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OPENING HOURS AND HOLIDAYS |
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Ordinary shops are open from around 9am until 7 or 8pm, possibly
with a day off on Sunday, depending on the owner. Museums are generally
open from 8 or 8.30am until 5 or 6pm, closed on Monday and often at
lunchtime (usually 12.30-1.30pm). Archeological sites have more variable
opening hours, but are generally open daily from just after sunrise
until just before sunset. Mosques in busy areas stay open all the time;
others open only for namaz , or Muslim prayer, five times a day. It's a
courtesy for both men and women to cover their legs before entering a
mosque - shorts are considered offensive - and for women to cover their
heads. You should always take off your shoes at the door.
The two religious holidays are the Seker Bayram (Sugar Holiday), which
marks the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan (Dec 6-8, 2002),
and Kurban Bayram (the Feast of the Sacrifice) which falls about six
weeks later (March 5-8, 2003). Confusingly, if either fall midweek the
government may choose to extend the holiday period to as much as nine
days - announcing it only a couple of weeks beforehand. In main tourist
destinations, museums generally stay open but in smaller towns they may
close. Many shops and restaurants also close as their owners return to
their home towns for the holiday. (Note that the first morning of Kurban
Bayram sees the public slaughter and dismemberment of a phenomenal
number of sheep, cows and goats - not a sight for the faint-hearted.)
Four secular holidays involve the closure of banks and public offices:
Jan 1; May 19 (Atatürk's birthday); Aug 30 (victory over the Greeks in
1922); and Oct 29 (proclamation of the republic). At 9.05am on Nov 10 (anniversary
of Atatürk's death), sirens sound all over the country and you will be
expected to stop whatever you're doing and maintain a minute's
respectful silence.
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