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Travelling in Turkey during Ramadam

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Travelling in Turkey during Ramadam

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Old Dec 9th, 2008 | 04:09 PM
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Travelling in Turkey during Ramadam

As non-Muslims will we encounter any
undue difficulties travelling during
this period? We will be sticking to
towns on the 'tourist trail' rather
than villages in the remote parts of
the country.
llamalady is offline  
Old Dec 9th, 2008 | 04:10 PM
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....ooops, make that 'Ramadan'.
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Old Dec 9th, 2008 | 05:05 PM
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What do you mean by "undue difficulties" ?
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Old Dec 9th, 2008 | 05:35 PM
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By all means, plan to be in Turkey during Ramadan. We were fortunate to be in Istanbul towards the end of Ramadan and found it to be a fascinating and wonderful time. You will not experience any "undue difficulties" In fact, it is quite possible that you will be invited to a Ramadan dinner, as we were by two different Merchants, and have an experience that you will remember fondly.
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Old Dec 9th, 2008 | 06:26 PM
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By 'undue difficulties' I meant will
restaurants be closed during the day; will entrance to mosques be
restricted more than usual; will
museums, hammams, etc be open
as normal.

Since I've never been in an Islamic
country during Ramadan I'm just
curious about touring during that
time.

Thanks, Jerry - sounds like a chance
to have a wonderful experience. We
will be in Istanbul during the month
and also for the 3 day holiday that
marks the end of Ramadan.
llamalady is offline  
Old Dec 9th, 2008 | 08:50 PM
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Turkey is the most secular of Moslem countries. You should encounter no difficulties due to Ramadan.
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Old Dec 10th, 2008 | 08:53 PM
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I have visited Turkey, Tunisia and Egypt during Ramadan in different years, from my limited experience, no problem in big cities or major tourist areas; but it was difficult to find restuarants open around countryside during daytime.
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Old Dec 11th, 2008 | 05:49 AM
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I have not visited Turkey during Ramadan, but have been in both Morocco and Tunisia during Ramadan and didn't experience any difficulties at all, unless you count not being allowed into mosques (unless you were a Muslim) during that time. I have no idea if that is the case in Turkey.
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Old Dec 11th, 2008 | 07:09 AM
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I was in Turkey during Ramadan three years ago. There were no restrictions and I noticed little that would let a tourist know that it was the Ramadan period.

Restaurants did tend to fill up quickly as soon as the faithful were allowed to eat in the evening. You should try to visit the Iftar tents if you are in Istanbul or other large cities:

http://tinyurl.com/6585wn
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Old Dec 11th, 2008 | 10:03 AM
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Thanks to everyone for the good
info. We'll look forward to a
great experience in a new-to-us
country.
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Old Dec 11th, 2008 | 01:21 PM
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While there should be few, if any, "difficulties" - it's recommended that you DO NOT walk about streets with food or drink.
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