Islamic Finance: Structure and Instruments 26 – 30 September ,

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT ANKARA

LANGUAGE

Turkish is the official language in Turkey. But most of the people speak English, also French, Italian and Spanish are the languages that are known and spoken.

CLIMATE

In September we live in the last days of summer with mild weather of approximately 24-270 C during daytime. It is recommended to bring along raincoat and umbrella for possible rain showers.

BANKING, MONEY and CREDIT CARDS

Turkish monetary unit is Turkish Lira. Foreign currency maybe changed at banks on weekdays between normal banking hours 09.00-16.00 and also hotels, airports and Exchange offices. All major credit cards are acceptable in most hotels, restaurants and shops.

TL Banknotes are 5, 10,20, 50, 100 and 200 TL. TL coins are 1, 5, 10, 25, 50 Kuruş and 1 Lira.

TIME

Local time is equal to GMT +2 HOURS. Same time zone is used all over the country.

ELECTRICITY

220 Voltage is the Standard voltage throughout the country. 110 Voltage is also found in 5 star hotels.

WEIGHTS and MEASURES

The kilograms and the metric system are using in Turkey as weight and measuring system.

MAIL SERVICES and TELECOMMUNICATION

Turkeys’ postal services are comparatively organized and efficient. Centrally located offices are open between 08.00-24.00.

- Telephone; All cities are linked by an efficient direct dialing system. Public telephones work with cards which are sell at Telecom offices.

All over Turkey, phone numbers consists of two sections; area code (3 digits) and the number itself (7 digits).

Inner city calls just digit 7- digit number

National calls 0 + area code+ number

International calls 0+0+ country code+ area code + number

NEWPAPERS

Foreign newspapers are available one day after publication. Turkish Daily News is a goodpaper to keep up with daily events in Turkey.

PHARMACIES

Pharmacies (Eczane) are open from 09.00-19.00 on weekdays and Saturdays. They are closed on Sundays but there is always one, open 24 hours in each neighborhood. Each pharmacy supplies the name of the closest open one, called the Nöbetçi Eczane (on duty pharmacy) for that Sunday, evening, statutory and religious holidays by placing a display at their Windows.

Y. Hayat Eczanesi Tel 310 69 06 Adress Cumhuriyet Cad. 100. Yıl Çar. 2b/53 Şenesen Eczanesi Tel 324 40 90 Adress 100. Yıl Çarşısı Giriş Kat. No:3

Bora Eczanesi Tel 311 46 69 Adress Rüzgarlı Sok. 18/55 Hızır Eczanesi Tel 311 08 88 Adress Rüzgarlı Sok. No:18 Rüzgarlı Eczanesi Tel 312 49 50 Adress Rüzgarlı Plevne Sok. 4/d Y. Uğur Eczanesi Tel 311 38 22 Adress Atatürk Bulvarı İşhanı E Blok 6/1

SHOPPING

Shops are usually open between 09.00-19.00 and closed on Sundays under normal circumstances. Turkey is well known with its hand made products. Such as carpets, kilims,

gold, silverware, ceramics, leather, goods, ornaments, fashioned from alabaster, onyx and copper.

Carpets

A carpet is more a work of art than an article which people step on for everyday use. 70 % of the of the tourists coming to Turkey return to their homes with carpets because Turkey is a treasure house of carpets.

Turkish carpets are made of silk, wool or cotton and they carry a wide range of symbols. For many centuries, Anatolian women have been expressing their wishes, fears, interests, fidelity and love through the artistic medium of carpets. Even so, there are typical repeated motifs changing from region to region; geometric designs, tree of life, the central medallion design etc.

Shopping Alternatives

There really is no shortage of bustling shopping centers within Ankara, offering a variety of familiar brands and designer names. Large department stores tend to offer a reliable choice of gifts and clothing, although for a little more character while you shop, do check out the local markets (pazars), particularly around the Ulus and along the Cikrikcilar Yokusu (the Weaver's Road).

The Kizilay area of Ankara also features more than its share of shopping opportunities, which tend to be grouped around the Ataturk Bulvari and the Gazi Kemal Bulvari

Nearby, a further selection of shops line much of the Gazi Mustafa Kemal Bulvari, while on the end of the Tunali Hilmi Avenue, the Karum shopping centre is well worth a look, as is the Atakule Tower in the Cankaya quarter.

The Castle (Kale) in Ankara has served as a trade centre for the city for literally centuries and offers a unique shopping experience, with local traders selling hand-woven Turkish carpets and rugs, leather good and a range of antiques. On the outskirts of Ankara and along the highway, the Ankamall (which is near Radisson Blu Hotel), the Armada, the CEPA shopping malls are all excellent.

FOOD

Turkish cuisine is considered to be among the best in the world. So many civilizations, so many styles and abundant food supply contribute to today’s cuisine.

Kindly find below some restaurant types that is present in Turkey.

• Lokanta: This kind of retaurant is typally Turkish and offers home-cooking style food. In these restaurants, you can eat Güveç which is any kind of meat prepared in a casserole, Pilavı which is cooked with crushed , which is prepared with grape leaves, peppers, egg plants, cabbage leaves or mussels filled with rice, minced meat and raisins which are traditional Turkish meals.

• Kebapçı: This is the place where are sold. is a roast, broiled and grilled meat prepared in many different ways each of them called by adding a word to kebab, döner kebab, şiş kebab, patlıcan kebab etc. The most popular is Döner Kebab, which is lamb meat, roasted on revolving spit.

• Farinaceous Food Restaurants: These differ from Italian pizza to Turkish farinaceous foods such as börekçi, pideci, lahmacuncu, mantıcı etc.

• Börek is flaky pastry filled with cheese, eggs, vegetables or minced meat then fried and baked.

• Gözleme is a thin dough filled with cheese, and and baked on thin iron plate placed in wood charcoal fire. Pide is a thick dough base filled or covered with any combination of meat, cheese, egg etc. It is quite similar to pizza. is a thin round dough base covered with as spicy mixture of minced lamb meat, , tomatoes and parsley. Mantı is a kind of pasta filled with minced lamb meat and served with yoghurt and .

• Tatlıcı: This is a place where they sell different kinds of sweets. There are many of them like baklavacı, muhallebici, dondurmacı, helvacı etc. Kindly find below some Turkish dessert and how they are produced.

• is thin layers of flaky pastry stuffed with paste, or nuts in syrup. Its name comes from the shape in which it is cut; lozenge-shapes.

• is thick clotted cream eaten with most sweets as well as on its own with honey or jam.

• Asure (Noah’s pudding)is made from numerous types of dried fruit and pulses. Sütlaç is rice puding. Kadayıf is shredded wheat in syrup.

• Kestane şekeri is glace . They are generally canned or kept in glass jars in syrup.

• Lokum ()is cubes of jelly like or gummy confection flavored with flower or fruit essences and dusted with powdered sugar.

BEVERAGE

• is a ritual rather than a drink. Although coffee is not grown in Turkey, it is called Turkish coffee because it was introduced to the western world by Turks during the Siege of Vienna in the 16C. It is made by mixing an extremely finely ground coffee with water and sugar. According to your taste you should let the waiter know in advance how much sugar you want in it. Turkish coffee is drunk in small sips after have rinsed your mouth with a little water.

• Çay is much more common. Especially at breakfast, but is also drunk anytime from small glasses and stirred with tiny spoons.

• Boza is a fermented and sweetened drink made from corn or wheat.

• is boiled milk flavored with orchid plant.

• is a refreshing tangy drink of yoghurt, water and salt whipped together.

Inner City Transportation

Apart from public buses and trains the most common means of transportation are taxis and dolmuş.

Dolmuş; It is a kind of shared taxi, which sometimes takes the form of a large car, a station wagon, a regular taxi or a minibus. It follows a specific fixed route. Passengers pay according to the distance traveled and can get in and out wherever and whenever they want to by informing the driver. It is a very practical means of transport and much cheaper than a taxi. The dolmuş fares are determined by municipalities according to distances.

Taxis; Taxis are numerous all over Turkey and are recognizable by their yellow color and lighted “taxi” signs on top.

Each taxi is metered and there are two different rates. After midnight (24.00) till morning (06.00) it will cost %50 more than the daytime fare.

Metro; It is used for short distances.

There are 2 routes of underground in Ankara. (Light metro) and Metro. They are both very comfortable and speedy. Connections between Metro and Ankaray are in Kızılay. The fare for 1 unit is the same as the bus and your electronic bus tickets are also valid here. Route map and electronic cards can be obtained from any underground station. Working hours are 06.00-00.00The first line of the runs from Batıkent, north of the city to Kızılay in other words the Centrum.Ankaray (Light metro) runs from ASTI (Ankara Intercity Bus Station), west of the town, passing through Kızılay and ending in Dikimevi.

PLACES OF INTEREST

Anitkabir

The mausoleum of the Republic's founder and leader, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Anitkabir was built on the hill of Rasattepe and has an impressive entrance. It was designed by architects Prof. Emin Onat and Doc. Orhan Arda, and completed in 1953. Ataturk was removed from the temporary burial site at the Ethnographic Museum and brought here with great ceremony the same year.

Within the Anitkabir complex are the Tower of Independence, the Tower of Liberty, The Road of Lions, Mudafaa-i Hukuk Tower, the Soldier's Tower, the Tower of Victory, the Tower of Peace, the April 23 Tower, the Misak-i Milli Tower, the Reform Tower and the Victory Reliefs. The hallowed Mausoleum hall itself is a colonnaded temple with huge bronze doors but little

in the way of decoration. Opposite is the tomb of Ismet Inonu, the first prime minister of the Turkish republic and president after Ataturk's death.

The Anitkabir museum is located between the Tower of the National Pact and the Tower of the Revolution. A number of Ataturk's personal belongings are exhibited, including clothes that he wore, and gifts presented to him by visiting foreign dignitaries. Museum Tel: (+90 312) 310 53 61 http://www.anitkabir.org/

Anatolian Civilisations Museum

Located on the south side of in the Atpazari area, the Museum consists of the old Ottoman Mahmut Pasa bazaar storage building, and the Kursunlu Han. Because of Ataturk's desire to establish a Hittite museum, the buildings were bought upon the suggestion of Hamit Zubeyir Kosay, who was then Culture Minister, to the National Education Minister, Saffet Arikan. After the remodeling and repairs were completed (1938 -1968), the building was opened to the public as the Ankara Archaeological Museum.

Today Kursunlu Han, used as an administrative building, houses the work rooms, library, conference hall, laboratory and workshop. The old bazaar building houses the exhibits. Within this Ottoman building, the museum has a number of exhibits of Anatolian archeology. They start with the Paleolithic era, and continue chronologically through the Neolithic, Early Bronze, Assyrian Trading Colonies, Hittite, Phrygian and Urartu periods. There is also an extensive collection of artifacts from the excavations at Karain, Catalhoyuk, Hacilar, Canhasan, Beyce Sultan, Alacahoyuk, Alacahoyuk, Kultepe, Acemhoyuk, Bogazkoy Gordion, Pazarli, Altintepe, Adilcevaz and Patnos as well as examples of several periods.

The exhibits of gold, silver, glass, marble and bronze works date back as far as the second half of the first millennium BC. The coin collections, with examples ranging from the first minted money to modern times, represent the museum's rare cultural treasures. Museum Tel: (+90 312) 324 31 60 / 312 62 48 http://www.anadolumedeniyetlerimuzesi.gov.tr

State Art and Sculpture This museum is close to the Ethnography Museum and houses a rich collection of Turkish art from the late 19th century to the present day. There are also galleries which host guest exhibitions. War of Independence Museum This building, located on , was originally the first Parliament building (TBMM) of the Republic of Turkey. The War of Independence was planned and directed here as recorded in various photographs and items presently on exhibition. In another display, wax figures of former presidents of the Republic of Turkey are on exhibit. TCDD Locomotive Museum An open-air museum near the railway station on Celal Bayar Boulevard which traces the history of steam locomotion through the locomotives and artifacts on display.

Mosques Hacı Bayram

This mosque, in the Ulus quarter next to the Temple of Augustus, was built in the early 15th century in Seljuk style by an unknown architect. It was subsequently restored by architect Sinan in the 16th century, with Kütahya tiles being added in the 18th century. The mosque was built in honor of Hacı Bayram Veli, whose tomb is next to the mosque, two years before his death (1427-28). The usable space inside this mosque is 437 square meters on the first floor and 263 square meters on the second floor. This is the most notable mosque in the city. The largest mosque in Ankara, it was recently constructed in classical Ottoman style with four . Also it is the second biggest mosque of Turkey Built between 1967 and 1987 in the Kocatepe quarter, its size and prominent situation have made it a landmark for the city.

The It has a carved mimber, the inscription on which records that the mosque was built in the 12th century by the Seljuk ruler, Mesut. Ahi Elvan Mosque The mosque was founded in the Ulus quarter near the Ankara Citadel and was constructed during the late 14th and early 15th centuries. The finely carved walnut mimber (pulpit) is of particular interest. Yeni (Cenab Ahmet) Mosque This is the largest Ottoman mosque in Ankara and was built by the famous architect Sinan in the 16th century. The mimber (pulpit) and mihrap (prayer niche) are of white marble, and the mosque itself is of Ankara stone (red porphyry), an example of very fine workmanship. Yeni Cami is on Ulucanlar Avenue.

Parks

Gençlik Park Ankara has many parks and open spaces mainly established in the early years of the Republic and well maintained and expanded thereafter. The most important of these parks are: Gençlik Park (houses an amusement park with a large pond for rowing), the Botanical Garden, Seğmenler Park, Anayasa Park, Kuğulu Park (famous for the swans received as a gift from the Chinese government), Abdi İpekçi Park, Güven Park (see above for the monument), Kurtuluş Park (has an ice-skating rink), Altınpark (also a prominent exposition/fair area), Harikalar Diyarı (claimed to be Biggest Park of Europe inside city borders) and Göksu Park. Atatürk Forest Farm and Zoo (Atatürk Orman Çiftliği) is an expansive recreational farming area which houses a zoo, several small agricultural farms, greenhouses, restaurants, a dairy farm and a brewery. It is a pleasant place to spend a day with family, be it for having picnics, hiking, biking or simply enjoying good food and nature. There is also an exact replica of the house where Atatürk was born in 1881, in Thessaloniki, . Visitors to the "Çiftlik" (farm) as it is affectionately called by Ankarans, can sample such famous products of the farm such as old-fashioned and ice cream, fresh dairy products and meat rolls/kebaps made on charcoal, at a traditional restaurant (Merkez Lokantası, Central Restaurant), cafés and other establishments scattered around the farm.

EMBASSIES IN TURKEY

AFGHANISTAN Embassy: Cinnah Cad. No:88, 06551 Çankaya-ANKARA Tel: +90 - (312) 442 25 23 Fax: +90-(312) 442 62 56 442 22 69 INDONESIA Embassy: Abdullah Cevdet Sokak, No. 10, 06680 ÇANKAYA, Ankara Tel: +90 (312) 438 21 90-92 Fax:+90-(312) 438 21 93 IRAN Embassy: Tahran Cad. No:10 Kavaklıdere-ANKARA Tel: +90-(312) 427-4320/23; Consulate: Ankara Cad. No:1 Çağaloğlu- Tel: +90-(212) 513-8230/32 Fax:+90- (212)511-5219 IRAQ Embassy: Turan Emeksiz Sokak No.11 Gaziosmanpaşa-ANKARA Tel: +90-(312) 468 74 21 Fax:+90-(312) 468 48 32 JORDON Embassy: Mesnevi Dede Korkut Sok. No: 18, Çankaya-ANKARA Tel: +90-(312) 440 20 54 Fax: +90-(312) 440 43 27 Consulate: Teşvikiye Cad. No:133/6 Nişantaşı, Şişli-İSTANBUL Tel: +90-(212) 296 83 60 / 80 Fax: +90-(212) 296 83 95 KAZAKHSTAN Embassy: Kılıç Ali Sokak, No.6 Oran Çankaya-ANKARA Tel: +90-(312) 491 91 00 Fax: +90- (312) 491 44 55 Consulate: Germiyan Sk. No: 10 Şenliköy, Florya-İSTANBUL Tel: +90-(212) 662 53 47 Fax: +90-(212) 662 53 49 KYRGRZ Embassy: Turan Güneş Blv. 15.Cad. No:21-ANKARA Tel: +90-(312) 491 35 06 Fax: +90-(312) 491 35 13 Consulate : Lamartin Caddesi Altınay Apt. No:7 Kat 3 Taksim-İSTANBUL Tel: +90-(212) 235 67 67 Fax: +90-(212) 235 92 93 LEBANON Embassy: Kızkulesi Sok. No: 44 Gaziosmanpaşa-ANKARA Tel: +90-(312) 446 74 85 Fax: +90-(312) 446 10 23 Consulate: Teşvikiye Cad. Saray Apt. No: 134/1 Teşvikiye-İSTANBUL Tel: +90-(212) 236 13 65 / 66 Fax: +90-(212) 227 33 73 MOZAMBIQUE

There is no consulate in Turkey.

NIGERIA Embassy: Uğur Mumcu Sok. No. 56 Gaziosmanpaşa-ANKARA Tel: +90-(312) 448 10 77 / 79 Fax: +90-(312) 448 10 82 OMAN Embassy: Mahatma Gandi Caddesi No.63, Gaziosmanpaşa-ANKARA Tel: +90-(312) 447 06 30 Fax: +90-(312) 447 06 32 Consulate: Rumeli Cad. 16 Ogan apt. Kat 680220, Şişli-İSTANBUL Tel: +90-(212) 230 83 84 Fax: +90-(212) 231 27 32 Consulate: Cengiz Topal Cad. Gülşen Sok. No:5 Beyaz Ev III. Etiler-İSTANBUL Tel: +90-(212) 358 45 06 / 07 Fax: +90-(212) 358 45 08 Embassy: İran Caddesi No.37 Gaziosmanpaşa-ANKARA Tel: +90-(312) 427 14 10 Fax: +90-(312) 467 10 23 PALESTINE Embassy: Kılıç Ali Sok. No:5, Diplomatik Site, 06450 Or-an, Ankara Tel:+ 90 (312) 490 35 46 Faks: 490 40 77 SUDAN Embassy: Sancak Mah. Tiflis Cad. No. 16, 06550 Çankaya-ANKARA Tel: +90-(312) 441 38 84 / 85 Fax: +90-(312) 441 38 86 Consulate: Etiler Sokak No:1, 80630, Etiler-İSTANBUL Tel: +90-(212) 287 68 51 Fax: +90-(212) 287 68 51 TAJIKISTAN Embassy: Çayhane Sok. No. 24, Gaziosmanpaşa-ANKARA Tel: +90-(312) 446 16 02 Fax: +90-(312) 446 36 21