SPEA in Turkey

Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs

[ANKARA & ISTANBUL HANDBOOK]

Contents Basic Information …...…...…………………………………………………….. 1

About Ankara and Istanbul ……………….………….…………………………. 2

Accommodations in Turkey ……………………………………………………. 3

Restaurants in Ankara …………………………………………………………. 4

Cultural Activities and Attractions in Ankara ………………………………… 5

Restaurants in Istanbul …………………………………………………………. 7

Cultural Activities and Attractions in Istanbul ………………………………… 8

1

BASIC INFORMATION

Course Dates: June 19 – July 17, 2015

If you are not traveling abroad before or after your program, you will need to book your flight such that you arrive in Ankara before the program begins (so you will leave the US on June 18th), and you depart from Istanbul the day your program ends.

Alternatively, it may be cheaper to book a round-trip ticket to Istanbul but also book a one-way flight to Ankara for you to take after you arrive in Istanbul. There are also a number of shuttle services that travel to and from the Ankara and Istanbul airports.

SPEA accommodations at the Bilkent University Dormitories begin on the night of June 19th, though you may check-in at your room and drop off your bags during any time that day. If you arrive in Ankara before June 19th, you will have to arrange your own lodgings until the night of June 19th.

SPEA will take care of transportation between Ankara and Istanbul, so you do not have to worry about moving between cities. If you are not planning to travel after this program ends, you should book your flight to leave Istanbul on July 17th.

Visas:

Both American citizens and international students traveling to Turkey on U.S. passports must obtain a visa.

Currently, holders of all types of passports can purchase a 90-day sticker visa at the port of entry for $20 cash.

Alternatively, you can purchase an e-visa before you arrive in Turkey, so you can bypass the wait in the lines of the airport. Here is the link: www.evisa.gov.tr/en

2

ABOUT ANKARA and ISTANBUL

Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city (Istanbul being the largest). It is the center of the Turkish Government, and an important commercial and industrial city. Located in Central Anatolia, Ankara is an important crossroads of trade, strategically located at the center of Turkey's highway and railway networks, and serves as the marketing center for the surrounding agricultural area.

Ankara is a very old city with various Hittite, Phrygian, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman archaeological sites. The hill which overlooks the city is crowned by the ruins of the old castle, which adds to the picturesqueness of the view, but only a few historic structures surrounding the old citadel have survived to the present day. There are, however, many well-preserved remains of Ottoman and Roman architecture, the most remarkable being the Temple of Augustus and Rome (20 BC).

During the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s, the city grew in a planned and orderly pace. However, from the 1950s onward, the city grew much faster than envisioned, because unemployment and poverty forced people to migrate from the countryside into the city in order to seek a better standard of living. As a result, many illegal houses called gecekondu were built around the city, causing the unplanned and uncontrolled urban landscape of Ankara, as not enough planned housing could be built fast enough. Although precariously built, the vast majority of them have electricity, running water and modern household amenities.

Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. Istanbul is a transcontinental city in Eurasia, with its commercial and historical center lying on the European side and about a third of its population living on the Asian side of Eurasia. Istanbul straddles the Bosporus strait in northwestern Turkey, between the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea.

Istanbul's strategic position along the historic Silk Road, rail networks to Europe and the Middle East, and the only sea route between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean have helped foster an eclectic populace, although less so since the establishment of the Turkish Republic in 1923. Overlooked for the new capital during the interwar period, the city has since regained much of its prominence. The population of the city has increased tenfold since the 1950s, as migrants from across Anatolia have flocked to the metropolis and city limits have expanded to accommodate them.

The city's biggest draw remains its historic center, partially listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and its cultural and entertainment hub can be found across the city's natural harbor, the Golden Horn, in the Beyoğlu district. Considered a global city, Istanbul is one of the fastest-growing metropolitan economies in the world. It hosts the headquarters of many Turkish companies and media outlets and accounts for more than a quarter of the country's GDP.

3

ACCOMODATIONS in ANKARA

You will be staying in the Bilkent University Dormitories, located on the Bilkent University 6800 Bilkent/Ankara Province, Turkey. The easiest way to get there from the airport is to take a taxi. If you coordinate your arrival flight with other students in the program, you could share a taxi to save on costs. The taxi ride would be about 40-45 minutes.

ACCOMODATIONS in ISTANBUL

In Istanbul, you will be staying at the Republika, located in Ortakoy. The address is Balmumcu Mah Mustafa Izzet Efendi Sokak, No: 1 Ortakoy, Istanbul. We will be taking a private bus from Ankara to Istanbul.

4

RESTAURANTS in ANKARA

Below are some restaurants that received high ratings on Yelp and Trip Advisor.

Meşhur Tavacı Recep Usta

• Address: Güzeltepe Mah. Dikmen, 06540 Ankara

• Phone: +90 312 4422945 • http://tavacirecepusta.com • Yelp recommendations include ali nazik,

sac kavurma, and beyti kebap

Göksu Lokantası

• Address: Bayındır Sok. No: 22/A, Kizilay, 06400 Ankara

• Phone: +90 312 4312219 • goksulokantalari.com • Yelp recommendations include

Iskender Kebab, Tavuk göğsü, and chicken pudding

Köfteci Doktor

• Address: Sakarya Cad. Örnek Pasajı No: 13 D: 13, Ankara

• Phone: +90 312 4316300

5

CULTURAL ACTIVITIES and ATTRACTIONS in ANKARA

Anıtkabir: The Mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

This extravagant tomb and memorial is particularly important to the city of Ankara because it was Atatürk, the revolutionary founder and first president of the new Republic of Turkey, who designated Ankara as the country’s new capital city. On the 69th anniversary of his death, over 550,000 people visited the mausoleum to pay respect to the Father of Modern Turkey.

Kizilay

Kizilay is the epicenter of Ankara’s business and social scene, with an endless flow of designer retail shops, department stores, outdoor markets, stylish restaurants and dizzying nightclubs and bars. It’s the “downtown” area of Ankara, a busy transportation hub and magnet for Ankara’s youth. The Square is also home to many important monuments/memorials that are worth checking out.

Ankara Citadel

For fantastic city views of Ankara head to the Ankara Citadel, situated in the Ulus Bentderesi District of in the Old Quarters. Ankara has many interesting archaeological sites scattered throughout the city, however only a few structures surrounding the citadel have survived its appetite for development and modernization. The citadel surrounds old Ankara and is free to enter and explore. But be forewarned, there are no barriers or handrails to protect clumsy walkers or those with a paralyzing fear of heights.

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Wander the streets of the Old Quarter

Combine your visit to the Ankara Citadel with a walking tour of the historical Old Quarters. Tight single-lane cobblestone roads twist and turn, revealing old red-roofed Ottoman houses, thick fortified walls and cluttered merchant shops selling everything from jewelry to water pipes to textiles. It’s a fairly touristy area, at least for Ankara standards (but it’s far less busy than the Old Quarters in Istanbul), meaning there’s lots of overpriced restaurants and street touts selling cheap souvenirs and

trinkets. The merchants here like to bargain hard, so if you’re up for some spirited bargaining than you’ll surely enjoy this part of town.

Kocatepe Mosque

Stunning, glorious, powerful, seductive, magnificent, brilliant… whatever adjective you choose, it still won’t come close to accurately capturing the style and grace of Ankara’s largest and most impressive place of worship. A visit to Kocatepe Mosque is a must during any trip to Anakara.

Museum of Anatolian Civilization (Anadolu Medeniyetleri Müzesi)

Arguably the most important museum in central Anatolia, the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations contains priceless artifacts from the Paleolithic and Neolithic eras as well as the Hatti, Hittite, Phrygian, Urartu and Roman civilizations. Some people travel all the way to Ankara just to visit this museum and witness its fine collection. The museum is located within two beautifully restored Ottoman buildings on the south side of Ankara Castle, so visitors can easily check out the Ankara Citadel, Ankara Castle, Old Quarters and Museum of Anatolian Civilizations all in one visit.

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RESTAURANTS in ISTANBUL

Below are some restaurants that received high ratings on Yelp and Trip Advisor. You can find many more restaurants on these websites.

Varka Antakya Lezzetleri

• Address: İstiklal Cad. Emir Nevruz Sok. 2 / E, Beyoğlu [on a little side street off Istikal Caddessi (the big pedestrian walkway)]

• Phone: +90 212 2438927 • varkabeyoglu.com

Imbat Restaurant

• Address: Orient Express Hotel, Hüdavendigar Cad. No: 34 Sirkeci

• Phone: +90 212 5207191 • imbatrestaurant.com

Faros Kebap

• Address: Kocatepe Mah. Şehit Muhtar Cad. No: 28/ A

• Phone: +90 212 2503356 • faroskebap.com

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CULTURAL ACTIVITIES and ATTRACTIONS in ISTANBUL

Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya)

Tourists flock en masse to the Hagia Sophia for its stunning architecture, glorious interior views and its historical significance. Built between the years of 532 and 537, the building was a church for nearly a thousand years. It then served as a mosque from 1453 until 1934, before become the secular museum that it is today. Once the biggest cathedral in the world for

hundreds of years, the Hagia Sophia is considered the magnum opus of Byzantine architecture. Some say the building is symbolic of the eclectic history of Istanbul itself, with beautiful Christian mosaics alongside brilliant Islamic calligraphy. You can visit the Hagia Sophia in the Sultanahmet neighborhood Tuesdays through Sunday, from 9:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Admission is around $13 USD.

Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque)

Sultan Ahmed was determined to build a mosque that rivaled the nearby Hagia Sophia and most would agree that he accomplished this task -- or at least came close. Since the early 1600s the Blue Mosque has been quite the sight to behold, with a flurry of domes, semidomes and minarets. It's also one of the biggest tourist draws in Istanbul. Remember that it is an active religious site, so dress conservatively. Women should wear headscarves, as is the custom. If you forget to bring one, you can borrow one from the mosque. It is open daily from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. There is no entrance fee, but admission is restricted during prayer service, especially on Fridays.

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Topkapi Palace (Topkapi Sarayi)

The Topkapi Palace served as home of the Ottoman Sultans from 1465 to 1856 and is one of Istanbul's most popular attractions. It features brilliant architecture, manicured courtyards and impressive exhibits. It officially became a museum in 1924, shortly after the end of the Ottoman era. Popular attractions include the Audience Chamber where the sultan would receive foreign dignitaries and the Sacred Trusts exhibit, which features relics such as the staff of Moses and a beard hair of Muhammad. Topkapi Palace was also the residence of the imperial Harem. The Topkapi Palace sits atop a promontory a little over a mile northeast of the Hagia Sophia. Admission to Topkapi Palace is about $13 USD.

Grand Bazaar

Located a little more than a mile west of Sultanahmet, the Grand Bazaar is one of the biggest and oldest indoor shopping markets in the world. It regularly overwhelms visitors with its thousands of shops, each accompanied by an overzealous vendor. Products range from carpets and clothing to art and chessboards, and you can also find restaurants, cafés and even mosques here. Despite the size and the chaos of the place, you will find yourself strangely at ease with the rhythm of the market place. Some travelers warn that the Grand Bazaar is essentially a massive tourist trap. The vendors usually start with huge marked up prices and will only come down after some serious haggling. Also be forewarned that many of the products found here aren't of the highest quality, so make sure to thoroughly examine the wares before you throw down some lira. Pickpockets are another concern -- keep an eye out and your wallet/purse/bag in front of you.