I'm planning on going this year, but part of me feels uneasy because of the unrest with Syria and the Syrian border with Turkey. I know Istanbul is far away from there and very touristic, but do I have anything to worry about as an American? Have any of you been there recently?
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Is it safe to go to Istanbul
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Mammoth Jones
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Yes it's just like any major European city.
You're wrong and ignorant but I don't blame you.
This.
I was in Cairo a few years ago when it all kicked off, and as long as you are sensible and keep your wits about you, you'll be fine.
I go to Egypt most years, when many people consider it "a bit dodgy", and I've never had an issue (yes, I know it's not Turkey, but it's a muslim country that has had "issues"...)
demosthenes
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My roommate just got back from a 6 day trip there and loved it. He had no complaints. we're American.
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Here's what was happening in the centre of Istanbul yesterday:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=999482
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=999482
John Kowalski
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Matty8787
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I don't blame people for being a little ignorant and scared. Turkey = Muslim so therefore a lot of negative connotations may be brought up in their heads (thanks world news media).
But the reality is...and I don't mean to sound racist...Istanbul is mostly a white city. The majority of the population are racially white caucasian with varying skin tones. Some people are religious, most are not, and even the ones that are don't tend to be threatening. So what I'm saying is, would you feel frightened in any other European city? (I'm assuming you're white).
Istanbul has all the Western brands, shopping centres, family life, restaurants, sports clubs, cafes, drinking spots, nightclubs, etc. etc. anything you can think of existing in a Western country exists there and the population are like Western people.
This is a good point to bring up. Los Angeles is probably closer to danger zones of Mexico than Istanbul is to ISIS controlled Syria. Turkey is a huge country, if you count it as a European country it would be 2nd only to Russia.
It's always quite amusing when an American is concerned about the security of somewhere, considering there are some really dangerous cities in the US!
Kiraly
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considering how easy it is to call up a map of Istanbul, I'd say it was a little from column A and a little from column B
FelixOrion
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Why they changed it, I can't say. I guess people just liked it better that way. That's nobody's business but the Turks.
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The funny thing about that song/the joke is that the name Istanbul is etymologically Greek (as are most Turkish city names).
Miles Quaritch
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I'd say avoid it. Go to Disneyworld instead. I hear it's pretty safe, so long as you're vaccinated.
Middle Eastern people can be white?!
OP:
Yes, it's safe to go. Unless you have Turkish citizenship, have never been, and are forced to serve 3 months mandatory in the military as soon as you set foot on their soil.
Careful of the scam Evilore was a victim of...it seems to be common around there.
"let's have a drink"
http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/details/Safety/SingleMaleScams.html
"let's have a drink"
http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/details/Safety/SingleMaleScams.html
it's been almost 600 years, you need to move on
okay, more like 100 years
e: yeah I fell for it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsQrKZcYtqg
The Albatross
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Yes, Istanbul is fine. My best friend was in Instanbul 6 months ago and a coworker just returned 2 weeks ago, and is headed back this summer. Now, both of these guys are Turkish Americans, but in the case of my friend, he's more American than I am.
Istanbul, while split between Asia and Europe, feels like much more of a European city than a Middle Eastern city.
Istanbul, while split between Asia and Europe, feels like much more of a European city than a Middle Eastern city.
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I know it's crazy right. You'd think everyone would be brown as soon as you crossed the Greco-Turkish borderMiddle Eastern people can be white?!
OP:
Yes, it's safe to go. Unless you have Turkish citizenship, have never been, and are forced to serve 3 months mandatory in the military as soon as you set foot on their soil.
. Seriously though I've known several people who have been shocked at the existence of white Turks. I myself am olive skinned and Middle Eastern/Southern European looking so fit the stereotype, but I have family and friends who could blend into the whitest parts of Europe and America. Sometimes I've shown photos of my family and friends and people have legitimately said "Wow they look White". Even Muslims from predominantly brown skinned ethnic groups have said that...
Again like with OP, I don't blame people who are igornant due to the kind of images you'll get by the media, one of which is that Muslims/Middle Easterners = brown skin/non-European white looking.
And before people get offended by my comment on whiteness, I'm just trying to help ignorant people understand that not all Turkish people will look exotic and alien compared to whatever white majority country you come from...so like you might even be spoken to in Turkish and thought of as a local yourself...
SomedayTheFire
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John Kowalski
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Istanbul keeps it weird:
http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/22/europe/turkey-men-miniskirts/
You'll be fine.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/22/europe/turkey-men-miniskirts/
You'll be fine.
In that case, the distance from Prague to the fighting in Ukraine is about the same, and Rome is not the far from the ISIS controlled parts of Libya…
There are definitely parts of Turkey I would not go to right now, but Istanbul is certainly not one of them.
Bel Marduk
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Ban Puncher
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Mammoth Jones
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Oh please, there are people that say that wouldn't go to America due to crime/guns/cops. Which is fine. They get to decide for themselves where they want to go.
Given how close that is to some serious shit going on in the world it'd give me pause and I probably wouldn't go.
phalestine
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The Albatross
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Istanbul is pretty far from where serious shit is going down, unless we're talking about the protests in Turkey last year where the government cracked down.
For instance, it's about 1,000 miles from Istanbul to Syria. In comparison, it's 150 miles from San Antonio, Texas to Nuevo Laredo, Mexico one of the most dangerous cities in the world.
Yeah, no "serious shit" going on anywhere else in the world is there..........
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The only part of Turkey that would be weird to go to is near the Syrian border or the South-Eastern region's rural areas where the PKK run around, and to be honest those places would be strange to go at the best of times.
The rest of the country is, and this is no exaggeration, just like any other place in the West. Peaceful, people living their normal first world problems...
Turkey, the only Muslim people that have popular alcoholic national drinks lol.
Mammoth Jones
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You act as if that's the only place on earth someone might choose not to go....
I never said there's nothing going on anywhere else in the world. Nor did I imply such a thing.
Misinformation and ignorance would be the only reasons not to travel to Istanbul, it's not Baghdad.
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lol, here in the UK Turks tend to categorised as White Other, I think Arabs have their own category though.
It certainly was strange growing up. I mostly hung around with South Asians, who once concluded that I was brown, but there was another occasion with my white football team-mates who concluded I was white haha. Says all you need to know about racism really, if you're in a vague category you could float one way or the other, so basically "if you're our friend you're our race" lol.
Even those protests were incredibly isolated to the city centres.
And that is a great comparison regarding how close a major US city. None of Turkey's major cities are that close to ISIS controlled territory.
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Although it does contain Baghdad Avenue, one of the major shopping promenades filled with all your favorite Western brands:
Skellig Gra
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You are fine. I was just there. It's too beautiful there to not go. I'm from New Jersey. Here is a tip - buy your visa online before you get there. Saves you the hassle when you land.
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