Turkish Dateline
Discover headline news about Turkey, past and present

May Calendar

May 4
Selcuk Oil Wrestling
Wrestling is one of the most popular sports in Turkey. Yagli gures means literally oiled wrestling. The wrestlers wear tight short leather trousers called "Kispet", made of water buffalo leather weighing approximately 13 kilograms, and they cover themselves with olive oil. Matches take place throughout the country but the most famous and most important tournament takes place in Edirne. In 2008, the 647th edition will be held between July 4th - 6th.

May 10-11
Formula 1 GP
Formula 1 Grand Prix races in Istanbul.

May 19
Atatürk'ü Anma - Atatürk Day
Gençlik ve Spor Bayrami - Youth and Sports Day

May 27th
Anayasa ve Hürriyet Bayrami - Freedom and Constitution Day

Ahmet Toprak Turkish Culture List - Week Ending April 5, 2008

Exchange rate for the U.S. dollar in Turkish Liras: 1.29

Weather
Ankara, in central Turkey----------: 63/46 Heavy Showers
Antalya, on the Mediterranean------: 68/57 Heavy Showers
Erzurum in eastern Turkey----------: 50/34 Mostly Cloudy
Istanbul, in northwestern Turkey---: 63/50 Light Showers
Izmir, on the Aegean---------------: 59/54 Heavy Showers
Trabzon, on the Black Sea----------: 68/46 Mostly Cloudy

Belgian Raid on Kurdistan Workers Party

Private Turkish channel NTV reports that Belgianpolice have raided a building in the east of thecountry believed to have been used by the underground organization Kurdistan Workers Party and detained around 40 women on Friday.

According to the Belgian broadcaster RTL, thosedetained by police were taking part in a training camp.The raid on a Kurdish cultural center in the town ofVerviers also resulted in police seizing a quantity ofdocuments, the local media said.

Secular Issues in Constitutional Court

Referring to the decision by Turkey's ConstitutionalCourt to hear a case filed by a senior prosecutoralleging the the ruling Justice and Development Partyhad worked to subvert the secular regime in Turkey,State Department spokesperson Tom Casey said that US
hopes case will be apolitical.

"What we would expect and hope from this process is that those involved would proceed in a way that wasapolitical and that reflected the commitment to representative democracy that's been expressed by theTurkish voters in recent elections," Mr. Casey said.

On Monday, Turkish Constitutional Court voted to accept the indictment against the Justice and Development Party, 70 of its leading members and
President Abdullah Gul.

Tulip Festival Istanbul is preparing for the vivid colors of tulips to change the atmosphere of the city as the Third International Istanbul Tulip Festival kicks off Saturday.

Photo courtesy of Anita Donohoe Turkey Tour 2007

This year's "100 most beautiful Tulips" competition will take place in Emirgan Korusu on May 10. Although tulips are associated with Holland, both the flower and its name originated in the Ottoman Empire. Tulips were brought to Europe in the 16th century; the word tulip is from Ottoman Turkish tulbend, meaning "muslin, gauze."

Learn more at Tulip Festival.