Book early to avoid disappointment - one of the most unspoilt areas of Turkey and for those in the know - the limited accommodation sells out fast! Booking now......

Our fantastic package holidays to Turkey now include the ever-popular resort of KALKAN. Check out our range of hotels on offer. Book on-line or call reservations for advice / assistance.

Wings Abroad is a specialist All-Inclusive independent Tour Operator for Turkey, offering a fantastic choice of resorts and accommodations to our loyal customers. We only specialize in holidays to Turkey and each summer have carried many thousands of UK holiday makers to their affordable dream destinations.
From the beginning, Wings Abroad has built it's success on it's expertise and dedication to fulfilling the dreams of British holiday makers of a quality holiday at a bargain price. Wings Abroad is owned and managed by a team passionate in their love of travel; with a profound knowledge of Turkey, a team motivated by their desire to share that love and knowledge with Wings Abroad clients.

FAMAGUSTA AND KYRENIA Both resorts added to our programme for this summer.

The European Capital of Culture is a city designated by the European Union for a period of one calendar year during which it is given a chance to showcase its cultural life and cultural development. The official opening celebrations for Istanbul’s “European Capital of Culture” take place on 16 January. The televised shows are due to be broadcast from 7 different locations around the city and will include spectacular fireworks and unforgettable performances from some of Turkeys most talented artists.

CHEAPEST PACKAGE HOLIDAYS ON SALE NOW FOR SUMMER 2010
LOTS OF NEW HOTELS ADDED!!!!!

IMPORTANT SERVICE TELEPHONE NUMBERS
Traffic Police: 154 Police: 155 Gendarmerie: 156 Fire: 110 Emergency: 112 International Operator: 118 Municipal Police: 153

POSTAL SYSTEMS AND TELEPHONE CALLS

Turkish post and telephone offices are easily recognizable by their "PTT" and "Turk Telekom" signs. Major post offices are open from 8:00am to 12 am Monday to Saturday and 9:00am to 7:00 pm on Sunday. Small post offices have the same hours as Government offices (see below).

Poste restante
Poste restante letters should be addressed "postrestant" to the central post office ("Merkez Postanesi") in the town of your choice. It is only necessary to produce and identification card when collecting your letter. This service is for sending and receiving documents from other countries.

Fax Office
Fax service is available for sending and receiving documents from other countries.

Valuable Dispatch
This service is for sending valuable belongings or important documents.

Other PTT services
It is possible to exchange money at some PTT branches at the current international exchange rate. International post orders and travellers cheques can also be exchanged. An express postal service (Acele Posta Servisi -APS) operates from Turkey to 72 other countries for letters, documents and small packages. Stamp collectors will be delighted with the wide range of special stamps available from the philatelic section. International subscriptions are also available.

Phone calls
The most economic way to telephone in Turkey is from a PTT telephone booth (Found in all towns). Telephone cards are available.

MISCELLENIOUS FACTS
Local Time: GMT+2hours (Summer). Electricity: 220 volts AC all over Turkey (A European adaptor will be suitable). Tap water: Safe to drink in all cities since it has been chlorinated. Weights and measurements: Metric System Foreign Newspapers: Available in large cities and tourist areas. Interpreters-guides: Ministry of Tourism Offices and travel agents can provide professional interpreters/guides. Travel agents are obliged to provide a professional interpreter/guide on all of their tours.

Government offices: 8:30 am - 12:30 pm; 1:30 pm-5:30 pm (Closed Saturday and Sundays, open daily in tourist areas)
Banks: 8:30 am - 12:00 pm; 1:30 pm-5:00 pm
(Closed Saturday and Sundays, open daily in tourist areas)
Shops: 9:30 am - 7:00 pm
(In tourist areas, closing times vary, some close around midnight)
Covered Bazaar- Istanbul: 8:am - 7:pm (Closed Sundays)
Summer hours: In the Aegean and the Mediterranean regions of Turkey, government offices and many other establishments are closed in the afternoon during the summer months. These summer hours are fixed each year by the provincial governors.

Marmara, Aegean, and Mediterranean coasts: Light, cotton summer clothing and cardigans for evening.

1.World's second greatest mozaic museum is found in Antakya (Antioch). The most beautiful and ancient examples of mosaics, which were first used by the Sumerians 5000 years by mixing the fragments of pottery into the wall daub, could be seen all around Anatolia. The mosaic museum in Zeugma, Gaziantep is as rich as the one in Antioch.

2.Istanbul is the only city in the world located on two continents, Europe and Asia. In its thousands of years of history, it has been the capital of three great empires - Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman.

3.Çatalhöyük, which is known as one of the earliest settlements in the Neolithic Age, is located in Çumra district of the present-day city of Konya (ancient Iconium). By virtue of sheltering unique findings as proofs of the first home architecture, religious facilities and landscape paintings, it bears a special place in the history of civilizations and impresses its guests immensely.

4.Two of the world's seven wonders are located in Turkey;The Temple of Artemis and The Halicarnassus Mausoleum.
The Temple of Artemis, which is situated in Izmir-Efes (Smyrna-Ephesus), is an exquisite architectural masterpiece. Dedicated to the Greek goddess Artemis, the temple was built in the 800s BC.
The Mausoleum, which is located in Halicarnassus (Bodrum), was built by the Karian Queen Artemisia between the years 355 and 340 BC to commemorate his husband Maussollos. However the archeological findings of these temples which were done in 1869-1874 by J.T Wood and 1904-1905 by David G. Hogart was taken to British Museum.


5.At the end of the seventh century BC, the first coin was minted in Sardis, the capital of the Lydian Kingdom, which neighbors with Salihli district of the present-day city Manisa.

6.Coffee was first brought from Yemen to Istanbul in the sixteenth century. Prepared in a specific method peculiar to Turks, and always in a ceremonial attitude, the delicious reputation of the Turkish coffee spread all around Europe in the seventeenth century. Among its many lovers, Balzac, Moliere, Alexandre Dumas, Victor Hugo and Pierre Lotti are few to be named. Drinking coffee is still a very essential part of Turkish culture.

7.The word "turquoise" comes from "Turk", meaning Turkish, and was derived from the perfect blue of the Mediterranean Sea on the southern Turkish coast.

8.Tulips were in fact introduced to Holland from Turkey by Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq who was Charles V's ambassador to the Ottoman Empire in the era of Süleyman the Lawmaker. In the 1500s, bulbs were so popular that by 1634 in Holland it was called 'tulipmania'. People invested money in tulips as they do in stocks today. This period of elegance and amusement in 17th-century Turkey is referred to as "The Tulip Age."

9.The most valuable silk carpet in the world is in the Mevlana (Rumi) Museum in Konya, Turkey. Marco Polo's journeys in the thirteenth centuries took him here, and he remarked that the "best and handsomest of rugs" were to be found in Turkey.

10.A cave known today as the Grotto of St Peter, or Church of St Peter, is believed to be where the apostle Peter preached when he visited Antioch (Antakya, in southern Turkey). It is widely considered to be one of the earliest Christian houses of worship. In 1963, the Papacy designated the site as a place of pilgrimage and recognised it as the world's first cathedral. Every year on June 29, a special service held at the church, is attended by Christians all around the world.

11.Anatolia is the birthplace of many historical figures such as the mighty Phrygian King Midas, the father of history Herodotus and St Paul the Apostle. When the archaeologists from the Pennsylvania Museum opened the tomb of Midas, they found some of the earliest and well-preserved wooden furniture in the world.

12.St Nicholas, rather known as Santa Claus, was born in Patara and served as the Bishop of Myra on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. It is believed that St Nicholas died in Myra on December 6, at the age of 65. Each year, ceremonies are held to commemorate him and children all around the world cherish this opportunity of bonding and sharing their joy with each other. The village contains the famous Church of St Nicholas with the sarcophagus believed to be his tomb.

13.Many important events surrounding the birth of Christianity occurred in Turkey. St John, St Paul and St Peter all lived and prayed in southern Anatolia. Tradition has it that St John brought Virgin Mary to Ephesus after the Crucifixion, where she spent her last days in a small stone house (Meryem Ana Evi) on what is now Bülbüldagi (Mount Koressos). It is a very popular pilgrimage site for Christians today.

14.According to the Legend of Great Flood told in both the Koran and the Old Testament, after the withdrawal of the waters, Noah's Ark landed on Mount Ararat (Agri) in eastern Anatolia. Throughout centuries, the scientists have conducted expeditions on the slopes of Ararat with the hope of finding the remains of Noah's Ark.

15.The seven churches mentioned in the Book of Revelation -Ephesos, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea- are all found in Turkey.

16.Anatolia played a crucial role in the organization and spread of Christianity.
The religious councils, which are integral to Christianity, were all convened in Anatolia.
-Nicaea Council (325 AC)
-First Constantinople Council (381 AC)
-Ephesos Council (431 AC)
-Chalcedon Council (451 AC)
-Second Constantinople Council (553 AC)
-Third Constantinople Council ( 680-681 AC)
-Sevond Nicae Council (787 AC)
-Fourth Constantinople Council ( 869-870 AC)
17.Troy where the Trojan wars recounted in Iliad by Homeros of Smyrna were fought is situated in a small village (Tevfikiye) of Dardanelle (Çanakkale) in western Turkey. The symbolic Wooden Horse erected at the site to memorialize the historical significance of the place, stands as an invitation to a mystical, epical and romantic journey through time.

18.One of the first most accurate world maps were drawn by the well-known Turkish cartographer and navigator Piri Reis in 1513. The map known today as Piri Reis Map skillfully depicted Europe, Asia, Africa and the then known portions of America as well as the places which were yet to be discovered. Erich von Daniken in his famous book The Chariots of the Gods suggests that the accuracy of the Piri Reis Map could only be explained by considering the possibility of an extraterresterial help.

19. Sanliurfa is known to be the City of the Prophets where Prophet Abraham, Prophet Job, Prophet Elijah and Prophet Jacob lived. Lake of Fishes which is accepted as one of the holy grounds can be found in this city.

Aegean
The Aegean region centered on Izmir is a true breadbasket, with low hills and higher mountains framing fertile valleys full of rich alluvial soil. The dependable summer sun produces bumper crops of tobacco, sunflowers, olives, figs, peaches, pears and apples.
Rainfall averages 645 mm/25 inches per year; temperatures range from -8C/18F to 43C/109F, with average humidity of 69%.

Marmara
The countryside around Istanbul, Edirne, Bursa and the Sea of Marmara is low hills and rolling farmland excellent for fruit orchards (apricots, grapes, peaches) as well as vegetables, sunflowers and grain.
South of Bursa are higher mountains (2500+ meters/8200 feet).
Rainfall averages 668 mm/26 inches per year; temperatures range from a low of -16C/3F in the depths of winter to 40C/104F on the hottest day in summer. It's quite humid (average 73%).

Mediterranean
Turkey's southern shore is hemmed in by high mountain ranges. There's little beach from Fethiye to Antalya, but east of Antalya the littoral broadens into the fertile Pamphylian plain (which is where you find Side) fringed with white sand beach.
Not far east of Alanya the mountains come down to the sea again, all the way east to Antakya, keeping this coast very hot and humid in summer: maximum 45C/113F, minimum -5C/23F; rainfall is 777 mm/31 inches.

Central Anatolia
The center of Turkey is high plateau (elevation 900m/3000 feet at Ankara) of rolling steppe framed by mountain ranges, some of which boast snow-capped dormant volcanoes. (It was the volcanic Mt Erciyes near Kayseri that formed the Central Anatolian moonscape of Cappadocia.)
The land produces summer and winter wheat and other crops, and feeds millions of grazing sheep. Temperatures range from -25C/-13F to 40C/104F, with rainfall of only 382 mm/15 inches per year. The average humidity is 62%.


Black Sea Coast
Turkey's Black Sea coast, 1700 km/1000 miles long, is surprisingly lush and green because of its 781 mm/31 inches of annual rainfall dropped as the winds crossing the Black Sea rise to vault the coastal mountains.
It's cloudy much of the time, which seems to suit the tobacco fields. Cherries originated here, and are still grown in abundance, as are hazelnuts (filberts), of which Turkey supplies half the world's needs.
The lush grass feeds cattle which produce Turkey's best milk, cream and butter. The humid coast east of Trabzon is perfect for growing tea bushes. In the steep evergreen-choked valleys above, you might think you're in Central Europe, though warmer.
Temperatures range from -8C/18F to 40C/104F, with an average humidity of 72%.

Eastern Anatolia
Mountainous, rugged and chilly, eastern Turkey is an elemental place where temperatures drop to -43C/-45F in deep winter, and rise to 38C/100F in summer, though the annual average is just 9C/48F.
June to September are the best months to visit unless you're going skiing at Palandoken just outside Erzurum.
Rainfall is 560 mm/22 inches. It's relatively poor country, with wheat fields, fruit and nut orchards, and lots of grazing sheep.

Southeastern Anatolia
Down near Syria on the banks of the rivers Tigris (at Diyarbakir) and Euphrates (near Sanliurfa) it's hot most of the time: up to 46C/115F in high summer (and—unusually—a low of -12C/10F some winters).
It's dry, with only 576 mm/23 inches of rainfall, but lots of water from the gigantic Southeast Anatolia Project (GAP) irrigation and hydroelectric power system centered near Sanliurfa. Crops love the heat and grow fast. People go slow, and mostly in the shade. The best time to visit is anytime except summer (mid-June through mid-September).

Official Name: The Republic of Turkey (Türkiye Cumhuriyeti)
Founder: Mustafa Kemal ATATURK (1881-1938)
Capital: Ankara

Major Cities:
Istanbul 10.0 million
Ankara 4.0 million
Izmir 3.3 million
Konya 2.2 million
Bursa 2.1 million
Adana 1.8 million

Population: 67.8 million (as of 2000)
Language: Turkish (uses Latin Alphabet)
Currency: New Turkish Lira (YTL) as of 01/01/2005
1YTL = 1,000,000 TL (Turkish Lira)
Location: Eastern Mediterranean. Located on two contitents Europe and Asia. The European part of Turkey is called Thrace, while the Asian part is called Anatolia or Asia Minor.
Area: 814 578 Km2 (314 500 square miles)
% 3 on the European continent
% 97 on the Asian continent

Religion: 99 percent of the population is Muslim. Turkey is a secular state that assures complete freedom of worship to non-Muslims.

Government: Turkey is democratic, secular and social state governed by the rule of law; committed to the nationalism of Ataturk and based on the principle of the separation of powers:

- Legislative Power: The Turkish Grand National Assembly
- Executive Power: President and the Council of Ministers.
- Judicial Power: Independent courts and supreme judiciary organs.

Coastline: 8333 Km. (5000 miles)
Turkey is surrounded by sea on three sides, by the Black Sea in the north, the Mediterranean in the south and the Aegean Sea in the west. In the northwest there is also an important internal sea, the Sea of Marmara, between the straits of the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus.

Geographical Regions:
Turkey has 80 administrative provinces and seven geographical regions. The first four of the seven regions are given the names of the seas which are adjacent to them.
- Black Sea Region
- Marmara Region
- Aegean Region
- Mediterranean Region

The other three regions are named in accordance with their location in the whole of Anatolia.
- Central Anatolia Region
- Eastern Anatolia Region
- Southeastern Anatolia Region

Famous Landmarks:
Ayasofya Museum, Topkapi Palace, Blue Mosque, Dolmabahce Palace, ancient City of Troy, Ephesus, Aphrodisias, Pergamon, Pamukkale, Goreme-Cappadocia, Mt.Nemrut, Safranbolu.

Other Useful Information
Time: Local time is equal to GMT + 2 hours. Same time zone all over the country (seven hours ahead of U.S. eastern standard time).
Electricity: 220 volts a.c. throughout Turkey