..effects on traveling in Turkey?

Old Sep 20th, 2005, 11:09 AM
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Ramadan..effects on traveling in Turkey?

We will be traveling (October) in Istanbul and NW Turkey during Ramadan. I understand that there are some excellent food stalls set up in SultanAhmet each night during the holiday where locals congragate to break the fast. I would like more info on these, as well as anything I should know that will affect us as foreign tourists during our stay. Will restaurants in Istanbul and near the North Aegean coast be closed during the day? We will not be visiting any large resorts. Are there any dress-related matters to know about for women? Would it be ok for me (female) to wear long (almost to knee) shorts (such as GAP=type khakis) while traveling along the NW coast during Ramadan or at any other time?
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Old Sep 20th, 2005, 11:24 AM
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I would completely ignore this, it I where you. Do as you like, it's a muslim religious thing, none of your business. If there are any complaints, which I hope there won't be, it's their problem, not yours. It it's closed, it's closed. Religion is your very private thing, hence nobody needs to adjust his/her behaviour to what others do.
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Old Sep 21st, 2005, 08:02 AM
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Anyone else have any comments on my questions?
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Old Sep 21st, 2005, 08:34 AM
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About dress: in any Muslim country I would dress conservatively, thus avoiding shorts.

Our Egyptian neighbors do not expect non-Muslim friends to modify their behavior during Ramadan, but we prefer to show respect for their customs. I'm not sure how the previous poster can say religion is a very private thing when terrible things have been and are being done in the name of religion.
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Old Sep 21st, 2005, 08:44 AM
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Don't know if this applies in Turkey, but I was in Morocco a few years ago during Ramadan, and the mosques were not open to non-Muslims. A disappointment for me, as I had been hoping to go inside a couple of well-known ones.
We did not find that restaurants, cafés, shops, or anything else was closed because of Ramadan. Rather, the evenings were filled with activity in the streets and squares, much more so than usual.
The suggestion to dress modestly is a good one in any Muslim country (which Turkey is not exclusively, of course).
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Old Sep 21st, 2005, 09:07 AM
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Thank you! I am now in the throes of my packing "crisis," as happens before every trip..if anyone has any tips on particular things that might be helpful in Turkey, please feel free to post. Headscarf for mosque and mosque socks are already on the list!
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Old Sep 21st, 2005, 09:42 AM
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Neither Mrs F nor I wear shorts anywhere in the Muslim world, with just two exceptions:
- in the very touristy bits of generally recognised, undoubtedly cosmopolitan, resorts
- inside hotels, or on beaches completely controlled by hotels.

Even in non-sectarian cities - which Istanbul is supposed to be - mainstream Islam has got more fundamental, and "excesive" display can cause offence. Dressing excessively modestly doesn't offend Istanbul's Christians, but many Muslims' standards of immodesty are different from ours. And it's their country.

And loose trousers and long-sleeved shirts/blouses are just as cool (in both senses of the word) as shorts.
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Old Sep 21st, 2005, 09:43 AM
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As I noted above, you may not be allowed entrance into the mosques unless you are muslim. There were signs outside all the mosques in Morocco during Ramadan saying that non-Muslims were not allowed in during Ramadan.

But I guess a scarf and socks might come in handy anyway.
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Old Sep 21st, 2005, 10:26 AM
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Yes, StC, I just re-read your post. Will hope we will be able to visit Hagia Sophia; if not, will visit on the next trip! The shorts in question are long-ish khakis (GAP) but I guess they will have to wait for me at home this time. I am thinking loose cotton pants will be easy to buy in Grand Bazaar; a woman who works in the Turkish Tourist Office here in NYC was wearing a very cool/stylish outfit of loose cotton knit pants, cotton blouse and gauze shawl. When I complimented her on her clothes she told me she had purchased all of the items at the GB in Istanbul.
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Old Sep 21st, 2005, 11:20 AM
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I have been in Istanbul during Ramadan. You don´t really notice it, except in the evenings in Sultanahmet when those food stalls open. We ate there once, and food was good and cheap. The stalls are next to Hippodrome.

Hagia Sofia is a museum nowadays, not a mosque, so of course you can visit. But non-muslims are welcome to mosques as well, except NOT in prayer times. I visited the Blue mosque and Suleiman mosque. There are also scarfs that you can borrow.

I would never wear shorts (however long) anyplace, well, maybe in resort areas, and certainly not during Ramadan.
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Old Sep 21st, 2005, 12:35 PM
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I think I was in Egypt during part of Ramadan quite a few years ago, but it didn't affect me. Dress didn't matter because of Ramadan, you should dress appropriately (depending what that means to you) regardless of Ramadan.

I think things have gotten much more conservative over the last 15-20 years since I went, as even Egyptian women at that time were wearing shorts in public, and not just in tourist hotels. I was with a small tour group, and our leader was a lovely young native Egyptian woman and she wore shorts twice, it was perfectly acceptable. I don't know if she was Muslim or not. Of course, these were not running shorts or anything ridiculous, they were knee-length tailored Bermuda shorts that she wore with sandals and a short-sleeved cotton blouse.
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Old Sep 21st, 2005, 11:22 PM
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Dear Ekscrunchy,

It's me again who has to answer your questions. By the way, there are some sensible suggestions between the lines of fellow fodorites, but the ones regarding Morocco or Egypt have got nothing to do apart from being typical generalizations.

1. As elina suggests,you don´t really notice the Ramadan, except in the evenings in Sultanahmet when those food stalls open and when you see people rushing towards their homes or restaurants to break their fast. The only thing you have to be careful is to avoid having your dinner at the same time of fast breaking.(Around 7 p.m.) Almost all the restaurants and other eating places (including Mc Donald's) will be packed with people and you cannot simply find a chair or table so sit. Arrange your dinner hours around 8.30 p.m.

Eating in Sultanahmet Square (Hippodrome)with locals can be an interesting experience to feel the real atmosphere.

2. All the restaurants in Istanbul and near the North Aegean coast will be open and you won't starve nor will you offend anybody by eating or drinking.

3. It is O.K. if you wear long shorts, skirts, cotton knit pants etc. As long as you think what you are wearing is appropriate with the place you are visiting, there is no problem.

As for visiting a mosque, you can visit them in Turkey whether it is Ramadan or not. However, in order not to disturb people during their prayer, visitors are advised not enter during prayer times. On the other hand, if you want to show your respect to local customs and the people, you can cover your head when visiting a mosque. You can either use your own head cover or borrow one at the entrance. Again if you want that your GAP short is not suitable for the occasion, you can borrow some sort of bolero like covers, or something like a skirt to wrap around your waist at the entrance to the mosque.

I have to make one thing clear. In the Turkish interpretation of Islam everything is based on the Love of God, not on the fear of God as it is perceived in most Muslim countries. In order to refrain from jingoism, I am quoting the observations of an American who has been to Turkey recently regarding the perception and practice of religion in Turkey..

"If there is anywhere in the world which would be a better showcase for Islam, I don’t know where it would be. Historically, Islam as practiced in the Ottoman Empire showed a great tolerance for other “people of the Book”, that being Jews and Christians. Jews were welcomed in the Ottoman Empire after the Spanish Inquisition and Expulsion. That still seems to be the case today. A country with both a religious and secular heritage rolled into one. Most Americans seem ignorant of the legacy of Ataturk and the unique society that he created. Where the West and East meet may be a cliche, but one that is certainly merited here. We were freely welcomed in every mosque we visited from the big ones in Istanbul to the small ones in the country towns. We were never made to feel unwelcome or uncomfortable anywhere. Note to fellow tourists: learn some basic manners and respect for the religions of others. Don’t wear shorts and a tank top in a mosque. It is not great imposition for a woman to carry a head scarf around in her purse and use it in a mosque. The Turks were surprisingly tolerant of tourists who showed a lack of respect and dressed improperly in mosques. However we found them very accommodating of those who obviously were not Moslems but did show the proper respect. We were given “private tours” on several occasions in certain mosques. Americans need to learn more about Turkey and their secular society. Everywhere we went, people said that they had not seen many Americans since 9/11 or the Second Gulf War. They need to see Turkey: this is exactly the kind of society we would like to see in Iraq."

I do apologize for the long reply but I believe this will erase some of the question marks you have in mind.

With all good wishes.


P.S. Ekscrunchy, there is definitely something wrong with your mail server. Your post box may be full. All the mails I have been sending you recently are bouncing back. Mr. Metin says he has the same problem. He said he tried to send all the info regarding the vans together with their photographs to your mail address and his messages kept bouncing back so he sent them to your other email address (which I don't know). So please check your other mail address.



s good and cheap. The stalls are next to Hippodrome.


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Old Sep 22nd, 2005, 06:27 AM
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Thank you, Asia Minor. As usual you have provided interesting, helpful and insightful comments. On a related topic, I am looking forward to trying the food stalls in SultanAhmet and the food everywhere in Turkey. We will be looking for "mevsimli" signs, which I believe means seasonal specialties. If you have the time, perhaps you could tell us what kind of seasonal treats will be on offer this fall in Istanbul and Aegean region. As you may know, several of my friends are food professionals in the San Francisco area, so this will be most interesting to them. Thanks again to everyone for their help.
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