Postal
System
Turkish
post-offices are easily recognized by their black PTT letters on a yellow
background. Major post offices are open from 8:00 a.m. till 12:00 p.m.,
Monday/Saturday, and 9:00 a.m. till 7:00 p.m., Sunday. Small post-offices
have the same hours as the government offices.
Postal
charges vary for different services depending on destination. Post restante
letters should be addressed "postrestant" to the central post-office
Merkez Postanesi, in the town of your choice. You have to show your
identification card to collect your letters.
All
PTT branches have the facilities to exchange money at the current international
exchange rates, as well as international postal orders and travellers'
cheques. There is also an express postal service (APS) operating to
90 countries for letters , documents and small packages. A wide variety
of special stamps are available in all PTT centers for philatelists.
To
phone from PTT telephone booths, which are extensively found in all
areas; telephone cards , and tokens (";jeton") in three sizes
are used. Local, inter-city and international calls can be made from
all PTT offices. Besides these main offices there are also mobile PTT
services in the touristic areas. For the area codes of major cities
and touristic areas in Turkey, please see the "Area Codes"
list. Foreign countries area codes are indicated in the International
Telephone Codes list.
Some
important service numbers are;
155
Police
112 Emergency
110 Fire
118 Unknown Numbers
161 PTT Information.
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Tourist
Health
Turkish
Tourist Health Society (Turizm Sagligi Dernegi-Hacettepe Üniversitesi
Tip Fakültesi Plastik ve Rekonstrüktif Cerrahi Ana Bilim Dali, Sihhiye
06100 ANKARA Tel: (312) 311 93 93-310 98 08) perfoms the functions below,
to provide the travellers in the entire country, mainly in the touristic
regions, with proper health care:
to
secure food hygiene
to prevent environmental pollution
to ensure hygiene and healthy working-conditions in touristic establishments.
Working
Hours
Government
Offices
Monday-Friday (8:30-12:30) , (13:30-17:30)
Saturday-Sunday (closed)
Banks
Monday-Friday (8:30-12-00) , (13:30-17:00)
Saturday-Sunday (closed)
During
summer months, the government offices and many other establishments
in the Aegean and Mediterranean Regions are closed in the afternoon.
These fixed summer hours are determined by the governing bodies of the
provinces.
Other
Practical Information
Local
GMT+2 hours
Time
Differences:
Argentina -5, France -1, Netherlands -1, Australia +8, Germany -1, Saudi
Arabia+1, Austria -1, Greece 0, Sweden -1, Egypt 0, Italy -1, Switzerland
-1, England -2, Japan +7, Spain -1, USA -7 (EST) -10 (WEST)
* These time differences are for the period October-March; however,
they may show variances according to each country's own time-saving
adjustments.
Petrol:
Super (peremium) - Unleaded (at some places). Normal (regular) - Diesel.
Electricity:
220 volts AC/50 Hz. all over Turkey. (Industrial:380 V) Plug: European
round/ 2-prong plug.
Water:
Although tap vater is safe to drink since it is chlorinated, it is recommended
to get advice from the concemed authorities of the places resided.
Weights
and Measures:
1 inch = 2.54 centimeters , 1 centimeter = 0.3937 inches
1 yard = 0,9144 meters, 1 meter = 1.0936 yards
1 mile = 1,6093 kilometers, 1 kilometer = 0.6214 miles
1 pound = 0,4536 kilograms, 1 kilogram = 2.2046 pounds
Area:
1 acres = 0,4047 Hectares, 1 hectare = 2.471 acres
Capacity:
1 UK gallon = 4.546 litres, 1 litre = 0.2199 UK gallons
1 US gallon = 3.7831 litres, 1 litre = 0.2643 US gallons
Newspapers and Magazines:
Foreign newspapers and magazines are available in big cities and tourist
areas. Also there is a Turkish daily newspaper, Daily News, published
in English.
Tipping:
At various establishments like hotels, restaurants, Turkish baths, barbers
and hairdressers, tipping at a rate of 5%-15% of the total is common.
Taxi and "dolmus" drivers on the other hand, do not expect
tips or even rounded fares.
Visiting
a mosque:
Five times a day, the "müezzin" calls the faithful to prayer
in thi mosque. Before entering a mosque, Muslims wash themselves and
remove their shoes. Foreign visitors should also remove their shoes
and show the respect they would any other house of worship and avoid
visiting the mosque durin prayer time. Women should cover their heads
and ams, and not wear miniskirts. Men should not wear shorts. (In certain
famous mosques, overalls are provided for those not suitably dressed.)
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