MAKING APPOINTMENTS
Arrange appointments by mail well in
advance. A personal introduction--or at
least a letter of introduction--will be
of tremendous help to you in gaining
acceptance.
You are expected to be punctual for
all business appointments.
Traffic jams are frequent in big
cities, so allow yourself
plenty of travel time.
Turkish businesspeople who deal
internationally are usually able to
communicate in one or more foreign
languages. English is commonly
understood, as well as German and
French. Given advance notice, your
Turkish colleagues should be able to
conduct business in English; they
probably have English speaking people on
their staff. Business letters may also
be in English. Turks, however, will
appreciate it if you make the effort to
learn at least a few phrases in Turkish.
Do not expect to get right down to
business in a meeting with a Turkish
businessperson. Some preliminary 'small
talk' allows him to or her to get to
know you.
Business and banking hours are 9:00
a.m. to 12 noon and 2:00 p.m. to 5:00
p.m. Monday through Friday. Note that
business executives generally arrive
between 9:30 and 10:00 a.m. and return
from lunch around 2:30 p.m.
Although Friday is the holy
day, business is still conducted on that
day. Sunday is the government decreed
day of rest. Turkey is laic and
democratic country where religion and
government is seperated.
Business appointments can rarely be
made during the months of June, July,
and August since most Turkish
businesspeople take extended vacations
during this time.
Of course, you cannot expect to
conduct business on a Turkish holiday.
Be aware that many people will begin the
holiday around noon the day before.
Both secular and Islamic holidays
are celebrated in Turkey.
November 10 is a secular holiday
remembering the death of the founder of
modern Turkey, Kemal Ataturk.
Muslim holidays will fall on
different dates of the year.
Ramazan [called Ramadan in other
Muslim countries], is the holy month.
Observers fast from dawn until dusk.
Dusk is announced with a cannon shock.
The faithful are awakened before sunrise
by drummers who roam the streets,
reminding them to eat before dawn. It is
impolite for nonbelievers to eat, drink,
or even smoke in the presence of those
who are fasting; it's important that you
be discreet.
Office hours may be reduced. Be
aware that fasting people may be
short-tempered, especially when Ramazan
falls during the heat of summer. This is
called 'Ramazan kafasi' or 'Ramadan
irritability' [literally 'Ramazan
head']. Sheker Bayram is the three day
festival at the end of the Ramazan
irritability [literally 'Ramazan head'].
Kubran Bayram is the feast of the
sacrifice, celebrating the traditional
story of Abraham's near sacrfice of his
son Isaac. This is the most important
religious and secular holiday of the
year. The holiday lasts for four days,
but many banks and businesses close for
an entire week. Resorts and
transportation will be booked solid.
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