In Istanbul, more than 2200 buses depart the Istanbul International Bus Terminal in Esenler daily at the beginning of the holiday, with Turks off on vacation or to visit friends and family, so avoid travel then, or have iron-clad reservations and be prepared for delay and inconvenience. If you are looking for the easiest option of transport during this time we recommend booking a private transfer. Even though extra capacity (more trains, ferries, etc.) are added to the schedules during this time, planes, trains, buses and hotels are likely to be severely crowded during the holiday period. Public transport continues to run, and is heavily used. A few shops and businesses stay open even on the first day to provide essentials. Major museums, such as Topkapı Palace and Hagia Sophia, are closed in the morning on the first day, but open at 13:00 (1 pm) if it is not their weekly closing day. Shops and bazaars tend to be closed on the first day of the holiday, but some if not most will re-open after the first day. Most banks, business and government offices are closed for five days or longer, so you should stock up prior to the start of the holiday on Turkish lira cash and any suppliesyou may need. So long as you’re prepared, it should be fun! Banks & Businesses Closed! Rest assured, tourism doesn’t come to a halt during Kurban Bayramı, but it does change a bit. You may also be invited to share in the festivities, as I wasmany years ago in eastern Turkey, which could make your trip particularly memorable. The good points: some museums and sights (such as the bazaars) may be closed on the first day of the holiday, but some may be open for some of the other days. Have some cash on hand when the holiday week starts. You should be able to withdraw cash from ATMs (at least on weekdays), but it’s good to have a reserve, just in case. Have hotel reservations, if possible. (When the holiday falls in summer, everybody takes off for the beach…but not in winter!)ģ. If you can avoid traveling on the day before and the day after these dates, that’s probably good too.Ģ. Plan not to travel on the first or last days of the holiday period. Depending upon where you travel, you may find it changes your plans very little. Kurban Bayramı doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go to Turkey. Kurban Bayramı, which starts on 10 Zilhicce (Dhul-hijja) in the Islamic lunar Hijri calendar, is also the time of the annual pilgrimage to Mecca (Haj), so both domestic and international travel is intense in Turkey at this time. It will affect your travel plans, so be prepared for it. The festivities last for four and a half days in Turkey.Called Eid el-Adha or Eid el-Kebir in Arabic, Kurban Bayramı (koor-BAHN bahy-rah-muh) is the most important Islamic religious festival of the year, and a 4 or 5-day public holiday in Turkey. And they will also go visiting family and friends. People will also buy new clothes and give their old clothes to the poor. Some of the meat will be given to the poor. Muslims celebrate Ibrahim willingness to obey Allah in even such an extreme test.Īfter morning prayers, a sheep, goat, cow, or even camel will be sacrificed for the feast. It is said that Ibrahim went to do it but was prevented by Allah at the last moment. Kurban Bayrami is the Muslim holiday that looks back to the time, according to the Koran, when Ibrahim was commanded by Allah to sacrifice his son Ishmael.
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