Turkish economy and exports on the fast lane
Turkish economy grew a staggering 8.9 per cent in 2010
Turkish economy grew 8.9 per cent in 2010 according to TurkStat, Turkey’s Statistics Institute. The above expectations high growth rate of 9.2 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2010 pushed the annual rate above expectations for 2010. Turkish government’s official forecast of 2010 growth rate was 6.8 per cent. This 8.9 per cent growth rate not only made Turkey the fastest growing economy in Europe in 2010, but it also put the country at the top third place in the world after China and Singapore.
The first signals of recovery in Turkish economy came in the fourth quarter of 2009 with a 6.0 per cent growth rate, after four consecutive quarters of contraction that caused the economy to shrink 4.8 per cent in 2009. Then in 2010, Turkey grew 11.9 per cent in the first quarter, 10.3 per cent in the second quarter, 5.2 per cent in the third quarter and 9.2 per cent in the fourth quarter that brought the growth rate of Turkish economy to a record high 8.9 per cent on annual basis. As a result, Turkey’s GDP rose to USD 736 billion and national income per capita reached USD 10,079. In 2010, the construction industry was the fastest growing sector with 17.1 per cent.
On the negative side, strong Turkish lira and the high economic growth rates in recent years resulted in a record high current account deficit that reached an alarming level of 6.5 per cent of the GDP. As a response, the Turkish Central Bank cut rates both in December and January to stop inflows of hot money from abroad and took additional measures to increase the bank reserve requirement ratios, taking effect as of 4th of February 2011, to cool the economy. “We will be reviewing the progress week by week and additional steps may be taken to cool the economy” said Turkish Economy Minister Ali Babacan in a news conference this week.
Although the domestic demand remained strong in the first quarter of 2011, Central Bank’s measures are expected to take effect starting from the second quarter of this year. Consequently, Turkey’s fast growth in 2010 is expected to slow down in 2011 with forecasts varying between 5 and 6 per cent.
Turkey’s current account deficit went as high as 11.9 per cent of its GDP during the 2001 crisis and gradually went down to 0.6 per cent in 2006. Last year’s deficit was 4.0 percent of the GDP, down from 5.5 per cent in 2009. Turkish government’s goal is to keep the current account deficit below the Maastricht criteria of 3.0 per cent in the next three years: 2.8 per cent in 2011, 2.4 per cent in 2012 and 1.6 per cent in 2013.
Turkish economy has become more stable in the last decade with its public debt to its GDP ratio declining to 42.3 per cent in 2010, down from 45.5 per cent in 2009. Turkey’s public debt to GDP ratio has shown a clear falling trend since the record high 73.7 percent in 2002, with forecasts of 40.6 per cent in 2011, 38.8 per cent in 2012 and 36.8 per cent in 2013. The Maastricht criteria for euro zone countries set the upper limit of its member countries’ public debt as 60 per cent of their respective GDPs.
A new record for Turkish exports
Turkish exports have continued to be one of the major engines of the Turkish economy in maintaining its strong growth. According to Turkish Exporters Assembly’s data, March marked a new record for the exports, reaching USD 11.7 billion with a 22.81 per cent jump from March of last year. This is not only the highest of the last 32 months, but also the highest March export figure in Turkish Republic’s history. In the first quarter, Turkish exports rose to USD 31.4 billion, a 20.74 per cent increase from the same period of last year, and the top three leading sectors were automotive, textile and steel.
In the first quarter of 2011, Turkey’s exports to many countries rose in double digits: Russia (53 per cent), India (52 per cent), Holland (40 per cent), Ukraine (40 per cent), Germany (28 per cent), Brazil (28 per cent), Italy (24 per cent), England (22 per cent), Spain (16 per cent) and Romania (13 per cent).
During the same period, Turkish exports to the Middle East rose by 33 per cent, despite sharp declines to some markets, including Libya (43 per cent), Egypt (24 per cent), Yemen (24 per cent) and Tunus (20 per cent), due to the political instability in these countries. In the first quarter, the top three growing Middle Eastern markets for Turkish exports were the United Arab Emirates (72 per cent), Iran (48 per cent) and Iraq (40 per cent). After this 40 per cent increase, Iraq has become the top fourth export market for Turkey. Turkish exports to Iraq have shown a steep upward trend in the last eight years, from no exports in 2002 to USD 6 billion in 2010.
According to a survey conducted by the Turkish Undersecretariat of Foreign Trade (DTM) among 500 leading Turkish export and import companies, optimism has remained high for the second quarter of 2011 as well. Respondent companies are expecting a 20 per cent increase in Turkey’s exports in the second quarter of this year. In order to keep this upward trend and compensate the losses in the Middle East, Turkish companies are targeting new markets, including India, China and sub-Saharan African countries. In addition, the abolition of visas between Russia and Turkey offers significant opportunities for Turkish exporters. According to a survey by the Turkish Exporters Assembly, Turkey’s leading 24 companies surveyed expressed Russia as their top target market.
Record low inflation
The newly released March data showed that despite the 0.42 per cent rise in Turkish Consumer Price Index (CPI), the year-on-year inflation dropped down to 3.99 per cent, the lowest rate in the last 42 years of the Republic of Turkey. On the other hand, Turkey’s Producer Price Index (PPI) rose 1.22 per cent in March to 10.08 per cent on year-on-year basis. This high margin between CPI and PPI raises the fears that the drop in the Consumer Price Index may be temporary. The results of a survey done by Turkish Central Bank in March showed that inflation may rise to 6.8 per cent in the next 12 months.
Turkish unemployment rate on the decline
Another good news for the Turkish economy came from the employment rate in 2011. Turkish unemployment rate declined from 14.5 per cent to 11.9 per cent in January on a year-on-year basis. Turkey has a very young population and the unemployment rate is higher among the younger workforce in the country. Consequently, the Turkish economy needs to achieve sustainable growth even to prevent Turkey’s current three million unemployment number from growing.
Nevruz shows in New York
Nevruz Show in the Town Hall
Two Nevruz shows were performed in New York this week. The first performance was held at the General Assembly Hall in the United Nations Headquarters at 6:00 pm on Thursday, March 24th. There was a press conference before the show at the same location and the show was followed by a reception at the Turkish Mission (Permanent Mission of Turkey to the United Nations). The second performance at the Town Hall on Saturday night was attended by fewer dance troupes as the stage wasn’t big enough to accommodate all the dancers. Over 150 musicians and dancers represented 11 countries and regions, including Turkey, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Crimea (Ukraine), Kyrgyzstan, Bulgaria, Gagauzia (Republic of Moldova) and several republics from the Russian Federation, in their colorful costumes.
Nevruz is celebrated as a festival in many Turkish speaking nations all across Eurasia as the beginning of the spring. It is a major public holiday in several countries and a celebration of life, renewal and hope. Nevruz has a history of more than 5,000 years and has an important influence in Turkish music and literature. Also, the Turks all around Eurasia share the tradition of many different meals special to Nevruz. The General Assembly of the United Nations declared March 21st as the International Day of Nevruz and included Nevruz into the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List.
This New York debut of the two Nevruz performances was presented by Turksoy, the International Organization of Turkic Culture. Turksoy, based in Turkey, is an international organization aiming to strengthen relations among Turkish speaking nations, and developing the common culture, literature, history, arts, customs and traditions in the Turkic World. Turksoy was founded in 1993 by Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Then, the Republics of Altai, Tatarstan, Sakha-Yakutia, Khakassia, Bashkortostan and Tyva from the Russian Federation, Gagauzia from Moldova, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus joined the organization as observer member states.
Turkish Airlines: The New Global Turkish Icon
Turkish Airlines (Türk Hava Yolları), Turkey’s national air carrier, was founded with only five airplanes in 1933. The last 10 years has marked a turning point in the company’s 78 year old history with impressive profitability, annual growth rates and service quality, transforming it into a successful global Turkish icon.
Today, Turkish Airlines has the youngest fleet of Europe with a total of 155 cargo and passenger planes, flying to 150 destinations around the world and qualifying it as the Europe’s third largest airline carrier. It carries about 25 million passengers per year. In 2011, Turkish Airlines is planning to start flying to 11 new international destinations as part of its successful growth policy. Some of these new destinations include, Valencia and Malaga in Spain, Toulouse in France, Washington DC and Los Angeles in the U.S. and Shiraz in Iran. Turkish Airlines also doubled the number of its flights between Istanbul and New York and is now flying twice a day between these two cities.
In addition to adding new routes, Turkish airlines is also opening new offices around the world, as part of its global expansion policy, in an attempt to directly reach its local markets instead of working with sales agencies. The carrier recently opened a new office in Empire State Building in New York and will soon be opening another new office in India.
The last two years have been incredibly successful for Turkey’s national flag carrier. In both 2009 and 2010, Turkish Airlines was awarded as Southern Europe’s best airline carrier. In addition, Turkish Airlines was given the third best airline of Europe award, as well as the prestigious four star status in all supervision categories. The company announced 389 million Euro profit in 2009, the third highest among national carriers globally in that year. According to its Chairman Hamdi Topcu, Turkish Airlines aims to reach a revenue of USD 8 billion and to own 165 planes by the end of 2011, a target originally set for 2015. Because of the addition of new destinations, the company decided to raise its capacity over its initial projections.
Turkish Airlines’ new global marketing campaign
During this period, Turkish Airlines launched a new worldwide advertising campaign,signing long term contracts with well-known international superstars, naming them as the company’s “Global Ambassadors” and using them in worldwide public relations activities and promotional films to promote the company, Turkey and Turkish culture.
Kobe Bryant Turkey Ad
In 2010, Caroline Wozniacki, the world’s number one ranked tennis player, signed a three year contract with Turkey’s national airline carrier, naming her the face of Turkish Airlines’ Business Class. This deal was followed by a two year contract with Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant. The famous NBA superstar will serve as the face and image of Turkish Airlines and the Republic of Turkey in international commercials that will be aired in more than 80 countries. This deal with Bryant came at the same time with the announcement of the new direct flights between Los Angeles and Istanbul by Turkish Airlines.
Turkish Airlines signed partnership contracts with famous European soccer clubs Barcelona and Manchester United, as well as with ULEB, the consortium of Europe’s top professional basketball leagues from 18 countries. To become the official sponsor of Barcelona and Manchester United, the Turkish air carrier paid USD 16 million and bought the rights to use both teams’ names and players in its commercial and public relations campaigns, and to put its advertisements in both teams’ home fields. Turkish Airlines will also be flying both teams and their equipment. On the other hand, ULEB’s Euroleague was named as Turkish Airlines Euroleague, as part of this €15 million name sponsorship and strategic deal with ULEB. In addition to all this, Turkish Airlines is also currently the official sponsor of the Turkish National Soccer Team and the Greek basketball team Maroussi BC. The sponsorship agreement with Maroussi BC was signed in March and will be valid for one and a half years. It will enable Turkish Airlines to add its logo in Maroussi’s jerseys and to the sidelines of its home field.
Turkish President Abdullah Gul in New York
Turkish President Abdulah Gul is in New York
Turkish President Abdullah Gul arrived in New York yesterday to attend the 65th session of the General Assembly at the United Nations between September 20-22. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and the Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan also came on the same plane yesterday for the UN General Assembly that will be attended by leaders from 150 countries around the world. This year’s General Assembly is particularly important for Turkey, as it just took over the rotating presidency of he United Nations Security Council and will be hosting conferences on the sidelines of the General Assembly.
Today President Gul met with UN General Secretary Ban Ki-moon on the first day of his New York visit. Aside from Jose Manuel Barroso, the President of the European Commission, and Amr Musa,the Secretary General of the Arab League, the Turkish president is expected to meet with 12 head of states on the sidelines of the General Assembly. There is no meeting planned at the moment with U.S. President Barack Obama, although President Gul will be attending the dinner hosted by President Obama at the American Museum of Natural History on September 23rd.
Turkish President Gul will also speak at the Council on Foreign Relations and Columbia University before flying to Boston on September 24. He will return to Turkey on September 25 after his one day visit in Boston.
Turkey lost against Team USA at the 2010 FIBA World Championship Final
Turkey vs USA World Championship Basketball Final Game in Istanbul
Turkey and USA played the final at the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Istanbul today and the U.S. team captured the gold medal by defeating the host team 81-64. After this result, Turkey finished with a silver in its home field in front of over 15,000 passionate Turkish fans. The Turkish team started the year with a FIBA ranking of 18th, but has showed an outstanding performance in the World Championship. Today’s game with Team USA was Turkey’s first loss ever in the tournament after eight games. Before playing with the U.S. team for the gold medal, Turks have defeated Ivory Coast, Russia, Greece, Puerto Rico, China, France, Slovenia and Serbia.
The Turkish team seemed capable of sticking around with the U.S. team, however Kevin Durant was unstoppable in the U.S. team, torching Turkey for 28 points and he is named tournament MVP at the closing ceremony after the game. In Turkey, Hidayet Turkoglu, the only Turkish player, who reached double digits, went for a team-high 16 points on 5-for-8 shooting.
The Turkish crowd saluted both the Turkish and the U.S. teams after the game.
Turkish soap operas are getting more popular in Greece
Binbir Gece has been very successful in Greece
Starting with the big success of Foreign Groom (Yabanci Damat) a few years ago, Turkish soap operas have been getting increasingly more popular in Greece. Following the Foreign Groom, Binbir Gece (1001 Nights) was shown from October 2009 on and broke the record by drawing 1.1 million Greek viewers each day. Even on the first day of the World Cup, Binbir Gece captured 30.5 percent of viewers, overshadowing the opening game between France and Uruguay – the first time that a soap opera ever beat the ratings of a soccer match in Greece. In the winter season, additional Turkish soap operas, Forbidden Love (Ask-i Memnu) and Silver (Gumus), will start broadcasting on Greek channels.
The strong interest of Greek viewers in Turkish soap operas is seen as the indication of strong similarity between Greek and Turkish cultures by many. The rapprochement that started between Greece and Turkey in 1999 turned the two countries once enemies into strategic partners. During Turkish Prime Minister’s last visit, Turkey and Greece had a joint cabinet meeting and formed a High Level Cooperation Council between the two countries.
Turkish soap operas have been enjoying great popularity all throughout the Balkans, including but not limited to Serbia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Albania and Bosnia Herzegovina. Lately, some of these series have also started being shown in some Central European countries such as Slovakia and the Czech Republic. This overwhelming interest inevitably increases the interest for Turkey and the Turkish language in the region.
Turkish Russian Relations: A Rapprochement with Global Importance
Turkish Russian relations: Erdogan and Medvedev
Turkish – Russian relations in the fast lane: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s recent visit to Turkey marked an important cornerstone in Russian – Turkish relations. With the signing of 17 agreements during his visit, the rapprochement between the two countries in recent years elevated the bi-lateral relations to the strategic partnership level that nobody could dream of a decade ago. Turkey’s rapprochement with Russia is much more significant than the country has had with her several other neighbors in the last few years and may reshape the political landscape in the region and beyond. Russia, once one of the two superpowers of the world, is the largest country in the world with a population of 142.9 million and vast resources, and Turkish Russian relations have enormous potential in many areas, including the trade and energy fields.
Russia and Turkey: Old enemies, new strategic partners
During Medvedev’s visit, as the new strategic partners Turkey and Russia formed a High Level Cooperation Council and the visa requirement between the two countries was lifted. The abolition of the visa requirement between Russia and Turkey means more trade, more tourism and a good start for a better integration of the two markets in the following years. This is especially remarkable, when one thinks of the numerous bloody wars between the two nations in the last few centuries. Not to mention the different camps that the two neighboring countries were in during the Cold War, Turkey being the frontier state for the West and feeling the Soviet threat right outside of its borders for several decades.
Turkish Russian cooperation in trade and energy
Turkish and Russian officials signed 17 agreements, the most important ones being in the energy and trade fields. Russia is currently Turkey’s largest trading partner with the yearly volume of $ 38 billion (2008) and this number is projected to reach $ 100 billion in the next five years. There are currently nearly 300 Turkish construction companies operating in Russia. In the energy sphere, Russia will build and operate four nuclear reactors in Turkey and a new oil pipeline will be built between Samsun and Ceyhan that will divide Turkey from north to south, connecting the Black Sea with the Mediterranean. There are also plans for building a joint refinery in Ceyhan in Turkey’s Mediterranean region and joint efforts to market the Russian energy. As a result of the Turkish Russian cooperation in the nuclear field, Russia will share its nuclear and space technology and train Turkish scientists, as the new nuclear reactor in Turkey will require a significant number of Turkish scientists.
With the abolition of visas for up to 30 days taking effect on April 17, 2011, the number of Russian tourists visiting Turkey is expected to increase 20 per cent and reach four million in 2011. Russians are also expected to increase their real estate investments in Turkish resort towns after the new regulation. Currently, Russians form the second largest group visiting Turkey after Germans and it would not be a big surprise for many to see more Russian tourists than Germans in Turkey in the next few years. Brits are the third on the list.
Elimination of visas also made Russia the top target market for Turkish companies. A recent survey conducted by the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TIM) showed the strong hopes for more trade between Russia and Turkey. All 24 leading companies that were surveyed by TIM put Russia on top of their future target markets list. The trade balance between the two countries is currently strongly in favor of Russia, as Turkey imports 62 per cent of its gas and 35 per cent of its oil from its resource rich neighbor. However, the new visa elimination will open the door for Turkish companies to pursue more opportunities in Russia and we may see a decrease in Turkey’s trade deficit with Russia in the future. Considering the hurdles the European Union visa regime puts on Turkey EU trade, this new rapprochement and the eventual economic integration that comes with it may help change the political landscape in the region.
Turkish foreign policy aims zero problems with neighbors and one of the main pillars of this policy is economic integration with neighbors. In the past, Turkey lifted visas and formed “High Level Cooperation Councils” with many of its neighbors, including Iraq, Syria, Jordan, the Gulf States and Greece. Bulgaria and Ukraine are also expected to be added to this list soon. High Level Cooperation Councils are official bodies formed by high level officials of two governments and meet more than once a year under the supervision of prime ministers to find ways to improve the level of cooperation between two countries. Some of these meetings also include joint cabinet meetings. Trade volumes have increased significantly with all the countries that visa restrictions are eliminated reciprocally with.
A rapprochement with global implications
This strategic partnership between Turkey and Russia has a significant importance, as both countries are members of the G-20 and follow active policies in the Middle East as well as in the the Eurasian basin. More noteworthy than the two regional powers pursuing similar policies in major regional issues, including the Iranian nuclear standoff and the Middle East conflict, is the fact that this cooperation in the energy field may change the balance of power in the energy game.
Although Turkey’s global geopolitical importance will increase because of its strengthened energy hub position, on the down side, Turkish economy will be more and more dependent on Russian energy. Turkey currently buys 62 per cent of its gas and 35 per cent of its oil from Russia, and with the new Russian nuclear reactor in the Turkish Mediterranean port town of Akkuyu, the country will be 100 per cent dependent on Russia in nuclear energy. In an attempt to decrease this dependency and to meet its rapidly increasing energy demand, Turkey is planning to reach a production capacity of 15,000 MW by building two more nuclear reactors by 2023. Accordingly, Turkish Energy Minister has been holding talks with Japanese companies for the second and third reactors that are planned to be built in northern Turkey.
Turkish Soap Operas Draw Thousands to Istanbul
- Turkish Gümüş became a hit in Bulgaria
The staggering popularity of the Turkish soap operas in Central Asia, the Middle East, North Africa and the Balkans draw thousands of Arab, Bulgarian, Iranian and Greek tourists to Istanbul. Tour operators organize special tours to the venues in wealthy neighborhoods of Istanbul, where the series are filmed.
The overwhelming popularity of the first Turkish soap opera ” Yabancı Damat ” (Foreign Groom) in Greece in 2005 was followed by Dubai-based MBC’s interest in Turkish soap operas. Now, 18 different Turkish series are watched by millions in 22 different countries from Kazakhstan to Algeria, increasing the interest for Turkey and the Turkish culture.
“Perla” (i.e. “Pearl”) – the name of the most popular Turkish soap opera in Bulgaria so far (known in Turkey as Gümüş) – was the number one word Bulgarians entered in Internet search engines in 2009.
Secret Turkey: Six Hidden Holiday Spots
Published in the Times on February 20, 2010
Annabelle Thorpe
Talking Turkey’s lesser-known delights, from a hillside Turkish village to a car-free island
FARALYA
Twenty minutes beyond the bling and bright lights of Oludeniz (Fethiye), the hillside village of Faralya feels like another world. The road winds along beside the sea before climbing vertiginously and snaking around the edge of Butterfly Valley, a sheer-sided gash in the mountain with a beautiful, boat-accessible beach at the bottom.
Faralya is the sort of village where the shops are still vine-clad shacks offering pide (Turkish flatbreads) and çorba (soup), and there’s a giddy, merciful lack of neon.
A good range of places to stay includes simple backpacker pensions to a couple of stylish boutique hotels (don’t let this put you off, there really isn’t much else). The Lycian Way, a long-distance walking route, runs through the village and there are other waymarked trails from its center.
There’s good kayaking potential and it’s worth keeping an eye out for dolphins — a local pod has taken a shine to Faralya’s quiet waters and often glide by in the mornings and evenings.
SELIMIYE AND SOGUT
The western side of the Bozburun peninsula is a world away from the busy beaches and bright lights of Turunc and Icmeler (Marmaris) on the eastern side. One road weaves its way up the coastline through sleepy hamlets such as Selimiye and Sogut, where simple waterfront restaurants serve fish caught each morning.
There is little to do here but laze by the sea, watch the sunsets and stroll up to one of the restaurants for dinner, so hiring a car to explore inland is a good idea. The peninsula offers some good walking and the small village of Bayir, with a delightful church and shady tea garden, is worth a visit.
If you’re looking for a lazy beach day, head for the eastern side to the long sandy bay at Kumlubuk where there’s a chic beach club, open only to Exclusive Escape guests. A scattering of wild and untended ancient sites — Amos, Loryma and Physkos — adds to the overall unspoilt feel.
AKYAKA
While not completely off the mainstream track, Akyaka retains a beautiful, tranquil feel, mostly because of its riverside location. It also remains a favorite destination of holidaying Turks, who come to eat at the fish restaurants, with terraces on the banks of the river, and to walk through pine woods to the small beaches.
The beach, ideal for young families as the water is shallow and clear, has a few low-key bars and restaurants. Akyaka is also ideally located for exploring the more authentic side of Turkey; 40 minutes over the mountain lies the regional capital of Mugla, with a delightful old quarter and one of the best markets in the area (on Thursdays).
Forget Turkish delight and apple tea, buy wrought-iron lamps, hand-dyed fabrics, and fresh fruit and veg before stopping at one of the roadside cafés for the best chicken kebab you’ll ever taste.
SOVALYE
The bay of Fethiye is one of the most beautiful parts of Turkey’s Mediterranean coast, and staying on a car-free island surrounded by mountain scenery is an unforgettable Turkey experience. Sovalye, ten minutes across the water from the busy resort town of Fethiye, has one small hotel and a clutch of private residences dotted between the sand and shingle coves.
Staying here is about living at a slower pace: pottering around the tracks that criss-cross the island, paddling over submerged houses and city walls in a canoe and exploring the remains of a Crusader castle. Fethiye has a delightful old quarter, with great restaurants.
BEZIRGAN
Once an atmospheric, pretty fishing village, Kalkan has grown into a big resort and, although the old town retains its charms, it’s a place to dip in and out of rather than to stay put in. Take your lead from the local people and stay in Bezirgan, an unspoilt farming village about 15 minutes’ drive inland.
It’s a world away from the bright lights and busy streets of Kalkan: ramshackle cottages, lush farmlands and quiet lanes, watched over by forest-clad mountains. There’s no luxury , but if you want a real sense of escape, and to watch local people going about their lives as they have done for centuries, this is the place to be.
There’s only one place to stay — Owlsland, run by Erol, whose farm has been in the family for generations, and his Scottish wife, Pauline. The rooms are rustic, the breakfasts hearty and days are filled with walking, lazing with a good book or hopping into your hire car for the short journey to the stunning beach at Kaputas, or Kalkan itself. Blissful.
ORTAKENT
The long peninsula that stretches from the busy resort of Bodrum has remained surprisingly unspoilt. The sparkling coastline is scattered with small, bougainvillea-clad villages that mix simple agricultural cottages with elegant villas, the holiday homes of Turks from Istanbul and Izmir.
Ortakent, in the middle of the peninsula, has one of the best beaches in the area, separated from the village by a strip of market gardens, lush with fig, mandarin and olive trees. It is known for its tower houses, built in the 17th century to defend the village. It’s easy to spend a week here, reading and lazing on the beach and trying out the different restaurants. But if you fancy the bright lights, Bodrum is only a short dolmus ride away.
Istanbul: From the Orient Express to European 2010 Capital of Culture
Published in Daily Mail on February 14, 2010
The most expensive gin-and-tonics in Istanbul, the crown of Turkey, are served in a poorly-lit hotel bar unchanged since Greta Garbo, Agatha Christie and Ernest Hemingway haunted the Pera Palas.
The quirky Palas opened in 1892 as the first hotel built in Istanbul for Europeans. Its horse-drawn carriages would meet the Orient Express as it steamed in below the Turkish sultan’s palace at Topkapi.
Spies such as Graham Greene and Mata Hari also out in the bar with dispossessed Russian emigrés and professional intriguers.
Today, the Turkish city has expanded rapidly to become an economic and cultural powerhouse - and now it’s being honoured as European 2010 Capital of Culture.
In the backstreets of Pera, less has altered. As I dive between the time-blackened houses that line the streets of the old diplomatic quarter, there are still puddles in potholes and housewives hoisting home deliveries up in rope baskets, the smell of sweet apple tea wafting from their doorways.
The Crimea Memorial Church (built to honour British soldiers who died despite Florence Nightingale’s best endeavours) is still hidden away behind a mosque in Serdar Ekrem Sokak.
This very British church, designed by George Street, architect of London’s Royal Courts of Justice, was only rediscovered in the Eighties. And yet it’s just off Istiklal Caddesi, the trendiest shopping street in Istanbul, the fashion powerhouse of modern Turkey.
The artSumer Gallery, which opened in September, is the place for cutting-edge contemporary Turkish painting while 360 Istanbul is one of the city’s most fashionable restaurants because of its uninterupted 360-degree view over the whole city.
You get the same panorama from the 200 ft-tall Galata Tower that dominates this side of the Golden Horn, the famous inlet of the Bosphorus that cuts into the European side of this city.
It was built by the Genoese who held Pera as an independent colony until 1453 when the Ottoman Turks conquered Constantinople and renamed it Istanbul.
Istanbul has a ‘Big Five’ - Topkapi Palace, the Grand Bazaar, Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, and the Great Cistern - and these should not be missed.
Then there are the Lesser Five - Galata Tower is one - the Crimea Church and the restaurants under the Galata Bridge and others.
Until recently, Galata Bridge was on of the few places you could eat in Istanbul and get a view of the Bosphorus.
The old city turned its back on the water but now there is Aqua, the restaurant at the new Four Seasons Bosphorus. There’s also Angelique further north along the Bosphorus, which serves the best Asian fusion food in this city.
But I head past the colourful, musty Spice Market, another 16th-century structure where visitors should call in to shake hands with a caviar salesman called ‘Al Pacino Turco’.
On a side street called Bahcekapi, in 1777, an immigrant to Istanbul called Haci Bekir created the dish that was to make him famous.
Bekir called his soft, sweet cubes lokum and they proved so popular that Sultan Abdulhamid appointed him Royal Confectioner. When we English discovered lokum in the 19th century, we renamed the heavenly product ‘turkish delight’.
Haci Bekir’s family still runs the shop, and always offers you a taste as you enter. I’m unable to resist. A delight indeed.