I Don’t Like Turkey…Yet

published by Bren

Last updated: May 16, 2023

In all my years travelling I’ve never really come across a place I didn’t like.

I think that’s changed.

Turkey.

When I landed in Istanbul, I didn’t really know what to expect. I’d heard in passing conversations that it was an amazing city and there was a lot to see there, but I hadn’t really researched it in any real depth. I was simply going to land, explore, and see what the city gave me.

I ended up spending four nights in Istanbul before heading west to Gallipoli, knocking off the major sights while eating my way through the city. The Topkapi Palace, Blue Mosque, spice market, Istiklal Street, Kadikoy, all while eating as much Turkish food as my stomach would allow.

The city itself was stunningly beautiful. Lots of little alleyways and coffee shops hidden amongst cobblestone streets, a deep history to explore, and a cheap and functioning public transport system to get you anywhere you needed to go. Regular ferries carted people between the Asian and European sides of the city for only a couple of dollars, and the food was delicious, just as I’d expected.

What let the city down was my interactions with the local people. During my limited time in the city and the rest of the country, I found the Turkish to be quite an insular community – not hostile in any way, but just a bit cold and stand-offish. It can be easy to quickly disregard this as plain unfriendliness, so I wanted to dig a bit deeper to understand why I was getting this vibe.

Over my remaining days in Turkey, I spent most of my time closely examining my interactions with the locals. I found the Turkish often fell between two extremes – while some showed extreme friendliness and kindness, the others were so dismissive it was as if they were offended I was even talking to them.

One example was the man sitting next to me on the ferry, who I hadn’t spoken a word to, buying a handful of fridge magnets off some kid and then insisting I take one as a souvenir of my visit to Turkey – a completely random act of kindness that I was quite taken aback by. On the other hand, there was the guy at the bus office who gave me a look that just said “f*ck off” the moment I walked in and refused to talk to me, and his colleague who I had to practically beg to sell me a bus ticket.

Unfortunately, I had many interactions in line with the latter. There was an indifference about them, a feeling that they really couldn’t care less that I was a visitor in their country. And of course, I never expect anything more than that. In their country, they are welcome to treat me however they please. What I still couldn’t figure out though was, why? It’s typical of most countries to welcome foreigners and try to give a positive impression of their country, but this didn’t seem to be the case in Turkey. Why?

At first I assumed it was the lack of English spoken. Almost all locals I interacted with weren’t able to communicate in basic English, even those working in tourist-related areas, and the ones that could were people who had made the conscious effort to seek out and study the language. Perhaps I’d confused unfriendliness with them simply avoiding English interaction with foreigners. Once I learned a few Turkish words, even simple things such as “hello” and “thank you”, people did seem to warm up considerably.

There was bit of a chicken and egg scenario here. Did they not speak English because they didn’t care to learn about the outside world, or did they only seem that way because they couldn’t speak English? Who knows.

My next observation was that the coldness came almost exclusively from the men. I’m no Adam Levine, but the women were always extremely friendly and helpful whenever I interacted with them. If I asked questions at the restaurant, they did their best to explain. If I asked for directions, they pulled out their phones and tried their best to help. If I asked the men, they shook their heads or shrugged their shoulders and waved me away. As I walked down the street, I noticed various men give me the glare or a suspicious once-over. What was going on here?

One interesting experience was on my bus out of Istanbul. We’d just been served our snacks and drinks, and once the guy in the seat next to me had finished he casually placed all his trash onto my tray table, folded his table up and went to sleep. I was so shocked that I started laughing. Had we been in New Zealand I would’ve kindly placed the trash back in his lap and smiled, but I’ve learned on the road it’s always wise to tread a little carefully. Besides, he did in such a blasé and casual way I started wondering if maybe this was just normal behaviour in Turkey?

In the end, I just put it down to a symptom of the culture. Turkish people in general seemed to be very direct, no-nonsense and in-your-face, and I just accepted it as the way it is. It wasn’t something I could really figure out in my short time there, and probably never will.

Funnily enough, my fellow travellers seem to fall between two extremes as well. Some were churning through all the sites at light speed so they could just leave the country as soon as possible, while others were in love with Turkey and were trying to extend their stays. As one girl put it, “I just need to see Cappadocia and then I can get the f*ck out of here!”, while another girl had spent 20 days in Istanbul and was already planning her next trip back.

For me, travel has always been about the people. The most magnificent city in the world is nothing if it does not have warm and interesting people to create the kind of energy and community that a city needs to be great. And while I never really felt unsafe or threatened in Turkey, I never felt very comfortable or welcomed either.

To be fair to the Turkish, these are all generalisations from a very short visit, and I did come across many friendly and welcoming people during my time there. For every bus driver that rolled his eyes at me, there was a waiter or waitress who did try to show some warm Turkish hospitality. Like I said, a case of two extremes, and it made for an interesting visit if nothing else.

I ended up cutting my visit short and actually missed out on a lot in Turkey – Pamukkale, Cappadocia, the beach towns in the south and a bunch of other famous sites. But in a country where I never truly felt welcome, seven days felt like long enough.

Have you been to Turkey? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below.

Note: If you’re planning a trip to Turkey, don’t let my observations stop you. The country itself is beautiful and Istanbul is certainly a must-see city, unlike any other I’ve ever seen. There’s also a good chance your experience will be completely different to mine. Go with an open mind, explore and enjoy! (the food is incredible, too).

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  1. That’s a really interesting read! I was in Turkey through April and whilst we did encounter people like you mentioned, I felt like I had a great time overall. We spent 5 days in Istanbul and definitely came across people of both extremes and it was the place where we encountered that the most but I think I would put it down to being the big city and all.

    When we explored the smaller towns, nestled in the country side (Goreme in Cappadocia, Pamukkale and even Antalya, although that’s a still a big city), I found the people to be very kind, open and helpful. Goreme was actually our absolute favourite place we visited in our 2 weeks. Maybe that’s to do with me currently living in Cyprus where the ‘Zero F**ks Given’ attitude is very ripe and I deal with it on a daily basis. I’ve probably become very accustomed to it to the point where I don’t pick it up in other countries anymore, and the people who are friendly and helpful stand out more.

    To me, the most interesting interaction in Turkey was down in Antalya where it was the first real time I noticed some of the men didn’t talk to me directly, or even look at me whilst speaking, instead they directed their entire conversation to my boyfriend. Regardless whether I was speaking as well. It was quite a strange experience, but an eye opening one. That’s not to say those men were nasty, they were actually really friendly and chatty, just not directly to me!

      1. Dear Bren and all other Commenters

        I found this blog and comment section after googling 'why are turks so rude and difficult'
        I'm so grateful to find all these other comments, it makes one realise that we're not going mad… it really is this ghastly culture

        Where to begin, omg, so i am a male from London in UK. I lived for 1 year in Antalya and now 6 months in Ankara. I am working with an International Charity helping refugees and i speak a Middle Eastern Language. I am astonished at how simply backward the Turkish mentality and culture is.

        Ok lets start at the cause not the symptoms. They are HYPER NATIONALISTIC. They worship they're Turkishness, they're culture and Mr Ataturk. Especially Over the past 20 years they have been fed a diet of rancid propaganda that tells them they are a special people, from a distinguished Ottoman empire etc. They believe they can lead the other small Turkic countries, Azeri, the Stans etc. They did a poll where a large number of Turkish people believe they're neighbours want to invade and carve up they're country. There is suspicion, xenophobia and constant threat in their minds as it's fed by the political regime. This sense of entitlement. Feeling that one has reached perfection means they have no desire to learn or grow or explore. My GOD THEY ARE SMALL MINDED.In everything parochial, ignorant.. just ignorant.

        Education: They're education level is low, especially among men. So many experiences from the man at the gas station who didn't understand what a different currency was when i paid, to the several people who are illiterate and can't read a google translate to the man who didn't understand what a calendar was. Just a dumb, dense coarse attitude.

        Language: I can only describe it as hostility and anger when i speak English. They actually get angry, it's unbelievable. And before you criticise me, i always start with a Turkish greeting and a sentance. My manner is meek and warm. English is the Lingua Franca of the wohld. It's a mark of cultural advancement to know or to desire to learn a small amount of English. The vast majority of people in this world (and i am a big traveller and have been to dozens of countries) when they meet an English speaker their faces light up and they're so happy to practice & learn. Not so here. I've lost count of the abuse I've received. From the lady worker and security guard in Turk Telecom screaming at me 'only turkish' to the Taxi driver who refused to recognise left & right and was shouting to speak Turkish to the Turks who won't even respond to Yes & No until you say Evet or Yok. A Turkish friend told me that most can understand a bit and they basically know simple communication but deliberately won't engage with you out of spite.

        Culture: It's mono cultural. Dull, boring, totally lacking in variety. I've travelled to visit every corner and it's just identical. Same ugly buildings. Anything one buys is usually locally made, it's nearly impossible to find well made international brands. Yet everything they do doesn't quite work, doesn't fit, has something missing. They're workmanship is abysmal.

        Food: Just Shit. Unhealthy, greasy, oily, fatty. They only have 5 dishes and that gross tea. You cant ask for Ceylon, Herbal, Rooibis, Fruit Tea.. they just stare at you. The beauty of western culture is we have embraced Italian, Chinese, French etc. It simply doesn't exist in 99% of the country. The natives wouldn't go. They eat raw bread, Simit etc. But they don't have the mind to put a filling in, cream cheese and salmon, prawn salad, coleslaw etc etc no they sit there with the bland tea chowing on a hunk of bread, it's prison food.

        The men are utterly revolting. I feel vomit in my mouth just walking down the street, they are a disgusting disgusting people. The men stand there with their 4 day stubble, big gut, sunken eyes, sallow pallid faces chain smoking and barking and grunting at each other. I have nicknamed it 5000 bc because they are barely one step up from the loin cloths and clubs. Turkic oeople wete nomadic scavenging tribes from central Asia. The bible talks of the Scythians as a byeord fir uncivilised savagery. Thats where the Turjs came from. They are about 1 degree from going full Saladin, waving their scimiter around and drinking wine from the heads of their enemies. The men are aggressive and ready to fight at the slightest provocation. The women are very beat down and look scared. They are even scared to sit next to a man on the bus.

        Yet as other commentators have said i too have found the extremely friendly and genuinely helpful attitude of some. It's probably like 1 to 1000. Yet the extremely helpful Turks are probably the friendliest in the world and it feels sincere. Then i feel guilty at the loathing i feel inside as i realise an extreme minority of Turks who are open minded and outgoing and cultured hate this dominant attitude.
        The comments that explain that the lack trust and don't even like each other are so true. The attitude improves from Izmir down to Antalya then dramatically gets worse when you go into the smaller cities and Ankara is the WORST. Although Antalya is still surprisingly ignorant and small minded for an apparently big modern tourist city, it's a big country town. They still have a tiny brain mentality. And good grief, what is it with people who WORK IN HOSPITALITY BUT CANT SPEAK ANY ENGLISH IT'S YOUR F@#$%^&G JOB MORON!!!!!

        The religion also clearly is a corrupting factor. A war god who preaches violence and vengeance and a prophet who was a mass murdering child raping warlord… is hardly a good example but yet there is a surprisingly high number who cling to it. I respect Western cultures who cast off the oppresion and fables of religion and enjoy modern secular socities. I don't respect Turks because they haven't made religion irrelevant in their societies as any modern country should.

        They are clearly resentful that their economy is tanking, they are poor and frustrated and insecure. I think they have national insecurities because thr EU rejected them, thankfully.

        Byron

        1. Byron, please don't masturbate in the public area. This is inappropriate behavior. This is so rude! Give your hand some rest. And many people must have seen your text is shitty that they didn't even consider it worth replying to. By the way, you are not the part of the EU anymore. 😀
          Ah, why are white supremacist fascists so stupid?
          PS: No, I'm not expecting an answer from you Byron. :))

          1. Turks really are the lowest of the low, the crap of the crap, the filth at the bottom of the shit barrel.
            They are racist, dumb, nationalist, overly religious and it's clear anyone defending them is either one of them to begin with or never met one and is stuck with their head up their bum after being forced fed propaganda.

            Those are facts, doesn't matter if you like it or not.

          2. I kindly would like to say sorry for your experience in Turkey. I have been living in this country for 26 years as a turkish citizen so i can really understand what you have been through. From my experience, turkish people are not hospitable as people generalised. They naturally can't grasp the idea of differences in the human beings. They are usually super conservative and not open to new experiences. Because of their religion or culture ? I have no idea but that's what it is( there can be exceptions but i say generally). Since you had your visit like a year ago, you haven't seen the old turkey which the people were actually welcoming and happy. I saw how people changed morally and ethically in turkey due to economic inflation. It hit that hard to make people choose either you are going to be literally slave or you are going to be part of the group of people that they want you to be. Most of my sincere friends left the country and the remaining try to do it so. I feel bad for your experiences but can't say i am surprised. I would love to type it more about this topic but it won't not change anything.

        2. Look dude, your points are probably true, but you come across as really hateful and aggressive yourself in the post and that's very detracting from what you're saying.

          I'm annoyed by much the same things as you.

          I hate bigotry/nationalism/chauvinism etc. I was annoyed af when I lived in Florence (one of the biggest tourist towns in Italy) and the service people barely spoke any English, and was constantly annoyed at their lack of a service culture, "directness" (read: rudeness) etc.

          But you're really not doing yourself any favours or making yourself look any better than them when you write stuff like "WORK IN HOSPITALITY BUT CANT SPEAK ANY ENGLISH IT'S YOUR F@#$%^&G JOB MORON!!!!!"

          Also, you have to remember – London is one of the greatest, most diverse, advanced metropolises on the planet (if not the most). You can't compare it to London. I'm from the North of England and there's huge differences between here and London.

          Sometimes it's good to let off steam. The Turks may be unkind, but honestly, you don't come across as kind yourself here and it ruins your point.

          1. Sorry your post is full of a lot of errors just like I think the points you’re trying to state is. If you can not write properly with sense, stop wasting your time. Also you sound really angry are you ok?

        3. Oh my I am in central Istanbul as a black female in 2022 and I’m absolutely appalled at this behaviour. I could have written your review myself. Your absolutely correct. There are two extremities. Swindlers who appear to be helping or completely ghastly people- majority men. I absolutely believe that they understand a bit of English is such a touristic city, but believe that they are superior looking sweaty and dirty. I have traveled to a lot of different parts of the globe but this is the rudest country I’ve ever been. I came to the south of Turkey nearly 10 years ago, and one thing I left with that even though the majority people you meet on the street don’t have a lot they are very content and proud of their county. However, dont let this fool you. If they can get something out of you they will. 10 years later my opinion has been made worse. People who work in hospitality damn rude and unhelpful and a place where the majority are on the rob that you just get fed up and want to go home. Most of the food I’ve tasted in Istanbul, is greasy and dissatisfying, and not worth any mount of Liea

        4. Merhaba

          I just needed to start off like that. 🙂 I've definitely met more abrasive Turks than kind ones for sure. I can see how living here for 6 months would get to you. However, your post comes off as equally xenophobic and petty. I think perhaps some Turkish people might erroneously assume all other nations hate them, and perhaps it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. However, let us not forget that English is the commo language, because very much like the Ottoman empire, England successfully dominated the world at one point. I do not think that speaking English makes one more cultured. No country owes me their English speaking ability, however, I'm not going get angry if someone visits my country and only says hello in my language. So, for every Turk that angrily shouts in Turkish, I shout back in English. Still, I don't hate the country. I think it's unfortunate that a lot of people have been brainwashed by their politicians.

          1. (◕ㅅ◕) im sure they think you can understand them if they scream loud enough in turkish, i saw a lot of people do it… in fact they do it to animals too like i dont get the point of yelling at a dog to scare from far away, and gradually increasing your voice and getting angry at the poor animal because its not going away and just laying there… lmao…

        5. "I think they have national insecurities because thr EU rejected them, thankfully."

          Bold of you to think that can keep us out, Byron.

          I am a Turk, born and raised in Turkey, and now a naturalized citizen of the United Kingdom.

          I've already filed petitions for my relatives.

          We will replace you. Culturally, linguistically, genetically.

          Go gentle into that good night. Your people will be remembered in the history books.

          1. I'm a Muslim british born Pakistani. As a single mum I worked hard and saved money to travel to Turkey. It cost me nearly £3000. I went to Dalyan, really nice city and a warm and peaceful feeling there. Lots of helpful people and a real sense of community there.
            Loved it!!!

            Then I went to Istanbul, heard a lot about the ottomans and history etc. Beautiful country with lovely history no doubt. But then I get rude people, 99% of people I met in instabul were very rude. No respect towards their fellow Muslims. One man being so rude whilst I was just standing looking at the gift stall, he say what do you want, this isn't free. I was gobsmacked. He started swearing out of the blue. Then another man, shouting saying to me I should buy a Turkish sim card and learn Turkish, and another turk being so rude.

            Im really disappointed with my visit to Turkey tbh. Women who are turks barely wear any clothing, after I spoke to them they said yes we are still muslim, how can this be possible when they smoke, drink alcohol, and wear next to nothing. The towns and cities are full of alcoholic bars and clubs and prostitutes and they do this opposite to mosques. The call for azaan can't be heard but loud music can. Where has islam gone in Turkey? The ottomans worked so hard to spread the message of Islam but today's turks have erased all this.

            Safe to say I won't be setting a foot into turkey ever again. I left with a heavy heart

          1. Absolutely. I came online to see wth is this crap. Do they not realise that having tourist helps they're economy. I'm British born pakistani too. Absolutely disgraceful nation these people are. I Absolutely hate my stay right now. Unfortunately I booked for 2 weeks. Dying to get out of here. Turkish people have lost they're value because of attaturk I call him fu##turk. People are so so so rude. They tell you to fuck off right to your face. These same people who are dying to be part of eu. So glad they haven't. Because eu is a tolerant union. So many turks are in other countries, how would they feel if they get treated like this.

            I'm really shocked. They are soooooo uneducated that even common sense doesn't exist. There are more tattoo places than a decent food place. They love jumping on trends and are basically a slaves society to they're insecurities .. they need to somehow bring common sense back. To be honest I'm pretty sure no country in the world would ever treat its tourists like that.

        6. Hello dear Byron. I was actually searching about the Turkish influence on modern Azerbaijani language but somehow ended up here, and coincidentally read your comment from 2021. Hope you are doing well, and maybe softened your opinions about a few things.

          First of all, you are a male from London, lived a year and a half in Turkey and speak "some" Middle Eastern language, as I see.

          You start with the hyper-nationalism of the people. That comes from a country that still has a king as a memento of its blood-stained imperial history. Just like there are a lot of British hating the monarchs, there are a lot of Turks overwhelmed from everything being so overly-nationalistic. Unlike your beliefs, most Turks do not really worship them being Turks. They worship their mark in the history of the world, and their intense culture and past. And that is something to be proud of as I will explain further.

          Most people think that Turkey was the second version of Ottoman Empire, but this is simply wrong. By most historians, and most being Turkish, the Ottoman Empire is acknowledged as a "Balkan Empire" because they simply did not invest in anything in the east of Constantinople. They just took everything and gave nothing. Anatolia, was simply a colony. The Turkish folk literature, which is entirely different from Ottoman royal literature, is full of bards challenging sultans/rulers. "The government has sentenced our names / The sentence is sultan's, the mountains are ours." says one. And the republic (Ankara) coexisted with the empire (Constantinople) for a brief while, just a while before it entirely overshadowed it. And Ataturk was the leader of this revolution after which peasants became the lords of themselves, and not slaves of other. Respecting Ataturk is not respecting a monarch or a regular dictator. As a human being, he surely did a bunch of things wrong. But net weight is absolutely world bending over for.

          Turks do not think that they are the leader of other Turkic nations. They treat them as equals and see them as brothers, even when the "stans" such as Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan recognise them as more a European nation instead of Turkic.

          About the poll where Turks thought most their neighbours are trying to invade their territory… I suggest you to read about Greece and their illegal armies in internationally unarmed Aegean Islands, which are just a bit miles from mainland Turkey but very far from mainland Greece. As an islander most British people do not really know about land defence neither. Turkey has 7 (actually 8) neighbours and those use a total of 5-6 different alphabets. You can understand how the place where your country and ours stand differentiate.

          Xenophobia in Turkey is mainly towards more recent third world immigrants such as Syrians and Afghans. I know no one being negative about receiving Europeans (including Ukrainians and Russians). And I know no one being positive about Syrians and Afghans.

          Education: The education level is low you said. It is beyond being low, it is very much inferior by quality too. But hey, you are well-educated! So instead of using Google Translate, try to speak them in fluent Turkish, instead of just "evet" or "yok". You can use Duolingo unlike them after all!

          Language: I never witnessed a person getting angry seeing someone speaking them in English. Oh actually, I witnessed once, in Vienna. Some tobacco store lady simply yelled at me in German because I wanted to ask them about a street. Austrians can be just so cruel… English is lingua franca of the world. And I wish you could write the word "world" correctly in your native language, for which you accused people who did not speak it well. Also, if you travel quite a bit, you may saw that most countries where they speak it fluently are either where the common languages are Germanic (very close to English) or former colonies (such as India or Africa). I don't think they ever welcomed you and your entourage in Oxford English in Peru nor Mongolia.

          And about linguae francae of the world(s). As you may be unaware, the world has more than a single language. People speak different languages at home, on the street, in metropolitans, on national level and even regionally. And there are billions of people using these multi languages everyday. And as you, again, be unaware, Turkish is still a persisting lingua franca of the region, from Balkans to upper Iran and Caucasia. Unlike their negative manners towards you, I was welcomed in my own native language, Turkish, in a lot of countries, one being as far as Argentina, due to dense Armenian immigrants from modern Turkey. And the warmest reactions I got was, always surprisingly, from Greeks, again, in my native language. Greece and Turkey may be legendary adversaries, but people know very well that the problem is only politics. So reconsider your own attitude.

          Plus, Turkey has over 30 ethnicities within and it is not like England where most immigrant came with modern life for work. Those people sometimes are bilingual but even monolingual in their own languages. Those languages are sometimes very particular such as Kurmanji Kurdish, Mesopotamian Arabic, Western Armenian, Pontic Greek, Laz, Circassian, Judeo-Spanish, Roma Language and of course a lot of others spoken in other countries too. Ever heard of Polonezkoy in Istanbul? It is simply a village of Polish people established in 1842. People of Turkey are a straight results of famines, poverty, despair, hope, exclusion and genocides. And unlike your monarchy, the Republic of Turkey is founded by all these people. I really hope you do not even consider the diversity of people of Turkey and England. And I rather ignore you calling Turkish culture "totally lacking in variety".

          The same ugly buildings are made by rich people, not qualified architects. That's a visual disturbance the locals find quite irritating too. It goes politic when you consider them being prone to earthquakes. But did you know that the mosques as you know today, are in actually the stereotypical Turkish style? The traditional Arabic mosques are simply some sandstone cubes because this is common in their land and they believe in simplicity. But with the conquest of Constantinople, Turkish people took the design of cathedral domes and united it with their delicate perception of minarets resembling "pencils". One of the most breathtaking design being the Blue Mosque, you can find this style anywhere today, as the first image comes to people's mind when someone mentions a mosque. Not even explaining those structures stood against terrible natural disasters that you probably do not have in England. That is quite an architecture. Also you probably did not visit a local handcrafts store if you think Turks make everything in inferior quality. Turks before arriving in modern land were indeed nomads. But they were not "scavengers". Before they arrive in today's land, they ruled Persia, India and even China. They are the ones that brought the rug culture to Western Asia. They used them as tents and carpets under their covers as in their homeland the weather was very harsh. These rugs had geometric shaman symbols (still have today) which are adorned by the purpose of giving. A chest figure on the rug showed that it is meant to be given to a new-wed couple. A vase-like shape showed that it is made for a woman, or by a woman. Scavenger animals do not display such complex artistic behaviour as we know.

          Man from Britain says Turkish food is disgusting. You literally said a cuisine, in which there are nearly 300 kinds of meatballs (even so-called Swedish ones were brought from Ottoman Empire by the King of Sweden) has only 5 same meals. And they are all greasy and unhealthy. I am sorry if they could not serve you anything as healthy as a slice of shepherd's pie or fish & chips or muffin. That gross tea, you say, is the only tea in the world that grows under snow. It is very particular and I know foreigners specifically searching that tea and importing. And hey, if you do not like it, you do not have to have it. But your queen was stroke by Turkish coffee centuries ago, just a reminder. Oh and yes, you enjoy your espresso thanks to Venetians who had trade with Turks that controlled Yemen then.

          They eat raw bread like prisoners? And have no mind of putting filling, cream cheese, salmon, prawn salad and coleslaw (the cheapest of salads that housewives put on the table just to increase variety for guests) on it? Modern Turkey is the birthplace of agriculture and the cradle of bread. Wheat has always been the symbol of Anatolia just as olive was the symbol of Greece. Hittites (Anatolian Indo-European people and rivals of Egyptians) had 180 types of breads documented (from circa 1650 B.C.). If you never accusing rice-eating Chinese with being mindless, never do the same to Turks. Bread is holy in tradition, and they kiss it three times and put on their forehead if it ever falls down. Plus, there are a lot of breads you could taste that are made from ancient ancestral cereals. If in Turkey you took the white toast loaf you are used to buy from your sassy London store, of course you will eat rubbish. If you think eating plain bread is disgusting, you clearly have not eaten any "real" fresh bread in your life. Because it is heavenly.

          I actually feel genuinely sad for you. You have such unnecessary harsh feelings for over 85 millions of people who are simply unaware of your existence. I think the culture is just too alien for you. I never met a single Spaniard, Italian, Greek, Arab, Jew, Georgian, Japanese, Korean, German, French, Russian, Chinese person that visited Turkey and had so many complaints. Of course you do not have to LOVE it, but your accuses are just inaccurate. They were very well aware that this is not a fault of a nation but individual experiences. And some of them even got stung by venomous animals or had their passport stolen. Your worst experience is that people did not smile at you. I feel like you did not give them any reason now.

        7. Sorry, but London is a very dirty city. Cannot even compare to Istanbul and people are extremely racist especially against foreigners. Now you are coming from UK and criticizing Turkish people is pure hypocrisy.. English guys are the most racist people I have ever seen..
          Turkish people love for aataturk is their businessand not your concern as a tourist. You shouldn’t even think and care about their nationalism. This is how this country getting stronger that’s why Great Britain is falling apart. That’s why I immigrated back to my country from dirty London.

    1. Unfortunately with all the political shits that has been going on for the past few years it is possible that a lot of ppl in Turkey have changed and become less friendly. Turkish ppl are extremely nice but they’re easy to brainwash. Also yeah some men are sexists or they simply didn’t want to directly look at you because they did not want to look like perverts and there is still the old thinking way in Turkey that guys should work and women stays at home so they’re not used to interact with girls. I guess it all depends on where your going. Some places like izmir are better and the ppl there are decent. Like I said earlier tho, the president rn is literally trying to make the Turks to hate Americans so that’s probably why you didn’t had a good time.

  2. Hi Bren,

    I came across your post totally by chance and, as a Turk, feel somewhat ashamed by how you were treated by some of the locals here. It upsets me that the guys in the ticket office were downright rude to you; I do think it has to do with the language barrier to a certain extent, but still, for a nation that is knowns for its hospitality and friendliness, I am sorry to hear you had it enough and decided to cut your stay in Turkey short.

    Personally, I’ve rarely heard foreigners complaining about Turks being rude to them; this is not to say I don’t believe you or you were exaggerating. Maybe someday in the future, you’ll pay my country another visit and run into friendlier and more helpful people.

    I have read not only your posts on Turkey but many other articles you’ve written and I have to commend you on your amazing writing skills and interesting stories. I will continue following your posts.

    All the best!

      1. I've lived in Turkey off and on for 30 years. Its changed a lot for the worse almost everywhere. I don't know why. I just moved back from an extended absence and I'm shocked at the attitude I've been getting. In the old days, most shop clerks would give you the five star treatment, now they just give dirty looks and bark the prices at you. Hospitality used to be routine, now I also see an extreme of either welcoming staff or the cold shoulder. And most people don't speak English, and most people don't have any interest in learning it either. I speak perfect Turkish and many still act like they don't understand what I'm saying because I'm a foreigner. No one is equal here. Either you prove you are richer or better than them or they think they are better than you and will take advantage of you.

        Being overcharged was normal, but you were expected to haggle. I had a guy just straight up demand money for helping me shop in the market the other day. The people are insular and keep to themselves. There is no benefit for them to interact with strangers. You need to learn this as well here. Turkey is a great place to be left alone. Its fine if your world is just you and your family, just don't come here expecting to meet interesting people. It will be to your detriment. I do know some upper class decent Turks and they keep their social circles extremely small.

        Ive lived in Istanbul, Izmir and Antalya and its the same. The "nice" Turks living in foreign countries are the ones that keep their heads down and you wouldnt know they are Turkish. The ones I hate are the ones that go on about Turks being so great while living in a foreign country. If they were treated the same as foreigners in Turkey they would shut up about it. I used to get teased about choosing to live in Turkey when I could live anywhere in the world. Now I understand it wasn't teasing, it was malicious.

      1. I lived in Istanbul for a year. They are only friendly to sell things. They are not even good at that: if you don’t buy anything immediately they become hostile. I could give a hundred examples but for example I looked at purses once the guy screamed at me for not buying one. I was going to think about it and come back. But he started yelling. I’ve had Taxi drivers almost every time Drive me long distances intentionally out of my route (I live here so I know). I’ve seen 3 Americans attacked in Istanbul this summer openly. They hate America so if anyone speaks English they are mean.
        I’ve been hit by men on busses. I’ve been hit from a taxi driver who didn’t like my fare because it was a short distance and I was carrying a heavy item.
        Come to Istanbul if you want but be prepared for a lot of pushing and yelling.

    1. I have lived here six months and am aching to leave because I experience the same hostility and rudeness that you speak of on a daily basis-even when I attempt kindness and speak the basic Turkish phrases. It saddens me, because I moved here anticipating the warm Turkish hospitality that people rave about. I was hoping to make this a long term home, but instead, am researching daily, my escape to a kinder country.

      1. I’ve been to Turkey so many times and I can assure you that its not a uncommon thing to happen to you. I have to go Turkey for business and I hate it. Every time i get on the plane i get bad feeling. And so many people getting scammed and lied to there.Its almost impossible to create a long lasting business relationship. I’m not even going to start on their arrogance and self involvement

        1. As a Turk myself what pisses me off about the Turks in general is that they hardly take things serious…for example in Australia we took our car to a Turkish mechanic and the guy who runs the business was busy drinking tea and smoking cigarettes whilst reading his newspaper….when I complained about my car the guy tells me that its a car and they do cause problems in a very careless and laid back manner… but nothing about what can be done to resolve the issue a.s.a.p…I also saw this type of arrogance in other people of the Balkan regions such as the Macedonians and Greeks. I guess people of that part of the world place their own leisure before addressing peoples’ issues even if their job requires them to serve other customers.

        2. I lived in Turkey for almost a year while teaching French in one private school. Coming from Canada it was a cultural shock. It took me some time to adjust to it. It all depends what people expect. If you think that Istanbul is a modern European or American city that you will be very disappointed. the city is very old. People are generally not friendly at all. But I didn't like my stay at all either. Coming from North America I am not used to guys whistling, yelling, or shouting at me…They pee and defecate on the street. It is very common to see that everywhere, from children, men, and women. I was in shock. They can be very disrespectful, especially if you are young blonde girl. They won't help you. They are so rude. I have travelled extensively, but Turkey was my worse experience . It was so bad that I cancelled my contract and left the country 3 months before my contract expired. I couldn't wait to leave and I will not ever go back.
          I would also like to add, that I met a few nice people , but that wasn't enough for me to keep me. The ratio is so small comparing to majority who are just angry, agressive, and rude.
          Turkish food is ok, but you can never find nothing healthy on the menu. I am not used to eat rice and kabobs every day. They were so offended when I said that I've tried better food. Never ever criticize Turks. They are self proclaimed the best in everything. I can't stand this attitude. I am back to Canada, thank God, I won't live there again.

          1. Hi Elza,
            I've had very bad experiences with the Turkish people I encountered in Antalya. I am also from Canada.

            I booked an appointment for acrylic nail fill and a pedicure with a man at the front desk At a place called Viking Hair. After he forced me to give him money/deposit for the appointment he made a comment about my hair needing a treatment and how awful it looked.

            I had an weird feeling about this comment and my husband said it’s ok, he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.

            When I arrived the morning for my appointment I asked the lady if she was also going to do my nail fill for acrylic and she told me we do not have acrylic, the the man who booked my appointment showed up.

            I asked him very politely why he booked me an appointment for a service they can not provide, he said I told you shellac and this is not true, my husband was with me.

            I decided after he was so rude to me I didn’t want anymore service from this place, so I asked if I can have my deposit back because he was screaming at my in the shop, telling me I was disrespectful and I was a liar screaming at me in Turkish and also swearing at me in English.

            The lady was very kind and she apologized to me about how rude he was.

            He continued swearing/yelling at me so I called Someone from the dental clinic we are receiving treatment from to come help me because I was afraid of him he was grabbing at me (I actually took a video of this)
            He then continued yelling at me on the street saying “you people think you can come here and disrespect me in my country, go the fuck home and don’t come back he said to me.

            Being from canada this was a really scary experience for me.

  3. I went to Turkey last year for the first time and I am unlikely to go back. Mostly because of the people, which is very sad but clearly not uncommon!! Being a female in Turkey is obviously a bit different and being a fellow kiwi I really wanted to tell the guys who touched, whistled, stared at me to FUCK OFF but I didnt, I had no idea what they would do, after all they were treating women disgustingly so I assumed they were capable of worse things than what I experienced.
    Oddly enough I have met a few Turkish people (men and woman) in London and they have all been nothing but nice!

    1. I am really sad after I read your comment and Unfortunately you rıght. The normally Turkısh people are kındly and frıendly but the place ıs you talkıng about lıke ıstanbul we have many problem there because of our polıtıcal forced.I really felt sad too read that but ıf you want to vısıt agaın please go and vısıt the cıty mıddle of country lıke konya,Ş.urfa,Gaziantep.You wıll see the really turkısh people over there and see how they are frıendly and kındly.(sorry for the Englısh)

    2. This is a really interesting read. After meeting some absolutely lovely Turks (all female in my case) in London, decided to “follow the heart” and move here. Wow – totally different over here. Have been here 1 year completing a Masters. Deliberately chose a non-expat city to immerse myself. Result – zero social life, more or less gave up after 6 months. Guys – roosters who give me the combatative stare thing. Girls – avoid eye contact and if we do chat will invariably be intercepted in a flash by nearby males. Demographics matter here – couples and families usually well-received. Single males not so. All about family and friends – met a few foreigners who met and married Turks overseas then moved here – been warmly embraced by extended families and community here. Have always felt really safe here. But kind of invisible, neither rejected nor accepted…just tolerated. For me, the prior infatuation with this country and its culture is pretty much done – warmth and hospitality are not words I’d use to describe my time here 🙂 I’m sure it will be different for others. For a fact, I maintain that the loveliest human I’ve ever encountered (in London) hailed from this land. Happy travels 🙂 🙂

      1. It is not normal. But happens. Once I was at a movie theater and the guy behind me put his foot on the area between my chair and an empty chair next to me. I mean imagine having a dirty shoe right by your ear for an hour! And just like you, I felt too terrorized to say anything! It is a country of opposites you know. There are people who are so kind and there are people who terrorize you. What is obvious is that there is a lack of awareness of others that is very common.

  4. I’m sorry to hear baout your experience Bren. It is a surprise and very out of character I think.

    I have been to Turkey but only to Istanbul and the people couldn’t do enough for me. They were very helpful when I lost my way in the souk (don’t we all) and were respectful enough not to hassle me too much. My taxi driver even came with me as the taxi couldn’t go down the very narrow road, and made sure that I got in safely. Perhaps those people had an off-day or were just not thinking.

    It has happened to me but only once in 15 years of travelling when I found some people to be extremely rude for no reason at all! I found that to be the case in Singapore. All the expats were excited to see a new face in town but the locals were cold and pretty unfriendly, but what can you do? Dust it off and move on. It’s their loss. 🙂

    1. After reading this article and many of the comments all I can say is I’m pretty surprised at all of the negative experiences people have had! I’m an Australian and I’m actually in Turkey right now (this is my third trip!) and I always have a good time. I will say, I don’t enjoy the people much in the busy parts of Istanbul – life is busy and the people living and working in these areas are always stressful. Plus they’re full of tourists anyway, and I find other tourists to be jerks sometimes. As for the bus ticket situation, as I understand they stopped selling bus tickets nearly a decade ago (you need a metro card now) so perhaps that’s what was up. As for getting glared at by men in the street and treated with suspicion, it’s a cultural thing – as a male, you don’t make direct eye contact with other males on the street as it is often interpreted as a sign of open aggression. As a female making direct eye contact with men, it’s a sign of flirtation. I’m not defending that aspect of their culture, just explaining it. When you walk down the street, don’t look at people.
      Personally, I’ve experienced limited here rudeness, and instead some of the best hospitality and kindness I could have ever imagined here. One thing I will say against this post though is that I feel like it’s kind of arrogant to go to a foreign country and be annoyed that the locals can’t speak our language. It’s this kind of attitude that has given is a certain reputation aboard as being entitled. Turkey has roughly 60 million tourists a year from all over the world. And actually, many Turks do speak second languages… mostly German, Arabic and Russian. To give Turkey another go, maybe spend some more time in places like Antalya, Fetihye/Gokova, Izmir, etc. and you’ll see a different side of the country.

        1. Tatiana I read all your comments. You attack everyone on here who has a comment about THEIR experience. You talk about the Turks being rude when in fact you are beyond rude, racist and completely out of line. You really do hate the Turks we get it. A country of 84 million people and they're all the same right? I used to have an Armenian friend whose grandma would call anyone she didn't like a Turk including her Polish neighbors. One would think you have been gang raped by a group of Turkish men or beaten on your trip to Turkey. Did they steal your money and kill your friend or something? Never seen so much hatred from anyone which leads me to believe that you have other intentions behind these nasty comments. Whenever someone says they had a good experience which is possible you know there you are attacking them. You sound like such a miserable person that there's no way in hell anyone will be polite to you anywhere in the world. Maybe you should check your attitude first before blaming everything on others. Bren your post has brought out the ugliest side of people. The generalizations on here are ridiculous and like anywhere in the world there are people just like Turks.

  5. As soon as I get off the plane I went to Tourist Information and as always I was happy to be there and I approached to the information desk and the guy say…what are you laughing to! which very surprise me… I just wanted to know how much does a taxi to my hotel should cost to know the average of cash to withdraw from the ATM .. and the guy again said.. here taxi drivers are kind and they are not going to chat you… well… the price should be 25TL and the fist taxi driver wanted to charge me 50… so I did not accept.. the second taxi driver were kind and accept to put the meter. He couldn’t speak any English but I show the map on where to go and there were no problem. Once at the hotel I ask for some money change (small banknotes) to pay the taxi and the gut at the hotel give me but he did not have enough so he said he will give me the rest back… forget it… I lost that money.. the guy was not there the next day and nobody knew about it.
    The rest of my time in turkey was great. Food, architecture and people

  6. Hi, Bren! I am so sorry you had this experience there… I am not Turkish, but I know quite a lot about them, and as far as the modern Turks aer concerned – mostly good stuff… There is, however, this other side of the national character, which has its roots deep in its history, and which I strongly dislike… Well, maybe you will want to consider it yourself: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racism_in_Turkey#See_also

  7. Dear Bren,
    It is really confusing for me to read how you consider your experiences in Istanbul. Your thoughts are quite useful for me personally, partly because I have been visiting this country for more than forty times, mainly coastal areas, and I have never been relying on a contact or and kind of assistance of a local person, so I am quite inexperienced in this kind of relations with the locals. That is why I am truly amazed on the reactions you are mentioning. Part of the explanation might be the fact the country is developing too fast during the last decade and most probably could not cope with some minor side problems such as lack of smile, hospitality or just kind approach. The city of Istanbul itself is overcrowded and people are obviously and mostly stressed which causes reactions you are mentioning. However if you visit another regions, the countryside you would probably see another part of the national character of these people, and I hope it would be a real one with proper kindness and respect. At the same time your impressions are not quite uncommon for visitors coming from a more organized parts of the world. Truly hope you could find a reason to come back to Turkey and have a chance to see its better part.

        1. I’ve lived and worked here for one year – south of Istanbul (Asian side) – rural. I cannot wait to get out. I haven’t experienced everything written in this post but in this village people are horrid. They refuse service – from the bank to the internet service providers. People stare and laugh at you in the street – and I mean proper stare. They are the least welcoming people that I have ever met – bar none!

          The thing about the garbage made me laugh because just yesterday I had two incidences of being seeming invisible. In the queue at the supermarket and guy walked right past me and stood in front of me. I tapped him on the shoulder and indicated that he should go behind me. Then waiting on the taxi, the people who arrived after me went for the arriving taxi. The guy managing it stopped them. I think they dislike foreigners and unless you speak up they will ride roughshod over you. And don’t get me started on the con artists – from the taxi drivers to the real estate agents!! I’m excitedly packing my bags – it’s been a long year.

          On security – I haven’t felt unsafe. I don’t feel like they care enough to do anything to me. So that;s one good point for them.

        1. Every nation has an uneducated ignorant society, but this is a choice. But stupidity is not a crime, so you’re free. There are many Kurds who are educated and adapted to modern day Modernity. for this you must see, you do not need to meet. not every human is a. Most Turks are racist. it’s hard to do business with them . In addition, Turkey is a small mind Country (Slovak proverb)

          1. That's odd because ı was ın turkey durıng the electıons are you lıberal antı Erdogan sectıon of socıety are just as bad. anyways ı advıse all foreıgners to leave and don't vısıt. let the Turks have theır kebabs and faılıng economy go to Thailand ınstead. move to a functıonal socıety.

            Thıs place wıll never and should never get EU status. The crazy thıng ıs wıth out the foreıgn money (TOURISTS/FOREIGN STUDENTS) and ınvestment the place would be ın a more dısmal state.

            ı couldn't even get a DHL delıvery ın turkey. they made ıt so dıffıcult.

      1. Funny, I would say the population of cavemen has skyrocketed in Istanbul over the last 40 years and it is not the Kurdish population to blame for the situation.

        It is a nationwide issue over Anatolia with a lack of proper infrastructure and proper deliberate decisions to let people rot and struggle in the countryside. Empty promises, political brainwashing mixed with despair are the best ingredients to manipulate the uneducated masses.

        I have heard of very pleasant, warm, people in the Eastern part of Turkey from foreign tourists who visited Mardin for example.

      2. Actually the Kurds are the friendly ones. The religious people as well. Its the turks that have a more fair complexion and the brown haired ones that are extremely rude and disgusting. They are literally the worst people I've ever encountered and I've lived in many countries. The lady's with the headscarf actually smile at you and are pleasant. The rest forget it. Like a previous comment they will literally try to make you feel uncomfortable and will give you dirty look, maybe they believe they are superior to other people's not really sure. I've never hated anyone or any nation until I moved to turkey. I fight myself everyday not to be hateful but they make it really hard and it's exhausting. I pray to God everyday that I do not become like these people and to keep my heart clean.

  8. You’re right about the cold people in metropol Istanbul.As you can see abow , they’re also a big amount of people don’t like “other” people …We did’nt like the generally of the people there and moved with my husband 9 years ago to a smaller city in the south cost of Turkey.Here it’s more better with people:) I can reccon you small places in Mugla totally in nature not to much far to eachother and without a big mass-tourism : If you stay in any boutique hotel in Dalyan, maby you wanna stay there for your life,like lot’s of tourist did in the end(my friend “Kaptan June” as an example) You can travel around a lot from there and it will not end.There is so much to see.Pls just google the area:)…About Yuvarlakcay river,Koycegiz lake,Sarıgerme or Iztuzu beaches,Dalyan Channal with ancient rock tombs, Kleopatra beach island ect ect…XXX

  9. hey bran! dont bother!
    youre so right turkish being extreme with their attitude, even locals, we all live by it! i am living in europe since 6 years and i can tell that over here there is a particular way to behave. however in turkey, it is not the case, even i am most of the time, getting confused and finding myself thinking about what have i done wrong, that this person treated me that way, when im back every 4-6 months or sth. so in general i think, turks are quite moody and persons of different values on a hugeee wide scale, be it culturally, religiously or personality-wise. next time try it out, with like-minded locals on couchsurfing or so! 😉 indeed cant tell you were wrong with your assumptions though, as being a insider-outsider local for a time. cheers!

  10. I know this post is pretty old now but my experience closely resembled yours. I am at the airport now ready to leave but not without one more rude waiter who seems to hate his job of actually waiting on people. I’ve been here four days and I can’t tell you how many eye rolls I’ve gotten from service. Some people were ok, no one would get the title of friendly except one uber driver. It is a beautiful city, not sure if I would com back to Istanbul however.

  11. That’s so bizarre that you had such a negative experience in Turkey. My very first stop on the beginning of my around the world trip was in this country. I spent a whole month there, fell in love with it pretty quickly and returned three more times. Yeah, I got involved with some shady Turkish dudes, but my overall experience with the Turks was that they are some of the most hospitable humans I’ve ever met. 30+ countries later, I still feel that way. I think you need to see some of the smaller tourist towns on the coast and your opinion on their hospitality will change. Istanbul, like any large city can be unfriendly. If you do decide to go back one day, hit me up and I’ll give you tons of suggestions (There’s waaaaaaaay more to the country than IST and Cappadocia!).

  12. Turkey? NEVER AGAIN! Bren, I cannot agree more with you. By far, Turkish people are the most insular and inward people I have seen in the whole world. They hardly know anything about anything out of Turkey, especially men are nasty and unkind, almost all people I talked to are brainwashed, that Ataturk guy is a perfect example of a personality cult and you can see fascism in every aspect of Turkish people’s lives. Extremely rude and intolerant people.

  13. I am American and visited Turkey last summer. I hated it all the way, from day one. Unbelievably rude people. Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Antalya all unkind rude people. I completely agree with Maurice and Bren about exaggeratedly insular and hard-headed folks in Turkey…and yes, that Ataturk or whoever that guy is, is a major source of brainwash. Take to any Turkish people about anything out of Turkey, they just don’t know, they don’t care either. Foreign languages are unheard of in this damned country. Food is too bland and kebobs are too fatty, unlike Persian kabobs and pilafs. Women are both ugly and rude. Visit Beyoglu street, the 24/7 stampede by cavemen! Abnormally unintellectual city packed with crappy low quality restaurants they call lokanta. Turkish people cannot even read their ancestors writings on the museums walls. They don’t even care to learn. Gosh, I can go on and on. I will never ever get back to Turkey. Interestingly I never hated any other country so much, from Africa to Pakistan to Vietnam. Turkey, despite its fairly attractive Mediterranean ambiance, is exceptionally disgusting thanks to its unkind rude brainwashed ignorant insular people. I don’t wanna see one more Ataturk statue anymore in my life. I hated Turkey but anyway, try it for yourself.

    1. hi ronald, the reason the nowdays turks csnt read theirs “ancestor” writings is because they all were ancient greeks. Otoman turkish occupied those greek lands and consider them as theirs. Cappadokia, canal kale, antalya, bodrum etc some of the places where you w8ll find all these ancient Greek monuments, theaters etc with Greek writings. And they don’t have the decency to say that are ancient Greek and not Turkish.

        1. It’s all about face expressions. If the expressions were nice (e.g.: smiling, showing respect, happiness, helpfulness, etc..) I would never think about any negative attitude.
          If the language is a barrier between people, the face expressions would never be.
          As an Arabian tourist for the first time there, I also faced multiple types of bad experiences there (which are almost mentioned in the post and the replies), and ended up in the airport in the way back with the girl who issues boarding passes.
          Although, it is still an excellent choice for tourism, especially if you make a good study to the places where you want to visit before you go, so you don’t need much help from others. Put a detailed plan, and just follow it, you will feel more comfortable.

          1. NO, I prefer the ones who do not speak English because at least then I did not know how ignorant and rude they are and the low mentality level they have. five years ago the Black Sea coast was bliss because i had no idea the deviant mind of the Turk . Now i know what they are thinking and I want to throw up. Also they need to buy toilet paper and are really proud that they "ewash their ass' after but that is MORE diosgusting than using toilet paper because you get crap on your hand-that you eat with. No wonder i saw pink eye all over Turkey-Ew gross. Also they call Americans and other Westerners pigs behind our backs. Yeah. But they are projectors. Everything they say they are saying about themselves because they despise themsel ves. It is an inverted inferiority complex, nothing more. Simple psychology they feel inferior therefore they have to puff themselves up.

    2. Where have you been in Turkey? Have you been in ghettos or what? Millions of people are visiting Turkey every year and they all say that Turkish people are friendly and polite. Have you been to resorts of Antalya? It’s all great staff, healthy food, clean and polite! Go back to Pakistan next time! Ataturk is the founder of Secular Turkish Republic and Turkey is the first country in Europe to apply women rights thanks to Ataturk (Turkish women were already voting many years before the countries like Switzerland) Ataturk means tolerance and democracy, and he was ahead of his time.. You should read and learn about his principles. If you would visit places like Bebek,Caddebostan areas etc. which are more “Ataturkish” you would see how amazing, tolerant, visionary people living there. The people who do not adopt Ataturk’s principles are all rude, intolerant and more religious. Turkey left Ataturk’s principles since 2002, that’s why it’s going downhill..

      1. That’s not true. I’m a black and American Indian woman who has always experienced kindness in NYC. However, as a professor, I can tell you that without fail, whenever I’ve taught a class of Turkish businessmen, they would inevitably be the rudest and crudest (and sometimes odoriferous) students I’ve ever taught. And they would try to get out of doing assignments. Turkish women, however, always tended to be great business students.

    3. Excuse me? You are nothing but just a typical hater. Haters gonna hate.. Turkish people are known as friendly, tolerant and easygoing. It’s one of the rarest countries where people dont even give a damn about your nation or religion. Whoever you are, you are always welcomed. No boundries.. Before criticizing Turkey you should look at yourself, you are very disrespectful. Ataturk is the founder of Secular Turkish Republic and Turkey is the first country in Europe to apply women rights thanks to Ataturk (Turkish women were already voting many years before the countries like Switzerland) Ataturk means tolerance and democracy, and he was ahead of his time.. You should read and learn about his principles. If you would visit places like Bebek,Caddebostan areas etc. which are more “Ataturkish” you would see how amazing, tolerant, visionary people living there. You seem like a rude person, sorry.. Millions of people can’t be wrong if they are visiting Turkey more than once..

  14. I have thought Turkey is a nice place to live since you are a western creature and have some money in your pocket. Actually you could still taste the real rudeness and pure bastard attitudes if you were in an hospital, a crowded bus/ bus stop, driving your car in traffic or anywere people are close to each other. Dont think that they are not hospitalizing btw. If you were a turkish, you would be insulted and hate 10 folds to be there

  15. Actually i feel with you. I didnt feel like i was in any threat, but i felt like they where extremly rude and uneducated in how they should interact with other people. They definitively need to learn especially how to threat the guests to their country. I do speak and understand Turkish wich can be annoying sometimes, because the way they are “Nice” in english and talks about you in turkish without any reason is shocking. I really used to love turkey, but after many visits with some new hopes every times i lost hope now. Maybe they just feel the right to be ignorant towards other.

  16. Hi, I just stumbled across your blog and I actually found it interesting to read, as I felt like I could relate. My two sisters and I went to Turkey last year July. We went to marmaris. Absolutely beautiful landscape and loads of things to do and loads of things to see. However, we got this vibe that there were two types of people (like you had mentioned), some of them were over friendly and some of them were just downright rude and found everything hilarious (even the coop that had happened was funny according to them). We got along with many Turkish people, but we did feel uncomfortable the entire time, and I felt as if though they were very dismissive of us and weren’t being very welcoming. I am a British born woman of south Asian descent, and I have never experienced racism in my own home country of England, let alone in another country. However, on our second last day, all our fears came true. We travelled out to a little village in marmaris and we were in a shop looking at us some souvenirs with the intention of buying. The shop keeper came out and told us to “get lost, dirty P**i’s”. We were absolutely gobsmacked. We just could not believe what we had just heard. Such a rasict and derogatory term. Felt like a slap in the face. This had never happened to us before, and for it to happen while we were on holiday was so upsetting and so humiliating. We just wanted to go home that day. It was such a horrible thing to have happened. We were in so much shock, we couldn’t even speak back to the guy. It just dampened my mood, and I just couldn’t help but think that this is how some Turks think of tourists who are of coloured skin. I just felt so sad, and embarrassed of what had happened and of the country itself. Thankfully we were nearing the holiday when this has had happened. I dont think I’d ever go back to Turkey after what happened, I felt as if though why should I spend money in a country where it’s unappreciated. I’ve told my friends and family what had happened, and everyone was just as shocked. What a nightmare of a holiday!

      1. Hi Bren,
        I’m black and it is June 2017 and nothing has improved in terms of rude turks. I’m quite used to rude immigration officials around the world, but rude shopkeepers or ticket office clerks, is a first here in turkey. Of all the positive interractions and kindness shown me came from kurds, and rural turks.
        I recall my travels in germany in the 80s where it was rare to meet english speakers and yet people were always courteous. I’m not surprised that the tourists are staying away from turkey.

    1. Jasmine, as a person from a neighboring country I think the behavior towards you was probably based more on religion than race. If you were dressed as a ‘good’ muslim woman chances are the treatment would have been different. It’s something that I’ve noticed visiting other muslim countries or even neighborhoods in otherwise modern European cities. The level of disrespect (leering, cat-calls, hostile behavior from large groups of men going so far as trying to grab my arm, clothes and hair) is beyond disgusting. Turkey, for me at least, is a good destination for an affordable 5-star resort that offers all-inclusive deals and you have no interaction from the outside world. And that’s if you live close-by, otherwise countries like Greece and Bulgaria are much better options. Especially for a woman.

      As far as the history of places like Istanbul is concerned – it’s all ‘stolen’ and ‘reformed’ (Hagia Sophia for example) and the amount of revisionist bullshit you can hear on some of those tours makes them worthless. Unless something drastic changes in Turkey and it’s people I’m not going back and, like you said, spending my money in a place like this.

  17. Turkey is a lovely country with an amazing history and cuisine i have been there many times and it is so idiotic to generalise people in Turkey there are good and bad people in everywhere also i had experienced extreme racist and rude people in the western countries also super ignorant people especially in the USA but i do not generalise people because i am not an idiot

  18. Well, WITH ALL THE RESPECT TO THE PEOPLE WHO THINK THAT IN EACH COUNTRY THERE ARE GOOD AND BAD PEOPLE. TURKISH ARE DIFFERENT, HAVENT BEEN IN TURKEY BUT I HAVE KNOW TURKS FOR 10 years. WELL THIS ARE THE CONCLUSION, THEY ARE IGNORANTS ARROGANTS SELFISH RUDE HORNY NO ETHICS READY TO DO ANYTHING TO GET WHAT THEY WANT, NO PRINCIPLES, LIERs, NO GOOD INTENSION IF SOME OF TURKS IS NICE TO YOU THEN 100% WANTS SOMETHING BEHIND IT, THEY THINK THEY ARE SMART AND USE THE SIMPLE HUMAN INSTINCTS OF REWARD TO GET YOU IN TRAP.I HAVE INTERACTED WITH MOST OF THE OTHER NATIONALITIES, BUT THIS PEOPLE ARR COMPLETE FILTH I WILL NEVER EVER VISIT THIS COUNTRY ENOUGH WHAT I HAVE GONE THROUGH.

      1. A typical Latino in America. First, Turks are WHITE. Second, racism is not defined by someone's bad experiences in another country. Third, racists come in all colors check oput the BLM woman who beat her white adopted daughter to death a week ago. She happened to also be the wnner of "America;s Worst Cooks or Chefs" something like that. Millidiots generally do not understand the word racism and fail to own dictionaries therefore they rely in political propaganda from CNN to furnish them with erroneous definitions of "racist." You happen to be a victim of political propaganda and apparently devoid of an English dictionary. Please look the word racist up in Webster's dictionary not BLM's perverse version of the definition. When the French admit there is a Problem-there is a HUGE problem. They have had problems with Turks and other radical muslims since 1995. The french are notorious for staying in denial as long as possible but when heads are flying like the french Revolution and the guillotines they sit up and take notice. So yeah. it is NOT racism to be against a virulent, insidious religion that produces abusive and narcissistic people.

        1. Turks are not white. They are not Europeans. They are a diverse bunch that does include some European descent. They are varioud Anatolian peoples with Turkic, Greek, Arab, Jewish, Balkanic, Armenian, northern Caucasian and Kurdush ancestry. Even some East African descent. If you observe all Turks from all over the country you see this.. Greeks are Mainly of Anatolian heritage as well a d Anatolians are related to Iranic and southern Caucasian people. Only Eastern Europeans will call them white because they also are mixed but want to be considered white. If they don't consider t
          Turks white, then their own whiteness is questioned. I am married to a Turk and visit Turkey quite a bit.

  19. I don’t know where to start….
    After spending few days in Turkey,
    I just feel angry, bitter, mentally and emotionally drained.
    I travelled extensively, Europe, east and west, Asia and south Asia, many middle eastern countries, central and south America……
    I can comfortably say that Turks are the most horrendous people on the planet… and I’m so convinced that this country has no soul just like its own people… it was a frightening travel experience. I hated every bit of it, and simply because of its own primitive people… what a shame that such barbaric people are ruling over this beautiful land.
    TURKEY IS DOOMED !!!

  20. Hi, Bren. Very interesting article. I’m British of Saudi Arabian origin and I have a flat in Istanbul, so very familiar with your impressions. Yes, i find people in Istanbul incredibly rude in one’s superficial encounters. Rude and also aggressive. They will, for example, not hesitate to push you out of the way in a queue. My special world rudeness championship goes to Turkish Airlines staff, without doubt the rudest in the universe. But you also encounter incredibly kind people all over Turkey. So it’s a bit of a puzzle. Why are they so rude? (I actually came across your blog after typing “Why are Turks so rude?” in Google after taking a Turkish Airlines flight this morning, where the ground staff’s rudeness was breathtaking).

    Turkey is a very odd country. The reports of people in the countryside being really kind and helpful ring true. But in Istanbul — well, they are not nice at all, even if you speak a little Turkish, as I do. And of all foreigners, they really don’t like Arabs. It’s as simple as that. It’s a complicated story, but I can totally understand foreigners feeling unwelcome in Turkey. I’ve experienced it and seen it myself many times. I think Turkish culture is partly the reason. Turks are very nationalistic and consequently have an implicit dislike or distrust of foreigners, which can come out at times. Your neighbour in the bus throwing his rubbish at you is one example. Next time you fly Turkish Airlines, sit back and watch as people just shove you out of the way on disembarking. Nobody waits. No one shows you any courtesy. It’s the way it is. I still can’t quite get used to it after all these years, but it’s something you just learn to accept. And it really makes you appreciate everyday politeness that you take for granted when you get back to England. I’m not a great believer in generalisations, but sometimes they contain a grain of truth. My advice to Turks is that people will love your country if you show them just a little kindness. It’s the smart thing to do.

    1. It is true that most Turkish people do not like Arabs. This is because of the things happened in the past and the things that are happening today. Past is not a problem anymore because Ataturk saved the nation and founded the republic with the motto, "Peace at home, peace in the world." However, things have changed since then. We have at least 4 million Arab refugees. We have been living with them for almost a decade now. This is a big problem in every way! That is why EU is bribing Erdogan to keep them in Turkey. This is reason number one.
      Second reason is the way Arab tourists behave. They think they can do anything since they have money. Just today, a video became viral in Turkey in which Arabs wipe their noses with Turkish Lira before they pay the bill in a Turkish restaurant. Here is the YouTube link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrvILsh3BqU
      Third reasons is Erdogan. You can blame Erdogan for almost every negative thing in Turkey. He values Arabs more than his own people as if he is their president not Turks. He has close relationship with Qatar. He is making deals with them in every area, selling Turkish lands to Arabs. While Arabs prosper on Turkish lands, Turkish people suffer economically because of his policies.
      Fourth reason is my favorite. It is not like Arabs like Turks but Turks do not like them. ARABS HATE TURKS!!! Just recently Saudi Arabia banned Turkish products in their markets. We can add so many things from the past and present as an example of hate towards Turks from Arabs but not really necessary. Because we really don't care about what Arabs think or feel about us.
      Since you openly said that you don't like Turkey and know that Turks don't like you, maybe it is time to f*ck off. That seems like the logical thing to do in this case. Please don't do business with Turkey, don't live in turkey and don't visit Turkey. Just f*ck of to Britain or Arabia or wherever the hell you want but not Turkey. Perhaps you already did f*ck off. It has been 4 years since you wrote this. I hope that is the case.

      1. I think you need to tell your property developers only to sell to Turks and stop calling foreigners about investing in Turkish property markers. That may help. Also just a reminder the Ottamans were conquers like Arabs. Actually they took over lands Arabs had once taken. Also you may want to associate yourself with Europe and pretend you are not near Eastern but the west who came up with the bs idea of race and defined themselves as white will not allow you into that group. So trying to constantly distinguish yourself from Arabs who are similar to most Turks is delusional thinking. One thing I gave learned from being stared at with disgust is that humans are horrible and hateful and prejudice of each other and it is a sad state of affairs for this world. It really is a justification to support the extinction of humanity. All what you said is disgusting.

  21. This is quite interesting. My experiences were both awful and great in the same trip. I would not return.

    I found the people *generally* friendly. Some of the body language can be confusing: raising the eyes and eyebrows means “no.” A shaking of the head means “I don’t know.”

    The Turks seem to all hear the same propaganda. So, if the IMF/World Bank has just done something that the newspapers don’t like, a surprising number of people will actually know and complain about that to you.

    I went there over 15 years ago. The weirdly friendly/hostile attitude was pronounced. I expect though it has gotten worse since Erdogan, who has gutted Attaturk’s secular Turkey, allowing the natural hostility of Islam to dominate there. Bren, that fellow who put his trash on your place was communicating his disdain for you as a kuffar.

  22. This American couple has visited Turkey on several occasions because they are in love with the people. As a matter of fact, they post daily videos of their trips all over Turkey (not just Istanbul) and they’ve been travelling for months and here’s just one of their videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fskFVpgjTUw — feel free to check any other vids of theirs to see how much they love Turkey and Turkish people.

  23. I found people in Turkey to be generally more helpful than people in my country and also somewhat more friendly. Im American, but many people there seemed to think I was turkish or from Iraq or Bulgaria. For example I left my phone on the bus and my sweatshirt in Trabzon and the bus company tried really hard to get it back for me. They seemed genuinely worried. I got my phone, but My sweatshirt never made it back to me. Also there was a man in Ankara who walked me to the bus station, which was probably 20 min away. This would be very rare in America but would be appreciated if someone were to do it. Also I was trying to go to Göreme to see the fairy chimney but I got on the wrong bus because I told them Karaman and when the girl at the ticket booth announced this to the people in the bus station everyone laughed and I felt very embarrassed. Some people did try to rip me off which pissed me off because i was a visitor in their country, but People generally seemed to be helpful and more willing to talk to strangers. It seemed like there was more taboo relationship between men an women and it would be hard to find a girlfriend unless you spoke the language and wanted to marry her. Considering this, it seemed like a lot of Turkish men I met were what you would call “grimy” just like guys who would maybe spend 90% of their time with other guys telling crude jokes and working some construction job maybe they would also go to hookers. Also there was a creepy man in Konya who propositioned me for sex. He said he would pay me 10lira to fuck him??? Otherwise, I didn’t really make any friends there though maybe because people don’t speak english very well and the culture is totally different from my country. It seemed like a lot of people in Turkey were interested in you as a tourist as a way to start a mutually beneficial relationship. Not just to get your money like in some countries so Nothing wrong with that, but that was a priority and if any friendship happened from that then so be it. I noticed that in Istanbul the people seemed cold and not smiling a lot and not friendly almost like New York or another big city. A real difference I noticed was in Iraq and southern Turkey people are very friendly and more traditional. The cities look middle eastern and the people dress in headscarves for both men and women some women cover their face and men wear traditional baggy pants and 75% or 90% of guys are carrying rosary with them. In Iraq one Kurdish soldier I stayed with for a few days was crying when I left because we might not see each other again. They were very kind people and really went out of their way to make me feel comfortable. I was really surprised and it made me feel like I will always have some kind of bond with this country. So, in general I would say that Turkish are very friendly and they say funny stuff to you just to be funny even if you are a foreigner and they are interested in making a relationship with you and try to do the right thing for the sake of being a good person because they value honor. I found that Iraqi kurd was the most hospitable and friendly people from my experience even more than Turk or Turkish kurd.

  24. I’ve been to Turkey about 5 times (not my choice, had to go for my father’s job) and from my experience Turkish people were generally very rude and unnecessarily hostile with a specific indifference to other people’s problems and that was not only in Turkey. Most Turkish people in Germany were also very vile and disrespectful (even being bullies) to both Germans and other foreigners. I know there are good ones as well but I’m also generalizing here.
    And two things that you also mentioned: 1.Most Turks, especially if they’re younger know enough English to lead simple conversations (since they’re trying to be part of the EU and all) but they just choose not to use it! I don’t know why at all but a couple of times when abroad or online people got mad and told them we’re an international community and to respect one another we need to speak English when most of us don’t understand Turkish and they started swearing at those protesting in English or in Turkish!!! 2.This is the case in most countries where a gender is degraded that the ones discriminated against (women here) are usually more helpful and nicer to talk to. Like how some stated online, I also unfortunately witnessed many Turks being cheats to tourists.
    In terms of that chilling indifference (that almost seems like sadism) once when in Antalya, we were in an aqua park and since I was 10 at the time, I started drowning among the waves of the deep part of the wave-generating pool and the life guard was standing right above me and he just stared at me! In the end my father seeing that my head was under water for a long time jumped in and carried me out of the pool AGAIN with the life guard just staring at us from where he was standing before!
    In all 5 times I ended up either cutting my trips short and leaving or nagging 24/7 to my family that I wanted to leave cause honestly coming from a country beyond rich in history and architecture (Persia) I couldn’t find anything unique or worthwhile to entertain myself with there other than playing with the occasional random street dogs or cats I spotted which is frankly the only thing that I generally admire in Turkish people, that they’re caring and responsible towards intelligent homeless animals. I’m NEVER going there again though if it’s up to my choice.

  25. Bren,
    I see this is a couple years old but what the hey. Ive been to Istanbul, Turkey before and I too experienced the same rudeness from alot of the main locals. For me, it became hostile on one occasion when I spoke up to a mans rudeness. He yelled and screamed and threw his almost full drink on me. Of course I let it go but he kept up his tirade long after. His wife was trying to calm him down. All this because he thought I was being rude for speaking up. But it wasn’t all bad there, I saw alot of great sites and like you said, the food was great.

    1. I spoke up too because it was CHRISTMAS, and the person i was speaking with KNEW i CELEBRATE AND i WAS AT MY LIMIT. i HAD BEEN BOmbarded for a month with harassment by Turkish men while on the beach in Alanya and I did NOT want to "hear about Islam." I do not FORCE my religion on anyone and I expect NO one to force theirs on me. I told him "No." :I don't care." I do not want to hear about Islam I do not CARE about islam." I had it and was my most direct and I FELT AWESOME> He had a fit and I screamed at him. I have that viking Irish blood and can be VERY scary when angry. SO the short ass Turk calmed the F down and sat down since i am taller than him. You cannot have an honest conversation with them. It is Grooming for conversion. What bothers me the most is they actually say to Christians "we accept your "prophet" dio you KNOW how insulting that is to people who are Christian calling the Mesiah a prophet? then if you draw a cartoon of their PROPHET they behead you. I praise France for banning the Hijab because i feel unsafe on planes when someone is wearing a getup like a ninja who knows what she is hiding under there. Miullidioys have never travelled and label people islam and other "phobic" when we are informed and educated nit brainwashed by CNN.

  26. In Turkey i have never ever heard that nobody-modern or conservative Turks claims that they are ‘European’ only %3 of the Turkey is in Europe other 97% is in Asia.Eurasian country technically and mostly muslim.I have lived there around 9 years and most of the people are friendly and hospitable.I rode some comments here and most of them are racist and shallow.First you look at your country then judge the other humans/countries.EU is a collapsed union after the Brexit and if i were Turkey i will return my way to Asia where the future is bright.Europe is old and weak like a sick man of the world.Regards.

  27. I had a one day stopover in Istanbul and it was terrible! they are the rudest people ive ever come across! I guess theyre not used to foreigners since they kept staring at me and whispering and stuff.. i dont think I’ll visit istanbul again! lol its a weird place! People just stare at you like you dont belong there or something.. and nobody not even the immigration officer speaks english! Also, the airport is such a mess.. worst airport of the world!

    1. They are not used to foreigners?? LOL. Istanbul was the fifth most visited city in the world in 2015 and Turkey was the sixth most visited country in the world (before the coup attempt and terror attacks) and by people from all over the world. And it is still in top 10 despite everything and moving back up again. About the airport, Istanbul has two major airports, one of them the third busiest in Europe and Sabiha Airport on the Asian side was selected as the best budget flights airport in the world a few years ago. Now they are building the third largest airport that will be the largest in the world. all of this because Turkey is a f*cked up country filled with filthy rude people?

      1. EDITED: They are not used to foreigners?? LOL. Istanbul was the fifth most visited city in the world in 2015 and Turkey was the sixth most visited country (before the coup attempt and terror attacks) and by people from all over the world. And it is still in top 10 despite everything and moving back up again. About the airport, Istanbul has two major airports, one of them the third busiest in Europe and Sabiha Airport on the Asian side was selected the best budget flights airport in the world a few years ago. Now they are building the third airport that will be the largest in the world soon. All of this, because Turkey is a f*cked up country filled with filthy rude people?

        1. AMIR don’t open your mouth about thing you know nothing about,

          Turkish language belongs to the URAL ALTAY family, completely different from Arabic or Persian or anything you can wrap your little head around.

          As far as languages go, you can’t go more original or historical than Turkish, take a few college course before embarrassing yourself with your ignorant commentary…

          1. Wow, you’re ignorant, and you don’t need college courses to fix your stupidity, YOU need a mental reprogramming to know what is obvious !! You people, Turks, are mongoloid, and you don’t belong to the Middle East nor Europe. Your language and culture is stolen and you represent the monstrosity of stolen heritage. you all try so hard to be superior, WHILE IN reality you suffer from a deep inferiority . YOU DON’T OPEN YOUR MOUTH !

  28. I’m in Turkey now, I was just texting with a friend back home about my experience… Thought well maybe it’s just me? But after reading your article and people’s comments I see it’s not me and seems a common thread. Yeah beautiful country, loads of history, but interactions with it’s people leave lots to be desired. Not mean… Just indifferent and unwelcoming. Definitely come with a friend or travel companion it will definitely help if you like conversation… Because you probably won’t get a chance to interact with the locals here. Yeah 7 days is enough for me… I’m out and headed to friendlier parts of Europe.

  29. Overall, I had a great time whilst travelling through Turkey with a mate. As for negative experiences there were a few but they were overshadowed by some really good experiences. For example, we were offered food randomly as we were walking by some dudes eating and another time when we walked into a barber’s shop. It was really nice – like, we’re eating do you want to join us? We stayed in a cheap hostel and the owner gave us a brand new guide book for free. People wanted to hang out with use like in the train or at a bar just for a chat. The negative situations were – a guy tried to befriend us and led us into a ‘cool’ bar he knew. An obvious scam as a Russian girl immediately came to our table. Also, the bar looked ordinary, was empty but the bar men were clocking us etc so we got out of there straightaway. Another time, we met some nice Turkish girls and were just chatting with them but some random Turkish guys took offence and tried to stop the interaction, not that menacing though. Basically, I’d love to go back and found the country fairly friendly but one in which you need to have your wits about you a bit more than in other countries in Europe.

  30. Ive been here two weeks, and find Bren’s post – it is Bren right lol – to be giving them so much leniency. They are the rudest people on the planet. Probably ugliest too. Dont come back, and dont even bother see the history. Nothing special. Food is not bad, tasted better in the UK. My first and hopefully last visit. I was really hopeful coming to Istanbul, i did some research but wasn’t prepared for the most insular, egotistical, brute, pug-faced, bird brain idiots. When i landed in Attaturk airport, i got real stuck getting to my apartment from the metro, luckily some students helped me. So I thought wow, love this peeps- i was so wrong. 2 weeks of nothing but grim faces, like someone tripped their grandma over. I went to burger king tonight, just today, the guy blanked my order and was chuckling i was speaking English. Mofo, if this was UK, id knock your lights out and put your hairy ass on a one way trip to the barbers. Air bnb was a waste of time. Another traveller we bumped in had far worse experiences. Both of us had been teachers, and couldnt believe how cold the tourism was. They are very arrogant people, dont smile, rarely, and have jarred my visit. Only rare exceptions i have had smiles and hellos, mostly from the Turks who have travelled. Oh yes, the police are dogs. Harass anyone anytime.

  31. I spent one year of my retirement in Turkey living in Tekirdag, Istanbul, Eskisehir and Samsun I found out that THE main reason for their sh**ty behaviors is that they hate each other and thus how they can love foreigners. Just Gaziantep people were nice.
    In Australia, almost every person from any nation likes/loves to meet their country mates but Turks are THE only race in Australia don’t want to see Turks. I have lived in 17 countries one year each, Turkey is the worst country in the world and Samsun is BY FAR the worst city in Turkey. People were not bad they were (literally) insane. If you love Istanbul then you will get crazy and depressed in Samsun let alone Istanbul is not a city to like. For example it’s a habit of them they look at you from head to toe to insult you when you’re kind with them because they have suffered a lifetime from each other so they find a stranger’s kindness as an opportunity to opportunity to outburst of their anger.

  32. Shame on You! What kind of racist and silly and arrogant comments here! I think “some” Greek Armenian and Kurdish and Western people have an inferiority complex against the Turks that Ottoman Turkish Empire ruled them for 500years.We Koreans like the Turkish people especially Turkish soldiers who gave their lives in the Korean War for the independence of Korea! I have been to Turkey many times and these people are one of the most hospitable and friendly people i have ever seen! I have never seen a westerner treated me a cup of water except in the USA ! European history is full of genocides massacres and hate and who loves Westerners in this world? honestly reply? who? without your money nobody loves majority of you! Exceptions may apply.

      1. It is so accurate that you are just a racist troll and you are just generalising 85 million people and it is so absurd and nonsense. Turkish people are just 'humans' like you and if you hate them so you hate yourself too then. Your anger and hate will finally harm you like a poison. There are only good and bad people in the world and these nations are just 'imaginary concepts' created by politicians.

      1. This "Tatiana" is clearly a troll or he/she has a big pain in his/her a**. I see his/her comments all over the page under every comment saying all kinds of things about Turkey.
        You planned a vacation in Turkey for a month and you didn't know about Armenian thing or Southeastern European boys in Ottoman before? If these were such sensitive topics for you then why did you spend 1 whole month in there for vacation? To contribute to Turkish economy? Get the f*ck out of here! You are full of sh*t. Nothing but an internet troll.

  33. Hi Bren,

    I have to say, I can totally relate to your experience in Turkey. I spent a few day in Istanbul as a tourist and I had some bad experiences. On a street in a popular area, near the Blue Mosque, I was constantly, being in my opinion, being hustled and harassed by store and restaurant staff aggressively trying to get me into their shops or restaurants to sell me something at an inflated price. My hotel was on this street, so I experienced this several times per day. When I walked in the square area by the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia, all kinds of vendors tried to hustle me and scam me. I had a Turkish man walk up to me and speak to me in Turkish. He then apologized to me saying he thought I was Turkish (which is ridicules – I don’t look Turkish) using that as an excuse to break the ice and talk to me. After chatting with me for about 10 minutes, he tried to persuade me to get into his car so he could show me a good night club. I knew it was a scam at that point and walked away as I’m 100% sure he had some kind of plans to get big money out of me. On the other hand, I ran into some very nice people including my hotel manager who was the nicest guy I met in Istanbul. I rented an audio guide to use on a boat ride on the Bosphorus and it did not work properly. I complained when I returned from the boat ride and the ticket venders refused to refund my money – which was only about 8 US dollars. They were stand-offish and did not seem to care. When I got away from the city center, I met some nice people who spoke limited English but smiled and acted friendly towards me. I really can’t figure it out. There seems to be a part of their culture that accepts doing dishonest and sleazy business but there are other people who are down to earth decent humble people. It wasn’t a good feeling and I really don’t feel much interest in every returning to Turkey. Perhaps people are nicer when you get out of the big city tourist areas?

  34. Despite a few peeps saying that Kurds are the ones to be impolite or rude, I find it another way around.

    And, based on my 24 days travel to Turkey, its the eastern part of the country that is far more kind, hospitable to foreigners. I went to Van, Diyarbakir and Sanliurfa – the people’s hospitality was one of the trip highlights. Its a different story in Istanbul or Ankara; people are colder, doesnt seem to care etc..

    Overall I’ll visit again but spend more on the eastern part. The sites, culture and architecture is just a joy to experience!

  35. Hey man, I have just found out about this article of yours. I am a 22 year old Turkish living in Istanbul my whole life. I’m an undergraduate I also study politics and I am a traveler as well. Let me start by saying this: I know what you mean. What you used to hear about Turkey was mostly about how hostile and warm people were, that has changed! During the current governmental era, (it’s 16 years now), people have become extremely segregated and polarized, it’s not only the tourists, Turkish people hate each other as well! There are basically two type of groups: Islamists and the seculars. I am a muslim but I am also a secular (thats’s about 40% of the country), we mostly speak English well, warm to tourists, travel abroad, get higher education and control the cultural production (oddly). The other part are the Islamists, they don’t speak English because they go to religious schools (which are everywhere since the current governments took over), they only care about conservative Muslims, they want to get away from Europe and get closer to the Arab region, they are not open about issues like sex, drinking etc. and all of the bus drivers, taxi drivers and people in public service consists of them mostly (because the government employs mostly islamists). So there is this huge division in Turkey. If you go to areas like Etiler, Beşiktaş, Cihangir, Kadıköy in Istanbul, you’ll find a young, educated and open-minded people and you’ll get warm welcomes. Secular people are concentrated in only a few ares. Other than that, it’s Islamists. The segregation is very obvious and vivid, for example in 2018, Uber is becoming popular among seculars and all the government supporters and taxi drivers are attacking Uber drivers physically and the government is trying to kick Uber out. Also, in Ramadan, islamists attack people who consume alcohol, they attack people in public transportation if they are wearing a mini skirt. The one thing that muslim people care about is radical islam and the government. As long as you are against the government, or you are a tourists (excluding arabs) you are not welcome here. For the last couple of years, Turkey has a record number of college graduates fleeing the country (number one reason is security and freedom). So, it’s not you, it’s not the tourists. It’s the mass ignorance, segregation. I hope it explains. I hope Turkey will care about tourism, freedom and hospitality more in the future.

    1. Its more complicated than that. Of my 30 years experience in Turkey, Muslim men have never cheated me. It was the seculars who would cheat or steal from me. But on the other hand, I've seen mostly conservative muslim men harrass and rape women. They also love the transexual prostitutes at night. That was frowned upon by my secular acquaintances. As a man, I would rather deal with a Muslim Turk, but if I were a woman I would rather deal with secularists. Yes, they do hate each other. But neither are of any benefit to society. The old polite effendi Turks aren't around anymore, which is sad. I've had more meaningful deep conversations with hotel clerks in Bulgaria than anyone in Turkey.

  36. Hey Bren!
    – The dude on the bus, putting his garbage on your table was a bit rude, but not too much. In Turkey, there are people on the busses who collect garbage. So he thought it’s gonna stay there for 5-10 minutes until the service picks it up. But of course he should asked you for it.
    – Men in touristy areas are very rude and just look for opportunity to rip off. Especially taxi-drivers, bus drivers. They are very uncivilized and Turks don’t like them.
    – Don’t be too polite in Turkey. It’s a “man-culture” in Turkey. It’s even ok to say “I don”t wanna, leave me alone” if somebody tries to sell you something. Be self-confident when asking. Then they will respect you.
    – Turks are having a bad time with their authoritarian president who just abolished democracy in Turkey. There is a lot of tension among the population. Economically it goes down the river.
    – Turks are cold-shouldered because they don’t know how to interact with foreigners. Turks can be a very closed society with a closed mind. It’s a good thing that you made the first steps with a few words in Turkish.
    – Don’t forget, Istanbul has a population of 20 million. It’s a big city. Big cities are full of rude people.

    My advice: Go to Aegean coast, especially Izmir. It’s a city with modern-thinking people, open-minded, secular, proud and polite. Go around the villages. They will be curious in you and offer you a lot of presents. Istanbulians can be haughty and one part of the city is full of backwarded people.

  37. Turks are a sick nation. Especially due to their current government, they became a monstrous, rude, and a psychopathic people. You cannot even imagine how atrocious these people are; whenever I get on bus or tramway, I always see people quarreling for no reason. They are looking at each other as if they are going to kill one another.

    Men generally smirk for nothing all the time, are rude, arrogant, mean, retard, anxious, and ready for a fight all the time. Turkish women are paranoiac as if they are going to be raped by those middle eastern men (reminder: Turks are definitely a middle eastern nation, not a European one) wherever they go, naive and mostly imbecile. Their kids are mostly disabled because their parents are incest.

    When I visited Turkey 20 years ago, and they were really fine, lovely, and hospitable. But now, taking acount of that I have been living in Turkey for over three months, believe me, I am gonna lose my mind if I keep living here; therefore I am planning to leave this country ASAP. I can assure you that a great civil war is going to break out here soon. I suggest you not come here; otherwise, you’ll go back to your country with traumas only.

      1. Local here commenting.

        Have you ever wondered why tourists had so many complaints here? Have you wondered why so many young Turks are leaving their own nation and are changing their passport for another as soon as they can?

        The Greeks and Armenians are nothing to do with these types of comments. People from all around the globe are commenting in this section.

        Do not take things personally, this is the world we live in.

  38. Turkey is really a complicated cross road, with all kinds of religion, and actually many races, it’s not
    A harmonious place, so I think that’s why people are ego centric, they care only for them self.
    I been to turkey 4 times, and the experience is getting worst every time, encounter too many stubborn scammers , even at 5 star hotels and airline counters. If you go to you must stay at the 5+star Conrad
    Hotel, to feel a little better. Even our Turkish tour guy opens says he hates the country, that is really too bad. That means no one is willing to make the country better. My experience with Turkish people even in Canada and USA is that they only care about their own interest, and do not care about others.they can be very nice to you one minute but become a different person the next time you see them? I am not sure if they care for their own image ? After all Turks was only a group of loosely associated nomadic people,
    They were only tie together by the religion, but in the new world they want shake off the past and to be part of the west, and that is a big dilemma .

  39. I have spent quite a lot of time in Turkey, mainly because I had a Turkish girlfriend for two years. Obviously, everyone is an individual and its not a good idea to generalize, but I found Turkish people to be fairly unpleasant and aggressive. There were exceptions of course and I met a few people who seemed glad to speak to a native English speakers. But generally, it was bad. The level of aggression from other males towards me was off the charts. They actually look at you like they want to kill you. Anyway, the relationship died and I will not be returning to Turkey again, and I cannot say I am sad about that.

  40. I find your article spot on. I have spent 3 weeks with my boyfriend in Istanbul and my experience wasn’t good at all. People in general are so rude and so unfriendly that it was unbelievable. I personally didn’t like the kebobs and Turkish cuisine in general, and find that everything was just meat meat meat, very little vegetables. Everything was overcooked and it was very hard to find a healthy meal. We came from US to Istanbul where we spent almost 3 weeks and went to the smaller place for the friends wedding and people were little different , but they thought we were aliens or something since we both have blonde hair and blue eyes and they thought it was kinda weird. The girl poked me in the eye during this wedding to see if I was wearing colour contacts, I mean how come I have such a blue eyes lolThe culture is very very different, their mentality is so different than any other European country. And the last thing, I found them less European and more Middle Eastern in terms of food and culture etc…. Definitely not going back…didn’t get the positive vibe at all.

  41. As a Turkish, I have to accept that most of the comments that were written in both article and comments are true. Even us, living in turkey, are criticising behaviour of our people. Turkish people are strictly separated as uneducated majority and, moderately or well educated minority. Since the majority of the people are uneducated, it’s highly likely to confront them. Most of the educated people are working at offices instead of being taxi driver, clerk, waiter etc. And they do not prefer to use public transportation. That’s is why you rarely encounter educated polite people.

    Buying all inclusive hotels and hotel transfers in advance will always protect you. But if you want to travel by yourself I have few recommendations. Before you go anywhere in Turkey, do your research about places, read reviews. Plan in advance. Even for the restaurant you eat. Do not step inside a restaurant, shop, hotel etc. without doing research. It’s easy to do it via Tripadvisor, Yelp and Foursquare. Always choose chain stores and chain grocery markets for shopping. They have fixed prices and won’t try to cheat. Almost all the souvenirs that are in sale are made in China. They are not locally produced, and they do not represent anything local. Do not accept any overly friendly help from others. The main trick of the frauds is to talk excessively more (to make your mind busy to prevent you from thinking logically) and try to get close. Don’t listen and answer overly speaking locals. Gently walk away without speaking.

  42. Hi,
    I just found your article and it’s right on point, the people are so unbelievably in your face rude! There are few nice locals but the majority are plain rude.
    One guy was so horrible I couldn’t let it pass. My dad got sick on the cruise ship and got some on the floor, the guy at the cashier next to us refused to give us any bag (thats why the floor got dirty, then he brought me a cleaning tool and told me to clean, i asked if there is someone who cleans on the ship and he said no, you clean. My mother started wiping the mess and suddenly the cleaning service guy comes in and he is like nooo madam I will clean! I just couldn’t control myself I was so shocked at the cashier guy, I started shouting seriously!! This can never happen in Dubai, and I have never seen such behaviour in my life.
    Turkey is so beautiful, its a shame the people are mean. I am going to Trabzon next week and hopefully the people will be better. But in all cases, I am definitely not coming back.

  43. I visited Turkey from my hometown Los Angeles, California. I will never go back to Turkey again. I could not tolerate Istanbul a week. As an American I would say Istanbul would possibly relate to some European palates which find that pile of ugly concrete with horrible urbanization beautiful! I was amazed how especially British visitors found those super ugly and dysfunctional Istanbul neighborhoods with hardly any parks or green areas, like Cihangir, charming. Even Guardian wrote about it!

    Talking about the people: no hi or bye or even a smile when exchanging glances, or while getting on elevators. No Good Morning with a big smile when passing by on streets. All my fellow American visitors were annoyed by lack of social manner in Turkey. But this is valid for most of European cities we visited anyway.

    In Istanbul, for instance, sit at your table in Divan Pastanesi pastry and try to communicate with table next to you. They will look at you like a weirdo from Mars! There is no concept of interaction with strangers in Turkish culture. People don’t know how to behave in a civilized way to people they don’t know. Turkish women think they are being hit on, and therefore act guarded, and Turkish men are awkwardly cold, distant and communication handicapped!

    What is this lingual barrier Turks have? Most of Turks are too insular and do not even know basic English or any foreign language, and hardly have any idea about world issues out of Tukey. Oddly enough, except for Italy, I have hardly seen such a huge language barrier in anyone of the countries I travelled.

    Finally, what is this hysterical obsession with Ataturk, the archetype of cult personality, whose statues are ubiquitously installed around the country. There is a neurotic sense of insecurity in this.

    1. Your comment made me laugh so much! Especially the neurotic sense part, which is in itself a thorough field of study!

      Yes, the brainwashing is excellent here, well served, and brewed for a very long time since an early age whatever the official political or religious official affiliations.

      There is more I would like to comment on maybe only when the Penguins will fully accept my membership to their community, will I start bashing about the whole world of humans 🙂

    2. I am a New Yorker and Los Angeles is the most hideous place on Earth with the most idiotic people-i had to get out of that cess pool I did not last a year.. Europe is absolutely gorgeous apparently you haven't travelled. Americans learned the concept of green spaces form Europeans. This is why New Yorkers do not call ourselves "American" We are embarrassed by uncultured idiot Californians. After all we have the best green space in the country and the finest architecture and culture. Los angeles has the finest smog-lol! Nice city you got there-absolutely filthy and concrete and the WORST architecture i have ever seen and that is saying alot since i have been to 46 states. You feel inferior to New Yorkers because we are dual citizens of Europe and New York-. jealous much? You have no aesthetic. Turks are horrible people the majority however Turkey's architecture is beyond compare as is its natural beauty.

  44. I’m in Turkey (Kusadasi) right now and I feel very unwelcome. Not to mention the weird, creepy looks my friend and I are getting. She’s a woman and I’m a (gay) man. Also they don’t speak any English! Not even basic sentences. And honestly I can overlook that if they were more friendly and welcoming.

    I’m glad I found your post. Now I know it’s not just me. I can’t wait to go back to the Netherlands.

  45. as a turk I can say that you do not try to solve them, you can not solve their problems. I recommend it to come to Turkey twice to be more careful, especially in human relations. Turks are mostly two-faced and unreliable people. In last 20 30 years, the trust of each other people in society has been extremely damaged. maybe it is the coldness of the Turks and the fact that they are uncouth originate from here. You might choose the city in the western part of the turkey would be wise. In short, the Turks love people who look like themselves. Be careful yet.. Bren , you are right my friend, as a person living here I complain about the same things.

  46. As a Turkish people İ can say that you are definitely right, Brien. İ can suggest who are think to visit to Turkey that they must more careful especially in human relations. İn last 20 30 years, people trust to each other in turkish society damaged. i think that rudeness and incivility originated from this. maybe religions stuff. i dont know. i can say that you can not solve their attitude . you can not understand their problems as a foreigner even me as a local people. they are mostly two faced and unreliable people. their gender doesnt matter men or women.they are dont keep their promises.be careful twice. Western cities of Turkey is pretty good and peoples a little more polite and helpful.Turkish people like people who look like themselves and really doesnt care others.

  47. Customer service is so bad here, at least in Istanbul, Trabzon and Adana where we’ve been to. They are so reluctant to help that you don’t even want to buy or ask anything. There are exceptions of course, but they are pretty much rare. Another thing, because I look like an East Asian (but neither I am Chinese nor Japanese) sometimes I get “Nihao” or “Konnichiwa” said sarcastically from passersby and that’s kind of annoying. Not to mention people breaking queues, not greeting back, etc. Also I expected a more diverse tourist community in Istanbul, but middle eastern make up like 99% of all tourists.

  48. I went to Turkey and I will never go back. I hated it. Maybe I will go back to Kurdistan, the eastern part of Turkey, but never to the west. In Istanbul, a guy selling melons was listening on the radio to a sermon on how honest (dürüst) the Prophet was. I asked him to chose a melon for me (Benim için güzel bir tane seçebilir misiniz?). He weighed and palpated various melons, and they chose to give me… the one with a big rotten spot. Sizin dininiz bu mu? (Is that your religion?) And I walked away. The whole Turkish part of the country is foul like that. I only met honest people in Kurdistan (the east).

  49. I have been many countries but Turkey is the worst country i have ever seen from west to east!(btw I never been in India) I have been lived for many years in Turkey.What makes Turkey worst country? Of course the people..They have a bad temper.Always, at every corner you can find a psycho who wants to annoy you when you have a walk on the road or at cafe store.Small vendors are really dangerous especially in Istanbul and also Taxi drivers.They are scammer.I would like to share my one of the worst experiences about Turks.One day, i was really shocked because suddenly the owner of store started to yelling me and saying to me angrily “ I’m a doctor, who are you, you are sick go away from my store” blah blah FOR NO REASON.And then I said you can’t shout at me and I don’t care who you are and then a few customers and other worker started to say he is bigger than you, be respectful.OMG. What a answer! Someone will attack you unfairly and then you will be thankful for their behavior?That was really bad shocking experience for me because think about that you just go to store for looking some stuff and the owner attack you for no reason and you don’t have any idea Why?My mistake was to defend myself as I just a young girl because then I realized He was a schizophrenic man for sure.Don’t be shocked if a turkish woman/man attack you in verbal or phsycial for no reason because many psycho, pervert people over there. Istanbul is a dangerous zone!Foreigners must be careful during their trip.I must say Traffic is terrible.Many of them don’t obey traffic rules and other rules! I never understand why Turks are so arrogant people?They don’t have any important invention for humanity,sciene,art,fashion etc..Who do they think they are?There is no chance being part of EU for Turkey.I think don’t waste your time in Turkey if it is not necessary.They always need attention.Don’t pay attention to them during your visit!..I hope it is helpful!

  50. I have never met such rude people in my life. My husband and I when booking our honeymoon to England and Greece decided to fly back to Boston with Turkish airlines which had a 15 hour layover in Turkey. My husband and I were so excited to end our honeymoon in Turkey and see some Fabulous sites right before our 11 hour flight back to Boston. But once we got to Istanbul we opted to stay in the hotel room until our next flight. We had booked a hotel in advance and mapped out what we were going to achieve in 5 hours.

    After our initial interactions in Turkey, we were actually scared to leave the hotel. Our interactions with people in the airport and slightly outside the airport were not to our liking. We assumed a cultural barrier. Cultural barrier or not, I got pushed out of the way by a large 6 foot something Turkish male to cut 5’ me in the passport control line. It was as though he thought he could walk all over me. A Turkish women in the airport laughed at me when I said I didn’t have an E-Visa. (You have to pay $30 to leave the airport even when just laying over. Something I was very unaware of) Any male we asked for help couldn’t bother to help us. Yes, I completely understand that my interactions with Turk people were mostly in a stressful airport and I shouldn’t base my opinion on Turkey from an airport. But what I do know, and what I did realize that after the multiple interactions I had with turkish people and everything I read about most of the Turks after my interaction is I would rather not spend my time in this country. I am a tourist, I am a female and I am a human being, and myself and every human should be treated with some manner of respect. I chose not to spend the 5 hours to tour Istanbul as planned because I would rather not be treated with such disrespect, when coming to spend money in your country. I am a super nice person, and treated even all the airport staff with respect even when I wasnt.

    It’s so unfortunate, and I am so saddened that my first impression was not a good one. I agree with your post and that the interactions with people are really what’s makes a country a fun trip. I don’t plan on coming back.

  51. So much hatred on this thread. The simple fact is that it is the attitude and perception you have which will define your experience of any country. I am English and have lived in Beşiktaş over 4 years. Not once have I experienced racism. People are generally kind and helpful, but you need to make an effort to speak the language. Sad to see so much negativity here. I’ve travelled to over 30 countries and it is all about your own perception and attitude that defines your travelling experience in my humble opinion. I love Turkey and Turks. BJK 1903

  52. Hi,
    I just came back from my recent visit at Istanbul, which I always wanted to go and was so excited about this trip. But from the first day I noticed I was not welcomed. People would ignore me or give me attitudes. Once we took a Taxi and he drove for 5 minutes and then decided to turn back and drop us out and said it’s traffic I’m not going to take you… that was the worst feeling. I could not believe someone could do that to a tourist whom do not know where they are and where to go after that. As you said, the city was beautiful but the whole time we had some kind of bad feeling about how Turkish people are treating us and it was sad that it stayed in my mind as people ask me how was my vacation, I can’t say it was awesome… . I feel like people in cities like Istanbul that has tourism attraction should at least be kind and smile to foreigners so they leave their country with positive experience.

  53. I stumled upon ur blog while searching the reason of my terrible experience in turkey. Me and my husband went their for four days recently. We were flying frm madrid and istanbul was our last stop before heading back. I am a pakistani but my husband is british. Right from the airport people were extremly rude and impatient and wr trying to take advantage of us being tourists so much so that by the time i reached my hotel room i was in tears.next day i told my husband to deal with people whenever we had to.as i had a feeling they might treat him differently because of his ethnicity. He ended up arguing with shop keeper waiters wr rude too.asked a bus driver about the stop he decided to ignore and started to look out of the window. While another driver started shouting at my husband in turkish telling him to scan ticket again and we ended up paying twice for two people. we decided to leave the country and left the same night. It was a terrible end to our orherwise great holidays in spain and italy. Never ever i am going back to this country. And now trying to forget this traumatic experience.

    1. As a turkish woman, has been living in the uk for the past few years, even my whole family is back in turkey, I have no plan whatsoever to move back there. My boyfriend (english), and me visited turkey last year in october, I absolutely disgusted with people and what the country have become over the years.
      Turkey is a beautiful pleace, but people in Tukey are idiots. All educated and good people have left or leaving the country, because they can’t take the government pressure, they simply feel like strangers in their home.

      So, I dont know if you can move back to the uk, but turkey may not be the best place to live at the moment.

      1. Istanbul is extremely dangerous and I don’t recommend traveling here. There is violence and as these commentators suggest you can have problems. I’ve had many. Including having my wallet stolen from a taxi driver. I went into Starbucks and asked them to call the police they all laughed they thought it was funny I was mugged. This is their attitude towards “westerners.” As one Turk commenting here shows. dangerous don’t recommend. And the men or women will hit you if you argue with them. For small things like wanting your change from a taxi driver.

  54. I second everything you mentioned.

    I visited Turkey 3 times over the last 10 years and everytime I keep saying I am not coming back to this country but I return for different obligations.

    The only change over these 10 years is their English got better but the people are still rude so it was never the language barrier.

    I am at the airport now waiting to board and hopefully not coming back for real this time.

  55. Please don’t tell me that you all live in safe places. I lived in New York for 10 years. People there are rude, they hate each other, they don’t communicate; they fight. I had never felt safe!!
    I have recently moved to Houston; found a nice apartment in a safe location. And guess what? There happened a school shooting right next to my apartment; one kid was killed. For god sake it wasn’t even on the news.
    I have been in Turkey, China, India, and many other countries! Big cities are always unsafe! Why do you interact with locals anyways?

  56. Thanks for your post (and others!). I keep wondering what the heck I’m doing wrong, lol! I’m currently on holiday in Turkey with a friend and have to agree that most professional people I’ve interacted with act like your disturbing them, but it’s usually men. I live in Japan where the level of customer service, even in a convenience store, is very polite. My friend just went to the airport pharmacy here in Izmir and he asked the man if he had anything for a sore foot. The chemist just looked at him and said “No. Nothing.” He eventually bought some cream and when I asked for a bag, the girl just tossed it over the counter at him. I told her that it was her job to put the cream in the bag and said to her boss that I’d never been to a country where staff were so rude and unhelpful. We went to a village in the mountains and people were so kind and helpful. I really regret wasting my time and money coming here and certainly won’t be back! Can’t wait to get actually! If they’re going to have a tourist industry, they really need to sort out the attitude problem!

  57. I strongly agree with all you said, as a person who likes change, I decided to come to Turkey as a teacher, I assure you that everything you said is right, I was extremely surprised that even at the airport nobody speaks any foreign language, how people raise their shoulders and walk away as if you never said anything. I hate it, I regret the decision I made to come discover another culture but I did not want to leave the school without a teacher without mentioning how rude the school staff are. I will never ever come back to this country. I reached the highest level of being rude and without manners.

  58. Hi Bren. Many thanks for starting this post. I had deliberately search for an answer online about the experiences that I have encountered in Istanbul and stumbled upon your post along with the countless others as well. Surprisingly I can see not much has changed in the attitude of the people in Istanbul over the years from when you started this post. I am an Asian American and have been to over 15+ countries and enjoy meeting the people and trying the local food wherever I visit. In all my years of traveling, I agree with the experiences that others have encountered and really wanted to find the answer about the rude culture that exists among the vast majority even though I did encounter some kind people who I have met. There was one taxi driver who even offered to accompany me into an establishment to help translate for me. While there was another taxi driver who didn’t even have a meter and charged me 50 lire when I knew from other rides were half the price. Sadly, every other interactions with the local people have been quite rude as others have mentioned. Even when I attempt to approach someone with a smile and greeting in Turkish, I get the dirty stare and eye roll to get away. I wish I can understand where the attitude has been derived but for now am not looking to come back again to visit the city nor encourage others to visit unless they like dealing with rude attitudes.

  59. I will give you a recommendation.if you think turkish people are rude. please don’t come here there are good and bad people everywhere If you are generalizing, you are one of them(When I went to China I was looking for a place to stay I went to the hotel and asked if I have a room. they said yes and I gave my passport then they said no I can’t give you the room)but I don’t think like you. good and bad people everywhere

  60. Second time in Istanbul. First time I was treated like a king, (back in autumn/2016), now I am finding difficult to leave the hotel. Grumpy faces and pushy people everywhere. Can’t complain about scams because hardly anyone approaches me to talk (unlike last time). But I think I know what to blame for this situstion: the weather. It is unberably hot here today. Istanbul has no green space and the air is heavy – it lacks oxygen. Turks, like most people, get easily annoyed when its too hot. If not annoyed, agressive. Unfortunately, summer is the time when the city gets packed with tourists. Both sides get impatient very easily. I think this can cause things to boil very fast – or maybe I justify my current situation, because I prefer not to hate Turkey and it’s people.

    Be aware that your actions can also trigger unpleasant reactions. You should overwhelme the with kindness everytime they are rude. Besides, the political situation here is indeed VERY TENSE. But if you don’t want to interact with locals, best to find a cafe and spend your time reading/writing. They won’t be bother by this, and some kind soul may approach. Regards.

  61. Hey, thank you for sharing your experience as kind as possible. I am Turkish so I will try to explain where this attitude came from as much as I can.
    Our people have been struggling with learning english and they are really insecure about even trying to talk. So if you came across to older people they may refuse to talk to you because they only learned English in elementary school and probably forgot what they learned through the years. They are mad to themselves not you. And only words they learn in any language are swear words because if somebody swear them they’d know.
    Maybe the stares could be about you look like a tourist and they always figure out what the people are from. Even if I get in a taxi or sth. They ask where am I from it’s the whole thing. There are rude people in our country like all countries have I am not gonna lie. Maybe you didn’t came across the right ones, who knows.
    I am grateful for you taking the time to visit, try all the food and see our historical gems that a lot of cultures bring together. And I am sorry for what you had to deal with as a tourist. But never forget you are welcomed here to eat baklava and borek again.

    1. Don't bother apologizing for people having a bad trip. I've been to Turkey many times and will go again. Everytime i had a good experience. No country is going to be perfect and some people are bound to have bad experiences. But the overwhelming majority of people have a very good time in Turkey. And they don't have a reputation as being hospitable for nothing.

      Honestly im convinced half of these comments are from people with political motives. They are spending far too much energy hating on a country.

  62. Hey,I don’t know why did i read this but i want to say something about your opinions.Firstly I’m Turkish and sorry cause of your bad vibes.Turkish’re really friendly people.Yes,you know it but we can be rude.There’re many reasons for we’re rude.I think nobody doesn’t live
    under the same conditions.That’s it and i’m so sorry cause if my bad English lol.We learn only hi/goodbye at shools here.

  63. It’s a pretty shit country, I came to visit a friend of mine. Food there is great, but turkish people aren’t friendly and there are conservative, they dont smile and I didn’t find them helpful, most of the time when I ask something, I get different answer or wrong answer. Besides, 90% of people are smoking alot so I could not handle that.
    Bottom line, I dont recommend, unless you are a foodie so it can be tolerable for a few days.

  64. I agree with everything you said I have been in Turkey for 16 days now I’ll be leaving tomorrow and by far Turkish people are the worst people I’ve ever met in my entire life I went to Istanbul and uzungol and ayder and artvin and alot of other towns and Cities…… I traveled to a lot of countries but I’ve never seen people who can be so rude like Turks they are racist they don’t tourists and they don’t like non Turkish speakers they also are very ignorant they don’t even speak English almost everyone can’t…. I will never come to this country again….. HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE

  65. hello Bren, I came across your article because I have lived in Istanbul for 6 months (in winter 2018) and was baffled at why people were so rude to me, and I thought maybe it was me, but now I see that it wasn’t just me. Moreover something that’s different in my case, is that I am not white or American, I am a Pakistani male and I thought I faced that because I was a Pakistani, apparently not. Istanbul is a beautiful city, but it’s not a good experience when 9/10 people either are rude or couldn’t care less about you. Like you said there are 2 extremes, but just like you, I came across rude people much more than polite ones. Sometimes I felt as if I offended them just by talking to them, even though I always smile when talking, like every normal person. And no it’s not the older population, most of the rudeness came from young and middle aged men, even though I did learn some Turkish to communicate that way, and even then they were rude to me, perhaps now because of my broken Turkish, I had many bad experiences in Istanbul, but some goods ones too, although they were few and far between, I am sorry if It seems like I am ranting, but that’s just my experience, even the people of Saudi Arabia are more hospitable than turks. Visit to Turkey was nothing short of a disappointment for me, only and only because of people. And 6 months is enough time to get lay of the land.

  66. My experience with Turkey unfortunately has been similar. They hate foreigners and treat them all as if they are invaders. They make not distinction between a tourist and a refugee. If you look at Turkish google reviews of tourist sites like amusement parks you will find them all complaining about how many foreigners were there. They seem to forget they are a touristic destination. It is much better on the southern beaches. All the resorts we visited were welcoming and the staff always spoke perfect English. You shoudl have just cut your stay in instanbul shoet and moved on to the other cities.

  67. I have spent in Istanbul 6 days so far and have had a very similar feelings. I am glad it is not just me who has got such an impression as I have wondered why I feel much unwelcomed compared to lots of other countries I have been too. I also wondered about the lack of very basic English in such a tourist place as Istanbul. I could not even get milk for my coffee from a young girl at the airport. At some places I had a slight feel of unfriendliness towards me beacuse of trying to use English in order to get something as a customer. It never happened to me in any Asian country yet. I experienced kindness from older and humble restaurant keepers other than them no one else seemed to try. As a female I felt especially unwelcomed by other local or Russian women who would stare at me in a contemptuous or unfriendly manner. I would get occassioanal rude stares from men too but not to the same extent as eg in India. Istanbul is a beautiful city with breathtaking views but, unfortunately, I would not come back because of the way ppl made me feel. I live in London which is a busy city with many ppl too but have never felt this way there …

  68. Im currently in Istanbul googling why Turkish people have zero manners and hate westerners. My experience has been reiterated quite a few times on this thread and now I know it isn’t me. The minute I stepped off of the plane a rude man purposely shoved me so hard, his watch hit me in the arm and I was bleeding. The cabs all took longer routes and got upset when I asked them to take the recommended route on google maps. They also let me, in drove me a few blocks, and then decided they weren’t in the mood to take me to the final destination. In NYC your medallion will get taken away for this. Night clubs, bars, and restaurants wouldn’t seat me bc “there is no room” but then would allow a Turkish person in behind me. Mind you, I’m from NYC I know doormen can be mean and that it’s their job, but when it’s only toward Americans it’s complete discrimination. People trying to sell me stuff at the bazaar got aggressive when I haggled. I’ve been to Morocco and Israel, never have I encountered such animosity at a souk. I will never return to Istanbul again. Bodrum and cappadocia didn’t have this same attitude towards foreigners but Istanbul was such a disappointment.

  69. Well this is interesting. I was wondering why whenever I get a rude comment on my YouTube channel out of nowhere that made me think “wow, what is this guy’s problem?” about 50% of the time it’s a Turkish sounding name – quite an achievement for a relatively small fraction of the world population. I wasn’t really thinking about the tourism perspective, but it sounds like a place to never visit – I mean there are so many other places in the world to see, why bother?

    For those of you who had bad experiences, might I suggest you try the other end of the politeness scale and visit Japan. Many commenters here have blamed the Turkish personality on Istanbul being crowded, busy, stressful or even hot (lol), but Tokyo is all these things and the people still manage to be exceedingly nice.

    Incidentally, the biggest street brawl to occur in Japan in recent history was Turks and Kurds fighting each other outside the Turkish embassy. Poor Japanese police didn’t know what to make of it, I doubt they ever experienced anything like this…
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgU4pOqA6hQ

  70. Nothing to do with education. I live in North America and personally know a few immigrants from Turkey, all highly educated professionals. However, these people have no social manners, no moral, are extremely loud,nasty, barefaced, selfish lazy bullies, this includes women too. If they say hi, it means they need something from you. Uncivilized and barbaric, no education or big city can change it.

  71. Read some of the comments above .
    To be fair i ve been there a few times . I know what its like , there are some things that are well annoying and sometimes i couldnt be bothered . You might come across some people or experience some things and think “ fuck me “ or like “ fuckin hell “ you probably would ever imagine it happen in your own country , like its just not how you d think things would go .
    Turkish people seem to think differently their attitude towards people seem to vary a lot depending on certain criterias i recon . I can picture it now and i find it funny/absurd but yeah what can you do lol
    Anyway there are times when things are way too complicated or they might just think you re a mug , who knows what people went through when they were in turkey . People in turkey are different id say they behave a certain way and that s it really , you come across people that are welcoming and some that couldnt careless . Some people are well out of order some would go out there way to help you . Some of you above might have gone through hell during your stay/stays , if you hated it then unlucky , like it is what it is , if you hated it etc dont bother like fuck em the world is a big place full of welcoming beautiful countries , but chances are some people think the opposite and would return its just one of those things . I probably would i recon , not like soon but eventually i will . I wanted to go on the hot air ballons over capadocia .

    But anyway , i ll just list some positive thoughts , i recon most people will agree .

    Foods great there is plenty to see and do , culture history etc its all spot on , if you live in europe you get so much more for your pound or euro , holidays in turkey are good value , when ever i booked an all inclusive holiday like hotel food drinks etc its always been all good some people arent too keen on buffet style food that hotels serve so getting food in town is an alternative
    Boat trips / day tours / water sports are easy to book and well amazing .
    The beaches and resorts are nice its hot most of the time and its not humid . Clubs and bars are great .
    Fair enough if most people are muslim but i dont think its strict , you might enjoy a drink with locals , i have . Raki aint all that but it goes well when cold with little nibbles etc
    Travelling by bus aint all that , to be fair anyone and everyone travels in them you get a mixture of different types a people , ideally a normal person would fligh from a to b , i feel like those buses are the cheap way of doing it so i would highly recommend flying although sometimes you still need to get on a bus but the journey is shorter .
    Hiring a car is great but people dont really follow the rules so drive to your heart content ignore/fck the rules lol , just be safe tho .
    I interact with people , i do wherever i go and people are usually good to me , i must say id look at someone s body Language or attitude before i engage i do realise some people arent talkative , and when i see that i cant be asked .
    But id say try .
    Overall transport is good .
    And to a certain extent its safe obviously some places are dodgy and at night anything can happen and that could be anywhere really , just dont find yourself At the wrong place and at the wrong time .

    Anyway i keep banging on about all this , if you hated then fair enough , its kind of confusing lol everyone has mixed feeling about all this and there seems to be some kind of explanation for everything like you might talk to someone that you know thats turkish, he pr she ll be like yeah if you experienced this the its probably because of this reason etc , i must say tho some people go and love it . I kind of like . but each to their own ey. Not really trying to change anyones mind i recon whichever side you re on you must have your reasons .

    Id say its a great place to go . Not a 10 but a solid 8 . Thats just my view tho .

  72. I live in North America and met many of them .Turks, based on my personal experience, those who are considered educated and professionals, they still carry these barbaric bad behaviors ( such as racism, bullying, lying). Their bad behaviors aren’t strictly with westerners, they are rude to everyone! This was confirmed by my visit there. Turkish airline is the worst! from the time I met people in the airport, I realized how bad it will be. The employees are very rude and they seemed like they want to get in a fight with you !!!! I don’t understand why a turk will be racist or arrogant, they are poor uneducated and smelly. Well, I don’t care if they are that way. The only thing I don’t understand why tourism is there, or even why it exists there . There are many countries in the middle east & the world deserve the big number of visits turky has. I think good marketing made lots of people visit turkey or the cheapness. In turkey case, cheap country equals cheap people … it isn’t worth the visit , nor the money to spend there.

  73. I had visited Turkey every year for the past ten years, I loved and impressed with everything in Turkey. So…, I decided to move to Turkey because of my husband is Turkish.

    I’ve been living in Turkey for almost two years now and I could say I have several negative experiences just like you all.

    First of all, I had been living and working in different countries, and Turkey is very safe, nonetheless it is the only country that I have a very bad experience with. I encountered some local or villagers and they were super nice and friendly. BUT, most educated Turkish are arrogant and have such a narrow perspective, and lack of discipline, especially Turkish women, many of them that I knew, were so drama, jealousy, and very bad behavior.

    There are small numbers of people are nice, but the majority specifically the new educated and new generation are very arrogant and very passive aggressive and that definitely ruin Turk’s reputation.

  74. In each city in the world, there are bad and good people. I am a local. And you are right that many Turkish people are prejudiced. It is not related with your being Turkish or not. Geneally Turkish people are not warn or friendly to each other too, if they don’t know each other. They need first to get to know you and trust you before getting friendly. It should not be generalized with such ethnocentric comments. I had the same impression in London, where people were cold and distanced to foreigners. By the way, are you sure all those people were Turks who behaved rude? Istanbul has been a multi-ethnic city. It is now ever growing as a global city which bring greater cosmopolitanism. On top of that, added is government’s policy to welcome the greatest number of Syrian refugees to Istanbul, plus Iranians, Afghans etc. Again, as a result of government policies, in recent years, Arab tourists, or Middle Eastern visitors outnumbered the tourists of other countries. Some Syrian refugees bought apartments, opened shops, restaurants etc. and they were employed both in private and government sector. Some learned to speak Turkish. As a local of Istanbul, whenever I go to places in Istanbul like Beyoglu etc. I rather see non-Turkish people, and I see mainly Middle Easterners in such places. As a local, I can say that people of every ethnicity is actually welcomed,either as a refugee or tourist. But in recent years, some of the refugees and especially middle eastern tourists wondering around and shopping while behaving rude and barbarious around the city especially in tourist attractions like Taksim, beyoğlu.. That’s why decent and well mannered locals of Istanbul do not prefer to go there and tourist attractions in recent years. It is not only you, but also locals are not happy from this situation arisen in recent years. You would have a better experience if you had travelled there about 15 years ago maybe. In addition, some of the comments here look like scams, especially those attacking the founder of the country. I hope you get a better experience next time. This time try visiting Beşiktas, Kadıköy, Bebek etc. All the best.

    1. Wow, you are such a liar. Now you put your barbaric behaviors and bad things Turks do on the refugees and other tourists. Your country is a shitty country, admit it and don’t act like Turks are not the reason!. You look like the scam, not the other way around! Well, I won’t be surprised if Turks and Turkey blamed the refugees for the Armenian genocide !! Oh wait, Turkey is doing a genocide now in NE Syria. Well , blame the refugees and other tourists for that too !

  75. I wish I’d known more about Turkey before I came. I’ve been everywhere, Australia, Japan, China, all of Europe, Oman, Kathmandu, India, All over the US, and Latin America. The only place I ever got scammed successfully was in Turkey (A guy hanging out with me then wanting to go see belly dancing. Eyeroll.) Also, an ATM ate my debit card.. Then inexplicably within 5 hours there were 4 fraudulent charges on it. I liked Antalya, but Istanbul.. F Instanbul. I hate it with a passion. It seemed like at every opportunity I was getting fucked over. If there was a way to get more money out of me or just be a dick, it happened. I’m here now. Never again. F Istanbul.

  76. We came from the US and we are MISERABLE!! Oh my god I can go on forever. Nobody speaks freakin English not even at the airport. Not even at touristic areas. They have no Uber and you have to order taxis to move around and they don’t speak English either so go figure. We tried shipping hard drives because they barely have any technology stores and we couldn’t get the mail in either. The culture is so irritating to the point where our Airbnb host thought it was okay for her to go through our stuff in the house while we were away and rearrange my closet and accessories!! There are no cinemas barely any then you go to one and everyone is disrespectful taking phone calls and chatting. Then guess what? They abruptly and with no warning stop the movie halfway for intermission!! Their amazon is in Turkish too and you can’t find anything anyway. Nobody smiles back. And excuse me for saying this but the hygiene overall too is awful. Everyone smells like they’ve run miles with no deodorants. There are barely any products as a foreigner you are used to and it’s too all in Turkish. You have to use google translate for everything! I can safely confirm I definitely hate Turkey, our of all countries I’ve been to.

    1. I lived in the U.S. for 15 years and lived all over the world. They do have HUGE technology stores that sell everything. For example Mediamart which is in most malls. Most of their malls sell everything or you could use Trendyol online no need for Amazon. Language is an issue for foreigners but I think they have a lot of things that I used to use in the U.S. I have to agree with you on the personal hygiene which doesn't make sense since on every corner there is a Gratis or Watsons which sells every personal care product under the sun. Yes they don't smile much but that's because of their political and economical climate which sucks at the moment and most are exhausted, miserable and quite poor. If you go to the nicer areas and hang out with educated Turks you would be in for a surprise. Many of the things that frustrate you frustrate them as well.

  77. I wrote a comment on June2019 about my dreadful summer in Istanbul. I blamed the tourists, the hot weather and the lack of oxygen to explain why people were so rude to me. I ended up with an advice: try to overwhelm them with your kindness. Now, after my third attempt, this time trying to settle in this country (that I love), I reached a completely different conclusion: the problem about Turkish society is a systematic LACK OF TRUST, which is a direct symptom of extreme VANITY AND PRIDE (Two un-Islamic values).

    https://whatsupinturkey.wordpress.com/2014/06/11/understanding-turkey-lack-of-interpersonal-trust/

    They don’t trust each other. They don’t trust foreigners. They don’t trust their own citizens if they don’t share the same background (which brings the many ethnic tensions we hear about on the media). They are not racists – just better than others. They believe they are especial and unique. As a result, everyone else is evil and unworthy. There are always some conspiracy, black propaganda against their lifestyle. The problem, when arises, is always yours… “Got scammed? You shouldn’t have gone there….” Respect is hard-earned and involves more than good manners. Solidarity exists, but it comes with a price. They believe themselves to be the kindest people in the world, but when you need their help you become invisible (except if you pay for VIP treatment, usually restricted to rich foreigners). To criticize something is to create problem. To propose change is to disregard tradition. Every possible agreement reach a dead-end. Logic fails and irrationally takes over. As a result, confrontation is the answer.

    As an experienced “émigré” (hate the word “expat”) Turkey turned out to be impossible to settle in. From indifference to hostility, my attempt to find a place to live only showed me the worse face of Turkish “hospitality”. The rental market here is corrupt to the core. The good side? I haven’t got into any contract, so I can leave without remorse.

    At some point I believed to have made friends. I don’t know how many times I heard someone saying “I will help”. But help never came, and after a month my phone stopped ringing. My trust was shaken. I started to feel myself a bit Turkish. But no, that’s not what I want. That’s not who I want to be. I like to trust people. I suits me better than the usual fakeness and false-promises I have come across here. And the backstabbings.

    Even so, there were bright moments, usually involving random strangers that somehow took pity on my struggle. They are rare. Also felt solidarity from refugees, who have been accused to make their streets unsafe, and migrants, working like dogs to sustain this fragile economy – clearly affected by the dictatorial tendencies of the current government.

    I don’t hate Turkey, or the Turkish, but I don’t think this place is very healthy. Especially when it comes to mental health. My experience is not limited to (beautiful, but polluted) Istanbul. From swastikas on the walls to hate speech against minorities, Turkey is walking a dangerous, anti-social path towards collapse. Time to stop taking Pride on Atatürk’s legacy and stop blaming others for your own failures, Turkey. It takes more than tradition and Secularism to call itself a modern nation, fit to participate on the global game. Huge improvement is necessary, and this has nothing to do with politics or scapegoating the vulnerable. It takes courage to change bad habits…

    Welcome to 2020. And good luck!

    1. This is exactly it. I have had every Turkish "friend" turn on my when it was to their advantage, no matter how long itd been. I was well aware it would happen, because I had heard the same story from every single person I talked to. Success here is measured by how many people you can fool. I've seen honest businessmen go bankrupt for trusting a friend. Another friend was raped by her 20 yr long school friend. I knew three honest Turks, and they kept getting taken advantage of over and over until they married and withdrew from all social life.

      Its a great place to visit but a terrible place to live. I had more friends in a year in Poland than all my time in Turkey.
      I'm in Turkey now and I don't even bother talking to the locals. They don't want to associate with me and they will get nothing from it.

  78. People create, the Turks destroy – Serbian saying
    The devil has many guises, the most important of which is the Turk- Assyrian saying
    Chicken is not a bird and a Turk is not a human – Ukrainian saying
    The uninvited guest is like a Turk (or worse than a Tatar) – Russian saying
    Turkey, a country of small minds – Slovak saying
    The chicken is more likely to fly than the Turks are to love – Arabian saying
    When dealing with a Turk, do not let go of the stick – Armenian saying
    If you want a Turk to listen to you, hit him with a stick – Armenian saying
    Where the foot of a Turk has reached, the grass does not grow – Bulgarian saying
    If the Turk speaks of peace, there will be war – Greek saying
    Bad life is sharing neighborhood with a Turk – Kurdish saying
    The rooster will not lay eggs and the Turks will not become human – Romanian saying
    Source:
    https://allinnet.info/news/sayings-about-turks-the-same-as-before/

    1. Thank you so much for this. I choose the Armenian approach. I wish I had a big stick when I was in Turkey. It is a good thing i did not have a knife because i wanted to castrate all the men. HAHAHAH! Where there is a Turk there is no joy. Their narcissism is SO irritating. The men are not even good looking I am guessing there mothers tell them they are? I mean Spanish men are gorgeous and they do not think anyone goes to Spain FOR THEM WTF is up with Turkish men and their delusional opinion of themselves. It has to be mother issues.

  79. It is such a relief to read these comments and your post( however old, still getting a passionate response). I got back from Turkey yesterday and was thrilled to get out. My experience left an extremely bad taste in the mouth and I’m afraid my opinion of Turkish people as a whole has been terribly affected , though I’ve travelled extensively and speak 3 languages and am always respectful to the country I am in. I was in Konya and Cappadoccia- the people we interacted with were so noble, generous and kind. No pressure at all. Then Istanbul- the taxi driver exploited us openly despite us calling him out, the shady bad energy as a woman alone on the streets – THEN THE PALACE EXPERIENCE.
    In short I lost my boyfriend, had his phone on 1pc battery, mine was in the bnb and he had the key. I was very unwell anyway at that point and by now stressed and panicking. I waited by the entrance after searching for him, and decided to quickly check if he was outside the entrance. Looked and tried to reenter with my ticket. The girl was so UTTERLY rude at the gate even though I tried to explain in gestures and slow English and was obviously very distressed. Her behaviour was beyond anything I have ever witnessed. Firstly I don’t expect that level of sheer, unnecessary bitchiness from other women. I’m an ex dancer and ballet and yoga teacher and teach in one of the most renown schools in Europe and have worked with women all my life. We are supportive to each other. This young woman was pulling faces, yelling at me to go ( it was the attitude and expression behind the words that were most horrendous and unjustifiably so) , rolling her eyes, akin to high – school cattiness and clearly enjoying the power play. I was pushed- no one has ever treated me in such a way. So I said “ Why are you such a BITCH!!!?” ( she absolutely was). She starts clapping and thinks her trump card has come and pulls me to monosyllabic security guard and other ticket barrier girl clearly throwing me under the bus and enjoying it. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing and experiencing. They absolutely bullied me like a gang and the guard yelled at me to go. Well I was so stressed, outraged by the injustice and angry I burst into tears. Another guard got involved ( he was decent) they tried to make me go with one of the bullying women who suddenly changed her tune and I refused and started screaming ( now this had become a drama they didn’t expect and I was beside myself ) screaming and pointing at them “ Your behaviour is disgusting!!! Your behaviour is disgusting! Shame on you! How dare you trey tourists that way! Disrespectful!! Shame on you!” And was weeping and shrieking and a whole lot of tourists were gathered watching the scene. I refused to go with any of the disgusting bullies so the nice guard led me to the ‘office’ where the main guy was extremely kind and I thanked him in Turkish, still distraught. Then a whole lot of other people came, the female manager who was rude, and a sort of manager who spoke English a bit. They got a Russian on the phone but I explained I am from London, not Russian ( their attitude changed to me a bit it seemed for the better). I was so outraged and upset by the treatment and also stressed I kind of had a panic attack and couldn’t stop crying. So the tourist police got involved. I told them what happened and basically everyone tried to blame me because I swore at the woman . Well I wasn’t going to have that as I would never abuse staff anywhere and am very empathetic. I said” You don’t believe me” and eventually she said she did. I said I wanted to make an official complaint about the staff. They tried to dissuade me but I persisted. Well to cut a long story short that complaint was not within the business as I presumed but with the cops, so there was a police investigation into the whole thing. I was in the tourist police office for another hour. The next day my partner went back to speak again to them and follow it up and it had become a police matter. The manager guy and a different woman were very concerned and respectful and kind, but the female manager was still rude. My boyfriend explained to her with a translator how would she like it to be in a vulnerable position at the Taj Mahal in India, alone and the staff bullied her there. All in all it was a huge drama but I’m glad It finally was taken seriously. I would not want anyone to be treated the way I was subjected to- especially if they were vulnerable and more marginalised than me. That type of behaviour is not acceptable anywhere in the world and absolutely shocking. I’ve visited and lived in many countries like India, not just western countries and brought up in multicultural Australia and teach in London with students from all over the world and this was beyond rude. I repeatedly told the manager- “there were such kind people in Turkey I met, you have all of Istanbul to find good people- why do you hire people like that? A world centre for tourism at a major site- you cannot treat your guests like this.”. The police must’ve thought the whole issue was crazy, they were kind to me eventually but I rammed the point home to them as well. The whole thing was farcical but I sincerely hope repeated incidents of calling out the quite abusive behaviour I experienced in Istanbul means that it will be reconsidered and an understanding that behaviour and attitudes like that are not acceptable. The police said there are good and bad people everywhere. True, but why so in your- face- bad in Istanbul more than anywhere else in the world? The whole thing was very unpleasant but there are some true sheer acts of kindness and respect there too. Thankyou for your post and comments, I’ve been really trying to understand it and this has shed some light on what was really extraordinary behaviour and disrespect and the strange process that had to be followed to make a complaint about it.

  80. it is interesting to read so many negative comments here. some of them are from the racists and haters but most of them are probably real. but ı wonder why almost 50 million turists visit turkey in one year if we are so rude and barbarics. ı agree that few people speak english here. and turkish men are aggresive ı agree. we are also not so open to outside world. but the country is beautiful and you can spend good times in many differant places. we are not monsters , not more than other people ı think. also we believe in islam the most sufi way in the world. not so good culture but not so bad either. ı would give 85 out of 100 to turkey. and ı give 70 out of hundred to greece. 45 out of 100 to bulgaria, 10 out of 100 to armenia. and 100 out of 100 to azarbaycan. hahaha…

    1. Just because people have negative comments doesn’t mean they are haters. The problem with people like you and today’s society is that whenever someone gives a negative comment about experiences in your country you jump on the judgemental band wagon and say HATERS. Yes Turkey is a nice place. I’ve met some good Turkish people. Especially in bursa I had a great time. But in Istanbul I’ve had a mixed time. Remember travelling is about interacting with people and if locals don’t do that then it offends tourists. Remember where most your country’s revenue comes from. Instead of justifying your arrogance I suggest you work on self improvement.

    2. SEE that is your problem. You do not understand that it is NOT ABOUT YOU. People visit Turkey for the beaches and architecture and most of all the climate. Turkish men are so narcissistic to think that people come for the Turks themselves. People travel for Nature, architecture and some weird people-food NOT Turkish men. Get over yourself! Millions of tourists come for the gorgeous beaches and architecture-period. No one is interested in Turks.

    3. And herein lies the problem everyone. Read this guy's ignorant overestimation of his country. I give Europe a 100. We along with Japan and New Zealand are the most peaceful countries on the planet. Why do millions of Turks leave for Europe if it is so great in Turkey? Even Turks told me they hate each other. They hate everyone. No joy, no love. That is why Turks leave in DROVES for Europe and elsewhere.

      1. What you're talking about this it's true and I believe that because I was married to a Turk! I hope they have to learn how to respect each other and please don't act drama or jealousy too much it's so pitiful and they should learn to grateful for what they have and don't make many complain it just makes the condition getting worse. I read several comments from them who came to my country in their Youtuber, they also complained about my country which dirty, unhealthy food, etc but they did not learn that my country has more than 700 ethnics, Yep, I don't blame them and I accept my country like this but we are one of the friendliest countries in the world and I don't recognize that they are haters I just accept it and think that it's like opinion. I am feeling safer walking or riding in my country at 10-12 PM than in Turkey even though my country is dirty like they said yep, we are still alive and get achievement in international even though our food is not healthy like they said yep. It might sarcasm word but it's true. In Turkey, everyone is afraid of doing anything and insecure and I don't know why.

  81. People in Turkey are mostly poor. They work a lot but they earn less. Having access to good education, going abroad, reading about global news, going to festivals or any art-related activities are seen as a luxury. Since many people do not know English, they only watch local news which is only a type of tabloid journalism. Moreover, they do not have access to good quality magazines or newspapers. Even if there exist some magazines that produce high-quality content, they are very expensive for many people. People also do not read too much, they lack digital literacy. Although they do not afford an Apple computer, they can afford computers in other brands. However, many people are not aware of what kind of capabilities that their computers have. They only use their computers to pass the time by surfing on the internet, playing games, watching videos, and using social media. They do not use their computers to educate themselves because they do not know about these mediums and another reason is Turkish content is limited. It is like some kind of a chicken and egg problem.

  82. Nobody, especially people from developed countries, come to Turkey to help them, to increase living conditions, to teach English and other languages. Many Turkish children do not see a foreigner until they grew up so many local people feel intimated by foreigners when they become adults. Even if they know a little English, they do not practice it because they do not want to embarrass themselves in front of you and their friends. Their pride is their Achilles’ heel. This is also caused by that many people are only survivors. Although parents work too much, they can only afford basic living expenses. People of all ages do not have any hobby because they cannot afford it or they do not have time for it or simply they do not have access to it. Many Turkish people, especially middle-aged people, do not know how to entertain themselves, they try to find happiness in small things. There are some other reasons why Turkish people are so upset, moody, and “narrow-minded”, the world has been changing too fast, and advertising has become very prevalent. People do not have access to good resources but almost everybody has access to advertising, fake information. Turkish people have witnessed how their neighbor countries (Iraq and Syria) were destroyed and how Turkey has become the second home for people who escaped from the war in their own countries. This also exacerbates Turkish people’s poverty and other problems that they are facing in their daily life. The world they live in is not the same as the world they lived in when they were children. They trying to adapt to the new world but today’s world is so mean, cruel and competitive. Therefore, many people are not social and they do not know how to express their feelings or interact with other people. If you are a foreigner, most of the time, only outgoing or uncanny people will try to talk to you or try to sell something to you, because your money is a lot for them. Most of the tourist who came to Turkey also does not come to help Turkish people or understand the culture and value their hospitality. They only come here to consume.

  83. Turks came to this geography in the 11th century (around 1055) from central Asia, they have lived in this geography together with Greeks, Armenians, Kurds, Bulgarians, and all other nations. Turkey is not the only part of the Ottoman Empire. Turks are the citizen of Turkey and they love their country because it is the only thing that their parents taught them. In their soul, Turkish value only three things: (1) their family (who raise them), (2) their neighbors and (3) their country (the land that feeds them).

  84. Hi I had to comment we visited turkey once & before that we had a long transit in the airport which was absolutely horrible lack of manners & just normal social etiquette was shocking to start the story aside from being shout at by the airport staff in their own language which I dont understand I mean wow what a welcome to the country my husband had received work related email which he had to respond to so he had to use one of the launch services which he had access too, I didn’t. I just asked how much is it to enter found it not worth it so I left decided to go to the food court area to get water i was really thirsty i stood in the long queue when it was my turn i was shout at again! So harshly was asked to move away of the queue by shouting at me & the shop keeper hand waving at me to go away because I had 20 euro he didnt have change as far as i understood ! I was so shocked almost in tears I was never treated like by any shop keeper any where else so I had to go wait in another q just to get water finally I only found a place to sit with 3 stranger men 2 Africans one Japanese who was the only one who smiled at me at the airport. The awful experience did not end here my husband needed a medicine from the pharmacy so I got it for him & went back to the launch to give it to him to be shout at again by the receptionists of the launch with their broken ununderstandable English to my shock I shouted back at her if it was up to me I would have slapped her by that point laaaaaack of manners is unbelievable it’s as if they have not dealt with people before but with sheeps .. I ended up crying asking my husband to leave as fast as possible as I was hit by very very bad odour that just made me cry at that point. It was my honey moon I was so happy to reach Greece after this horrible experience. However my second experience in turkey was to my surprise much better I found people much much nicer all together everywhere I have to say the nicest people we have ever met in a trip!

    We over packed our luggage but everyone we met at the airports were more than helpful & friendly we had our daughter with us who was 1 year & half almost evey one we met was playing with her trying to play with her in front of the hotel there was a guy who randomly just played with her kissed her on the cheek & walked away ( No he was not a pervert) another o e who asked us to take a picture of her n our daughter in a restaurant. Another guy with his son in topkapi who asked us again to take a photo with her! On another ancident I was carrying her in a bus where I was offered a seat by an elderly woman who could be my grandmother I was truly shocked surprised in a good way people were very sweet nice & kind we still encountered some bad experiences but we were overwhelmed by the kindness of people we met be it in restaurants or randomly on the streets . I’m not sure what is it with turkey but people seem to be polar opposite in Turkey & they definitely love kids that’s for sure maybe thats why people were overly sweet towards us so my tip would be travel with your kids if you going to turkey ! We went to istanbul & bodrum. I still didn’t fall in love with the country it’s not my cup of tea i still prefer Greece but people there were very very kind & sweet surprisingly the sweetest we have ever met. Cheers!

    1. I lived in Greece for 10 years and I am half Turkish. It really depends on who you encountered on either of your trips and where you went. I LOVE Greece but I have met some crazy rude people there and find it less advanced compared to Istanbul but love the relaxed atmosphere there. People here don't realize that Turkey is 84 million people and they all come from extremely different backgrounds.

  85. I have not been to Turkey, but I have been to Azerbaijan and I’ve had mixed experiences too, but I think people ANYWHERE will treat you differently depending on YOUR AGE and GENDER in the first place. If you are just a random man in his 40s you may as well be treated with indifference, but young men and young females are treated differently. And then old people are also shown respect usually. It also depends on how you are dressed and etc. etc. etc. I never pay attention on how I am treated. I just know I have to do this and this and that and usually have friends in the country and after I have achieved my traveling goals I can sit back and think whether I was welcomed or not. For example in Barcelona you are not welcome, although foreigners will help foreigners. In some countries you can get beat up walking on a sidewalk, but if you tell them you are from an N country and they like it, then you are going to be “welcomed”. I know what to expect from Turkey, so I would travel there knowing what may happen.

  86. I actually visited Turkey 3 times. I felt Turks on the,street are rather friendly people even the men. Perhaps they tend to be aggressive when answering you so I hv to agree with you that they can be rude too. For an Asian, I do find Turkish men a bit standoffish. But I think Turkish men are proud people because of their Ottoman history. They nearly conquered the wholeof Europe at one time. I travel blog too.

    1. If you dress like a nun or a ninja they are VERY friendly. They LOVE oppressing women., I KNOW I spent a month in Alanya getting harassed because i am beautiful. I am not going to wear a hijab just because they want me to. I am proud NOT to be Muslim. And They try to FORCE their religion on you. I told one guy "I don't care." "No, IO do NOT want to Know about Islam I think your prophet ois a fraud. I told him that because he was so narcissistic to ASSume I would want to be talking about Islam at CHRISTMAS!!!

      1. Tatiana, I am sorry that you experienced such horrible things. I am a middle eastern man of Iranian origin living in Istanbul but I don't get it why some Turkish men think by being rude and irritating they can attract beautiful women! You said you are a beautiful blonde so this situation is more likely to happen to you from the men who come from more conservative and religious families. You know in Turkey there are men that never do these things. Don't forget that half of the population of women in Turkey do not wear hijab and among them are many beautiful blonde girls that experience what you have experienced everyday. In Iran usually men do not behave like that when they see foreigners but some men behave that way only when they see pretty Iranian girls. Because we think foreigners are out guests and as a visitor they should have fun. Each year millions of tourists visit Istanbul, hundred of times more than Iran and its cities but some Turkish people still behave like sexist and ignorant people of old generations and that's strange to me. Turkey is a unique and strange country from many aspects. It would be so much better for you to ignore those men and just interact with more modern people and enjoy your trip. Most of the girls even the Turkish ones do that.

  87. I am currently in Istanbul, Turkey (2020) and I’ve had a similar experience like you. I’ve visited Bosnia and Herzegovina and Jordan prior to Istanbul. People in those two countries were warm and very nice. But Turkey has another story… Whilst visiting Bosnia last year (2019) I was in transit at Istanbul and a security guy told me cheerfully to visit Istanbul. He said it’s a great city. But I feel a bit different after visiting.

  88. Hi!

    I loved reading your post about your experience in Turkey.

    I currently live and reside in Istanbul as a foreigner (I have to point out my gender too: female) and I would highly recommend to any traveller to explore this part of the world while one is able to despite some headsups shared aboveundefinedbelow.

    I got somehow accustomed to the local Istanbul lifestyle after spending 3 years living in Istanbul. I have tried learning some Turkish and showing signs of efforts to understand and respect the people I have met through my daily social and professional interactions.

    The main issue is, I feel, even Turks in Istanbul do not even display basic respect towards each other (it might have been true but it is no longer the case I must observe) and disregards of personal boundaries such as privacy invasion whether we are talking about work conditions to one´s relationship with one´s landlord (I have mostly experienced disrespect in specific locations and contexts which taught me how to behave and interact mostly).

    I dislike generalisations and stigmas but they do exist about the Middle East in other parts of the world although some may argue Turkey is not part of the Middle Eastern region, culturally it has become closer to that part of the world in the recent years for a wide range of reasons. Therefore, researching the culture is a must if one has no local contact and learning the language (even attempting) is necessary for better stress management.

    Pride and nationalism are very present across the Mediterranean region as a few former posts did point out earlier on therefore a traveller should be aware of the cultural cues and dos versus dos and don ts. Naturally, research is never enough, so one is never fully ready to jump into the culture. I just would like to tell potential new traveller to not let the fears and observations prevent you from visiting the country. There will always be people who will give you a hand even in ¨desperate situations´´ which is, sadly, no longer the case in many European Capital cities.

    Not all interactions were terrible (thankfully!) but I would suggest to any traveller to remain cautious and observant of social clues. One may need to adjust his behaviour according to the situation.

    Special note to the foreign ladies: there are several stereotypes about foreign female nationalities I have heard from several Turkish male voices (E.g. Nationalities such as RussianundefinedBrasilianundefinedAmericanundefinedBritishundefinedFrenchundefinedGerman etc..) which you should be aware of. However, I must have really learnt from observing the local Turkish ladies because I have never experienced upsetting situations or I knew how to identify unwanted situations by understanding people s intentions, therefore, acting street smart is a must. I have to point out I have never felt physically threatened and I have always felt safe locally compared to other countries I have previously lived in.

    To wrap up, I encountered a bunch of lovely people who tried to balance out the negative side of living in such a chaotic city as Istanbul as I am completing my final year in this country and ready to move out.

  89. İ allready dont understand why turists visit turkey…..if ı were them İ would prefer another places ti vacation. For an example Balkan states or cyprus or greece.turkey is not enough good .there arw much violence rude and bad people.usually there , people try to take your money ..bad service -much money!!! men distrubed me often (İ am blonde woman) when you be foreign so you will turn a whore on their Brain! No I never visit again turkey

    1. Your so right about that, I been living in turkey alanya for few years, and can't wait to get the hell out of here,most turks are racist,they only see euro or dollar when they look at a forigner, lazy, and the men are all married with kids and they have girl friends, they treat dogs bad, they throw garbage and plastic everywhere, outside of their houses are so dirty, I can list 100 more.
      If I new turkey was like this I would of never step a foot here and once I leave, I will never never come back. P. S turks come to the western countries and we give them so much
      respect but when you go to their the only thing the want from you is your money. This is
      disgusting
      P. S sorry to some of the turks that are actual decent human beings, but I personally have encounter 90 bad over good in Alanya. They way foreigners are treated is horrible
      . Don't travel to Alanya

      1. I have never travelled anywhere before and felt scared for my life like I have in Antalya. I am a women from Canada and I was scammed and I politely called the guy out on it and he lunged at my like he was going to hit me. I have him on video doing this. Swearing at me that I am disrespectful and to get the fuck out of his country and never come back. I didn’t even know this behaviour existed. The women in the shop was cowering with fear, she was a local.

  90. It is not just Turkey were you will find rudeness to westerners. It is the whole Islamic world all the Arab countries and Iran and Indonesia.
    The problem being that they believe there propaganda they are told by there Dictators and there religions leaders.
    As a tourist on a short trip there to relax and have a nice time you have no way and no time to argue with them and in fact if you were to try to explain how they are wrong and being mislead it would end up with you in court in jail maybe even dead, so don't try.
    My advice is don't travel to a Muslim country for your holidays and when at home in the west avoid areas where there are a lot of Muslims.
    This might sound racist it isn't Islam is a bad idea not a bad race.

  91. I am a nuanced traveler and I agree with your assessment of Turkey. I do not feel you are being harsh; in fact, as a woman travelling sola, I experienced even worse treatment. The men are pigs, pure and simple. They have absolutely no regard for women I learned through myriad conversations inquiring into the mentality level of the Turk. I had a genuine interest in Turkey because i find it naturally beautiful and architecturally inspiring. Unfortunately, I will NEVER go back there. I was never left in peace on the beach in Alanya because men feel that women are actually in Turkey FOR THEM. I do not know which I found more disturbing their stupidity of their narcissism. I guess it was a combination of both. I felt vengeance because i had paid to stay an entire month so I told them directly that Newsflash European women come here on holiday for the CLIMATE and the beaches. NO European women come here for YOU. They caused narcisssitic wounds and I am glad because i was objectified, minimized and harassed. If they ever become part of the EU I will move to New Zealand.

      1. Hi. Just checking in to let you know how my post Turkey trauma is doing. So it has been 1 month and 14 days 1.5 months exactly since I left that horrible country and I am still fuming when I think of Turkish men. I have ptsd from my turkish experience apparently. I fucking HATE Turkey and I will never even stop for a layover there-THAT Is how much Turkey SUCKS. I was just on the phone with a friend who was thinking of going there and had to receount my horrific story and my stomach is still in knots. Fuck Turkey and all the Turks in it and out of it. I HATE narcissists and that country breeds them. I can breathe now. It is leaving me. The repellant thought of it that brought a little vomit up into my throat is gone. I am OK… deep breaths. I am in a friendly country with normal men. No one thinks I am HERE FOR THEM. I can relax…. Fuck YOU Turkey!

          1. LOL! I would Never touch a dirty Turk. Do you actually believe a Christian European woman would let a filthy Muslim Turk touch her? HAHAHA this is why everyone knows you are delusional and you prove my point.Nice try but you are delusional like the rest of your Fugly fellow Turks. I was sexually harassed. You are a misogynist.

        1. I live in Turkey and I never had a boyfriend here . So I didnt experience things like you did. Maybe you shouldnt trust and f..k with every men in Turkey. Btw Turkish men think like that all Russian women are wh..e. Thats why when they see Russian Ukranian etc they try to f…k with them. I'm not saying you are like that. But their mind is full of this thoughts. So be careful and dont come to Turkey. And good luck with your PTSD

  92. Hiii a Turkish girl here!
    I think attitude of people started to change slightly because (before corona) lots of tourists visit Turkey and sometimes we see bad news about them like they are coming to our country and being disrespectful ,stealing,fighting etc. Also we started to think that they are only coming Turkey because it is very cheap.
    And majority of people dont know English. So I am sure their mind like "is he swearing me?"
    Usually tourists are trying to speak with me but I dont because I dont want to represent my country.
    Hope you all will have fun wherever you travel.

  93. This post is quite a few years old now, but just wanted to chime in that my experience with Turks has been very similar. I have traveled to many countries around the world and have seldom had as many encounters with rude, arrogant, and disrespectful people. I could list the numerous experiences I had, some that left me almost in a state of disbelief, but I think that has been covered here sufficiently already.

    Rude and unpleasant people exist in all four corners of the world, obviously, but with Turks that element just somehow feels dialed up another notch or two. It really doesn't surprise me that they are known to be disliked in Europe, such as in Germany where there are a lot of them. You make the bed you lie in, as they say. I know I won't be back for a visit in a hurry.

    1. Again sad to read this but I think it all comes down to who you interacted with. The uneducated ones from the rural part of Turkey but live in Istanbul are pretty uncivilized and uncultured. I am half Turkish and half Lebanese. I am always annoyed by their rudeness but I learned to not let them get away with it. Luckily I speak Turkish albeit broken but can still tell them that what they're doing is unacceptable. Beautiful gorgeous country not going to let them ruin it for me and you shouldn't either.

  94. Felt the exact same way. Women are so kind and gentle, waitresses staff friends random ppl they're all great. Some of the men are awesome too really loved showingme Turkish culture and just enjoying spending time together.

    However, wow there are some of the most rude ppl I've ever encountered here in all my travels. Leaving now, this guy's dog is pooping all over the airport and everyone is stepping in it, he doesn't care. People will cut right in front of you in line not even when you're hesitating, they just do it. People run into each other knocking someone's stuff out of their hands because they were texting, they don't care they don't even look up. After 2 weeks I felt like I've had enough lol.

    The positive is if you are not the aggressive type, it gives you practice on how to deal with them so it's actually a good lesson. Learn to ignore aggressive behavior, always be ready, and don't let a few bad apples ruin your experience (having enough is different than ruining the experience:))

    Safe travels

      1. Very sad to read this and please do report it to the Police. Which neighborhood do you live in? I have never had an issue with them but I live in a very nice area and my father is Turkish. I only had one woman on a bus once hissss at me for wearing revealing clothes (she wore a headscarf). The man behind told her off and said be respectful! I see foreigners on buses all the time and no one says anything to them except when the Arab ones ride on the bus and their large number of children start screaming.

    1. Actually, you know what this is? The perception of modernity that you Europeans taught them. It is entering our country in a ridiculous way because of racist reasons and because you impose it in an obligatory conditional way. Then everyone sees each other and acts like it's normal.
      For example, someone prefers to travel standing up so that the bus doesn't get dirty, while someone else doesn't care about picking up the poop of their dog when he goes to the toilet. Because what he was taught is that he considers himself superior to others because he is an animal lover. The "left and libertarian ideologies", which are actually bad, that you present as good to us, are getting even more crappy in us. Moreover, the governments you voted for in your own country support them in our country. But you always talk about Erdogan.

  95. Just came across this. Like a anywhere in the world you will meet nice friendly people and a-holes. I am Turkish Lebanese and traveled and lived all over the world including the U.S. for years. I have lived in Istanbul on and off for years. I ride buses, metros and other forms of transportation. The Municipality does a lot to make sure that foreigners feel safe and don't get scammed. As a woman I feel very safe walking around but I am also mindful of what I wear. The majority of Turks are conservative Muslim Turks not as modern and open as the ones portrayed in the series. Each neighborhood is different. For example if you hang out by the Bosphorus where the wealthy educated Turks live you will have a very different experience. That said, a lot of Turks don't speak English and this makes it difficult for them to express themselves well. I personally find the Lebanese to be much more friendly and warm. It takes time for Turks to warm up to someone but once they do you will be surprised. Another thing to keep in mind is the political climate has had a lot of impact on the culture. Turkey is hosting millions of refugees mostly Syrian, Afghani, Pakistanin and Iranian which has made Turks even less friendly towards any foreigners. Again it all goes back to who you interacted with and where. Educated, cultured Turks would be very interested in helping you and learning more about you. The ultra rich upper socialites are arrogant pricks but that's like anywhere. I hope you do come back and visit. Recently so many foreigners are moving to Istanbul and living in areas like Cihangir and Bebek. Again very disappointing to read the comments and unfortunately can't change 84 million Turks.

    1. "The majority of Turks are conservative Muslim Turks not as modern" is an absurdly stupid statement. Let's talk facts, shall we? If you are harassed for being a woman, there is a 90% chance that it will be from "modern" non-Muslims who are fond of alcohol and sex. 10% chance he's a horny conservative stuck in a dilemma.

      As a matter of fact, the reason for this is very clear. It is the imposition of "secularism" and "Europeanization" on the Turks as if it were the right thing. It's actually the worst thing. *Distorted* understandings emerged because a modern ideology adapted to them was not developed.

      A modern conservative ideology suitable for Turks should have been preferred in the early 1900s.

      Untill to 40 years ago if his father noticed that he was looking at another woman, he would be beaten by his father with a bat for 1-2 hours. But now, distorted liberal conceptions such as "everyone gets what they want, everyone offers what they want" are accepted.

      But foreigners and secularists portray "conservatives as perverted and uncivilized".

      Moreover, they are transcending secularization themselves. And they themselves behave perversely towards women.

  96. Again sad to read this but I think it all comes down to who you interacted with. The uneducated ones from the rural part of Turkey but live in Istanbul are pretty uncivilized and uncultured. I am half Turkish and half Lebanese. I am always annoyed by their rudeness but I learned to not let them get away with it. Luckily I speak Turkish albeit broken but can still tell them that what they're doing is unacceptable. Beautiful gorgeous country not going to let them ruin it for me and you shouldn't either.

  97. Oh boy, 2015. Honestly I can tell it's worse now in 2021.
    As a Turkish girl living in Istanbul, I admit that women are more likely to have a horrible experience than men when they come here as a tourist. People have become more stressed and aggressive due to political polarization and economy. Women are paranoid about everyone and they try to protect each other as strangers in public places when they sense a danger.

    Although, it's so common to see tourists complain about people not smiling and being friendly all the time in the Balkans. You shouldn't expect a huge positive vibe around because it's becoming harder to live here every month and Turkish youth, including me, are looking their way out of this country. Turks aren't friendly and happy anymore, they are aggressive, shameless, paranoid and we can thank the government for that. It's honestly a blessing if you come across someone friendly. If I were you I wouldn't visit Turkey ever again. If you have to, I would watch out about the places I go. Even though nowhere is safe there are places that are safer than others.

  98. It happens in every country. Cause there are good and bad people in the world.
    I was in Poland 5 years ago for my education. Most of the people were so cold and racist. Some people attacked me because I'm muslim and nobody helped me. Some of them insulted me. And many bad things happened. But there were good people too. Once I was in a hospital and there was an old lady, She helped me a lot she offered me food hugged me because I was alone. And there was a man outside he bowed me because he respected me. It was amazing btw. I'll never forget them. God bless them. So I cant say I didnt like Poland because of some idiot people. I loved the nature the food and the culture. Think positively and stay healthy…

  99. > Did they not speak English because they didn’t care to learn about the outside world, or did they only seem that way because they couldn’t speak English?

    You are the rude one for expecting people to learn the language you speak instead of trying to learn the language of the place you are visiting. It's not so common that people can speak English, and most aren't confident to speak it even if they know a little. English is very hard to learn for Turks, as it is quite different and has terrible pronunciation, ie. one wouldn't know to write a speak they hear properly.

    For Kasia:

    > the most interesting interaction in Turkey was down in Antalya where it was the first real time I noticed some of the men didn’t talk to me directly, or even look at me whilst speaking

    They just don't want unnecessary misunderstandings and being courteous, and don't want to be considered perverts by being too friendly with a woman or looking them over.

    For Dave:
    > I do know some upper class decent Turks

    Upper class Westerner wannabees who look down on all the other people and consider people who aren't like them as insects?

    And some people just want to be left alone, not to be a chatter-slave to every foreigner they come across just because they know some English.

    If you want to interact with locals, it's better to find some local people via the internet beforehand.

    I also don't understand why someone would consider, "I'm visiting your country and thus you should be interested in me." as if making some favour. I think it's the opposite, you were allowed to come here and make use of various services. If you cannot enjoy it because you didn't encounter extra nice people, it's on you.

    I also cannot understand why people expect so much more from a country they are visiting. Like in many countries, people have to be on the lookout to stay safe and constantly encounter various rude behaviours and nasty situations, and then seek elsewhere to be so much better, or it is worse. Where people are, it's messy. If you don't encounter the messiness and it is "just" dull, then you are lucky.

  100. I've been in Turkey for 7 years to study university. You're right about the extremes. At first I was thinking it was too good to be true because some people were extremely nice. But here after all those years the unfriendly population has made me to hate this country and I'm trying to leave here asap. There is a serious level of xenophobia in this country especially towards people of other middle eastern countries. People have no regard and respect to others. Having a Turkish neighbor in your apartment or dormitory means you have to put up with their loud noises. If you make a slight noise however you are the uncivilized * put your nationality here *. Even their normal speaking and behavior feels aggressive to me. I couldn't get used to it. It still seems aggressive after all these years. Turkish women can be more mercilessly racist than men and they have a really bad attitude, probably because of insisting s*xual approaches from men. Overall now I'm counting days to escape from this hellhole.

    1. You are right. Turks try hard to show themselves as Europeans but they are indeed arrogant, aggressive Muslims that always shout and have no respect for other middle eastern people. How can you be a modern European while 50 percent of women in your country cover their hair by Hijab and men have no basic intelligence and behavior and they easily get into fight with each other. Most of their good looking women come from religious families but they dress like a European and act like a European but in fact they are rude, arrogant and jealous. They hate to be viewed as a middle eastern country but they are. The difference is other middle eastern countries show hospitality toward foreigners and Turks not.

      1. To be fair Iranians are not so better either and I'm an Iranian saying this (had to reveal my nationality). While Turks are in the delusional hype of being Europeans, Iranians (Persians in particular) think they are still the Aryan master race (on a par with Germans!) living in the Achaemenid empire thousands of years ago under Cyrus the great. Iranians think they are superior to Afghans and Arabs and are also culturally heavily corrupted. I don't know about other places but Middle Eastern countries in general have a long way to go to become "culturally educated" before becoming prosperous (because if you give a thug a million dollars, he is still a low class thug). To be honest, before coming to Turkey for studying I was pretty ignorant about racism, until I experienced it first hand. This is why I now hate nationalism and tribalism and no longer want to be associated with my race and nationality and rather be an Earth citizen. I hope the one world government conspiracy becomes a reality.

        1. I didn't say that there aren't any flaws in our Iranian culture. I also criticize Iranian culture but our people respect foreigners and unlike Turks they never try to make foreigners feel that they don't belong to their country and they should leave. If you read other comments in this website or other sites you''ll see how Americans and Europeans think about Iranian hospitality. Iranians don't like Arabs too much but they don't show disrespect towards Arab tourists and immigrants. They don't beat them or curse them. Yes, several years ago we Iranians were racists toward Afghans to some degree but those Afghan immigrants were uneducated workers with no manner. They were raping Iranian girls but nowadays you see sometimes educated Tajik, Afghan or Turkmen people working in Iranian companies and there is no discrimination and they feel home. Armenians feel home in Iran and we consider them as Iranians. But Turks are ignorant. This is obvious. They are opportunist, They imitate European racists but ignore the fact that in Western European countries there are many educated and well behaved people that have no racist approach towards foreigners and date foreigners and marry them. But Turks can't see this. I lived in western Europe and Turkey and the difference is obvious. By the way what's wrong with nationalism? We had an empire that ruled all the region for hundreds of years before anyone could speak Turkish or any Turkic language in Anatolia or Central Asia. Even small countries came out of nowhere feel nationalistic towards their country.

          1. Somehow, the Iranians suddenly became better than the Turks according to your sayings. Sectarian massacres, imposing one's own language on foreign nations, racial assimilation is what Iranians have been doing for centuries. The wrongly told Turks, on the other hand, did not assimilate any nation and they all stand with their large populations. And no foreign nation speaks Turkish. They even have a limited number of Turkish word transfer. Even when promoting your own history, you use the phrase "anyone could speak Turkish or any Turkic language". You are racist in all your parts.

  101. Hello Bren, Thank you for your courage in publishing your personal impresssions of countries you have visited.
    Given climate change and the ongoing pandemic, I feel all of us are examining our motives for global travel and more importantly, the impact we have on host countries. I feel all travelers need to change their mindset – myself included – travel is not a right. it is a privilege. We must all examine our motives for travel to foreign destinations and our expectations. Why should a complete stranger in Istanbul be nicer to you than, for example, a bus driver in the town you are from? This is just an example but I am trying to make the point – if you want to meet friendly people, go to a place where people are known to be friendly. Do not expect on a random trip that strangers will treat you with kindness. they may not treat anybody with kindness!! Look at your needs and wants and do research please . Catherine

  102. I’m currently in Istanbul for a few days hols ( I’m from Madrid) and it has been a massive disappointment , not the people really just the city itself, it’s a vibe that I can’t quite describe but I don’t feel like being here , plus the main sights are just like whatever, not inviting for shopping either , the grand bazaar is just nothing special, a big no for me this place, I’ve travelled a lot and this happens sometimes , it’s part of the deal, you don’t need to like everything and it is ok to say so

  103. I have been to Turkey twice, first time was ok but definitely weird vibes from the people, the second time I absolutely hated it and was counting down the days to go home. I just found the people very hostile to the point of intimidating. I am a woman and the men looked me up and down like I was something they had just trodden in as did the women. I started to feel uncomfortable from day 1 I don't know if it is the religiosity of the country but I felt like we really stood out as Westerners. I won't be going back and completely agree with you that it is very rare for me to feel like that about any places I have been to. But it wasn't just one bad apple, and I think Europeans should be made aware that there is some hostility to us.

  104. Update: So I 'survived' finishing my thesis under my psycho Turkish neighbor. He basically violently attacked me the last time I complained him to the apartment manager. Not to mention, Turkish police and the apartment management failed to hide their bias and basically blamed me for being overreactive. So I had to take a dorm for two month paying 1500 lira just to finish my thesis. Later, I had to go a long distance (2 hours) to university library most of the days and return home at 8-9 p.m. The sad thing is, I am still stuck here under this worst kind of creature. My parents don't let me to return to Iran because my male privilege forces me to waste 2 years (+1 year absence penalty) of my life in the military service or I won't be able to leave the country again or even get a driver's license. So now I have to wait until I be accepted for PhD in some other country. My 8 years open air prison sentence is now basically indefinite.
    The situation in Turkey becomes worse everyday. Part of me is happy that now Turks have something else (i.e. the inflation) to whine about in public other than open racism against "too many" foreigners (they somehow forgot the 5 million Turks in Germany). Racism against Syrians and Arabs is so normalized that nobody is shy of expressing it anywhere even in the supposed to be non-bigotry places like universities. The interesting thing is that the worst kind of bigots in Turkey are the self-claimed progressives, in particular the Ataturk idolizers. The younger Turkish generation is even more ignorant than the older ones, because 10+ years of prosperity under Erdogan has made them self-absorbed into their egos. I hope the Turkish economic recession would provide them an opportunity to learn the reality. Although in these years I became very prejudiced against Turks, but I also thank them for teaching me how disgusting nationalism and racism is. Now, I completely don't feel associated to any race or nation.

    1. I too am learning even more how nationalism is disgusting. Always believed that but when you feel it aa a weapon against you, you really solidify that philosophy. Mine just from visiting Turkey to see family and friends with my Turkish husband as an ethnically ambiguous mixed person of African descent from the Caribbean who lives in the U.S. and speaks English with an American accent.

  105. Been in Antalya for 5 days, the bus drivers are rudest most disgusting people I have met. The are not helpful and shout and swear at you for no reason at all.
    My daughter boarded first and then myself, we both paid individually by debit card then sat at the back of the bus, he then started shouting and waving at us, so I assumed I did not pay properly and presented my card for payment again doing so another 2 times.
    He continued to shout and someone on the bus signalled to my daughter he wanted her card not mine. In all he got five payments and still screamed at us.
    They literally don't want us on their buses. Disgusting, did not argue, as you know they will get out their seats and attack you.

  106. Europeans cannot complain about the appearance of the Turks. (The perception is wrong anyway. Turks are extremely friendly and helpful).
    Because they have to take care of 10,000,000 irregular refugees and they have to keep up with their rapidly changing patterns.
    And the governments you vote for in your own countries are asking Turkey to keep the refugees. Also, your governments support terrorist organizations such as ISIS (US&EU supported them especially before 2010s. Fake organization created to cause trouble), YPG, PKK, ASALA, … As a matter of fact, not a day goes by that we have not heard of terrorist incidents for 50-70 years. We could never focus on our social problems because of you.

  107. The comments describe the person they see as bad as "Turkish". But according to the facts, to majority of crimes are Kurds and Gypsies. Gangs, pickpocketing, murder, theft, harassment, rape, pedophilia, incest, robbery, criminal organizations, drug trade, organ mafia, tribal oppression, threats, raids, teasing, … are crimes dominated by Kurds and Gypsies.
    In other words, the bad people you define as Turkish are actually 90% Kurdish or Gypsy.

    Don't you believe? Do you think I'm doing mirror psychology?

    Then you must visit or search where Kurds are concentrated: "GAZİ DİSTRİCT", İstanbul, Turkey.
    Moreover, there are many such regions.

    Imagine encountering the Ballas in San Andreas all over the map.

    This is the reason why there are people you describe as rude in Istanbul.

    No, I'm not a racist. But you don't know what we tolerate just so as not to be racist.
    When we want to talk about a corrupt situation, we are declared "racist" by Kurds and Europeans.

    1. You are a racist! No one is talking about what you mentioned! They are talking about a generally rudeness and staring at people with disgust and prejudice. And you expressed exactly what they are criticizing. It's funny seeing people being racist against people similar to them acting as if they are so different. But it proves humans are disgusting and who will find any level of difference to separate from each other and to put ourselves first. But when tourism stops then you will be complaining about the economy.

  108. I went to Turkey in 2019 and spent a month there.They have uncivilized behaviours like spitting on the street, throwing rubbish on grass and sea, yelling, drivers don't stop for pedestrians, gross smelly, unhealthy oily and greasy foods, terrible body odors(took metrobus it was a horrific experience), lots of burqa wearing women staring with hostile manner.This made me think how come Turkey count as part of Europe, this country has no difference than Iran.Turkey is clearly is a middle eastern country and very bad quality by world standarts(Israel and Gulf arab countries also middle East but they're developed and civilized countries).

  109. I glanced over some of the issues represented here. Some of the rant and rave is about a culture shock, some of it is about the decrepit economic situation, but most of it is arising from the amalgamation of a deep mistrust in Westerners and deteriorated educational and legal system. In this beloved but lonely country, people were always targeted by the Western developed nations such as the UK, the USA, France, Italy, and Germany in ways and plans that are usually not spoken for. Turkish people have been targeted remorselessly because they tried to learn why this is the case and share what they learned with others. The so-called liberal Western economic regime led to a complete crony capitalism since the 1950's and completely and unabashedly destroyed the very nature of the country. No self-respecting and decent Turkish person wants to speak with yet another racist and awful Westerner anymore. The Westerners, especially the White Anglo-Saxon looking, Christians, are largely seen as racist bigots who believe that any genocide in the world must have been committed by Turks only. They are tired of the all the corruption and theft. They are tired of the so-called NATO allies supporting and helping the belligerent and ethno-racist separatist terorrists in their country while passing law after law, completely denying Turks any rights despite such rights were outright agreed upon in international bilateral or multilateral agreements. Turks are tired of the Western boulderdash and racism. Turks are tired of those so-called politicians to be siding with the Westerners to rape, plunder, maime, murder, and steal from Turks. I think what you are seeing is a silent backlash. On other points of cultural perversion, I saw worse things in the times I lived in European countries such as Germany, where German men are unbelievably pervertly obssessed with pedophilia and love to visit South Asian countries, or France, where French are the rudest people in the world, or the UK, who would love to join forces with the Nazis and just cause as much genocide today as possible against anyone, really, because, hey, they believe the Brits are the Arian race! In the USA, KKK is a legal entity with rights of freedom of speech and own guns and engage in activities that lead to murdering poor and innocent African Americans! All these countries are extremely expensive to travel and visit, by the way. Therefore, Bren, I think, by and large, Westerners are reaping what they sow.

    1. Some of what you say is true but significant amount also misguided. You are against racism but you support at the same time. African Americans are like the kurds, stateless and discriminated against. Now white rednecks treat any struggle for justice the way Turks treat Kurt's. And I am also sure Kurt's can be like racist Israelis as well. You know what the problem is? Nationalism is selfish ideology that looks out for one people. It always turns bad no matter who us expressing it

    2. Let me tell you having 2 people a day starting at you as if you are an alien with disgust while you are visiting your Tirkush husband's country to see friends and family is an extremely unwelcoming feeling and maddeni ng. No one in my country, Jamaica which is in the Caribbean, had done that to my husband. We were going to live in Turkey when he retires but now we can't. I would feel like committing g suicide. Is it be a I look Arab or us it because I am of African descent or is it because I speak English with an American accent or is it all of it

  110. I have never been to Turkey, but I live in a large German city with a huge Turkish community and stumbled across this blog as I've been trying to process my thoughts about how the Turkish people in my area are. I have gotten intimidating looks while walking on the sidewalk, had several experiences in local shops where other Turks who come in after me are served first, and when it's my turn it has sometimes been in a pretty disrespectful manner, eg without any eye contact and with a vibe that I am not really welcome. I have also witnessed loud verbal altercations in public where the manner very quickly turns threatening, etc.

    In turn I find I have come to dislike their manner, and avoid dealing with them anymore. They come across as hot-headed, arrogant, and lacking a certain civility. It's not a good thing to have that negativity, and I'm sure many if not most of them are totally fine, decent people, but I try to generally look at things in an optimistic way and treat everyone the same, and can say with these people I'm over trying to make any effort.

  111. Hi, I'm in Istanbul now, summer of 2022, and I cant wait to get back home. I feel dirty even being here. I feel horrible that I spent a dime of my money on these obnoxious people. No one smiles. No one laughs. There's no warmth. No friendliness. No one says thank you. Everyone is angry. Bitter. It's disgusting. They don't want to deal with you if you don't speak Turkish. Never again.

  112. I am in Istanbul now after just four days, and your experience is the exact same as mine. Especially with the way women here in general seem to be a tad bit more curious, friendlier, and helpful than the men are. But not by that much. Everyone here seems to see a westerner as a means to exploit and hustle for money, and they do to the extreme, and not to help, genuinely know, and befriend. I’ve travelled to over 40 countries, to places poorer than Turkey, and they weren’t this bad. Even the cultures where people are phony and passive agressive, at least they seemed to initate conversation. Not Turks.

    I will say as a good thing about them, that as a black man, they seem to be racially
    profiling me less than some Europeans and some Americans do. Yes, seriously. No racial slurs aimed at me, no getting followed and watched by police or store employees, no women clutching their purses and crossing the street when they see me coming along like they do in the US. They treat me with the
    same disinterest and contempt like they do with all the other foriegners regardless. I’ll give them points for that. And i’m sure they are racist too and all, but they aren’t as overtly and outwardly so as other ethnicities.

    I guess the Turks that travel and live abroad are very different than the ones who live here and clouded my impressions of them. I think the place overall is fascinating and
    would like to come back, but next time with one of my overseas Turkish friends to translate, guide, and navigate me through the morass.

  113. Hi! I’m currently in Istanbul and completely agree with your post. I’ve been here three days now, and unfortunately the majority of people we’ve met have been cold, unfriendly and unhelpful. For example, a bus driver unexpectedly told everyone to get off the bus. My partner and I needed to purchase a new ticket pass, so thought a large supermarket nearby would be our best bet to ask the question. The cashier took my pass and spoke to her colleague and then shewed us out of the shop :(. I’m also finding it really uncomfortable how much men glare and look me up and down. I’m dressing appropriately here. I’ve been lucky enough to travel to Jordan and Morocco, and never felt this kind of unease. Although they may look due to my fairer skin and hair, they were so more respectful. I’ve got another week exploring around Turkey, so hopefully my experience with local people will improve. Although Istanbul has some really beautiful sights and scenery, it’s difficult to fall in love with the place when experience with people isn’t so positive

  114. Kia Ora! I have to say I agree with most, if not all of what you've said. I find it to be a very insular and cold society.

    I feel that famous "Turkish Hospitality" has evaporated over the years and it has become too accustomed to receiving millions of tourists every year as a given. Once they have your money they're no longer interested in you.

    Been to Turkey several times now for business and I must say I became very suspicious and find it hard to trust anyone there – a lot of the people there are manipulative, untrustworthy, emotionally underdeveloped, aggressive, and can turn into nasty bullies when they don't get their way.

    It shocks me how cynical I become whenever I set foot in Turkey – I feel like I've always got to be on my toes for the unexpected scam/unpleasant experience. I find it very difficult to feel comfortable there. I think even basic standards like privacy, queuing, politeness e.g go out the window.

    Even simple things like ordering a taxi is an absolute chore – explaining where I want to go when they have a smartphone with google maps? And of course they spend most of their time on the phone. I've had a lot of instances of drivers taking longer routes to fetch more.

    Istanbul in particular has what, 15 million living there? How can such an "International megacity" have such a lack of variety in food, restaurants?

    I'm very cautious to generalise and over-simplify, but I've been several times and the experiences haven't been great.

  115. Just came back from Istanbul for work purpose. Lucky enough I have time to visit the top tourist spots in Istanbul and spend most of my free time at Istiklal street as my hotel is within Taksim area. Everything was fine in the first few days but during my last day there, I had a bad experience that I won’t forget.

    I was looking around the street to find winter clothing and found an alley with a lot of mini shops inside. One of the shops is selling winter clothing and the price were very cheap. So i took my time to look around the shop and the shop owner was very accommodating in the beginning. However after 10 minutes trying few clothing, he started to become colder.

    I was just about to decide on the clothing that I want to buy when suddenly he shouted ‘Finished!’ few times while pointing finger at me and asked me to return the clothing that i was testing on. This is my first time being chased out from a shop and it is just because i took too long (about 20 minutes time) to decide which clothing to buy.

    I was very confused and ashamed as they are also other customers at his shop and i decided to walk off immediately. My trip to Istanbul was ruined just because of this incident. As the writer said, it is a beautiful city but with unwelcoming people.

  116. Hi bren, this may sound completely insane, but I ended up back in turkey- lol!!! I had mad a decision to finally travel to the Philippines but the ticket was too expensive so I bought a ticket from Athens with q stop in Istanbul anme Bahrain before winding up with n m Mumbai. I intend f to trav l to the clean south but it wasn't to be . After 60 plus countries(almost70), I misread the visa requirements for India. I did a cursory seatchand the website I visited stated that I could get a visa upon arrival in my mbai. When I could not downloadable ad the s vond boarding pass of Etihad airlines the idiot telephone call center clerk refused to check if I met the requirements as asked and turns out Etihad is the WORST AIRLINE I have never traveled on b cause they gave me such misinformation that they caused me to MISS MY FLIGHT TO MUMBAI AND SPEND 18 hrs in thw Bahrain airport wince they failed to inform me up until 15 minutes prior to take off(the only time they wete available to passengers) that i needed a visa to enter you neia. I was not the only one left stranded. A
    Several others were also make singirm f by websites claiming a visa can be obtained upon arrival and by Etihad incompetents who refuse to check people's tickets when they call. I was never treated more rudely by the n nopausal witch ground crew who did not apologize for her colleagues failure to inform me of exactly why i could not download my boarding pass. The phone clerk told me I had all necessary paperwork ie; visas and pc tests to enter my desti action. WRONG! NO responsibility was taken and I had to actually call the police after 12 hrs in the Bahrain airport to report what happened and return to either Athens or turkey. I wrote A LOT on here about the obnoxious Turkish men and the horrible people in Istanbul – majority encountered- and the disgusting men in alanya but I have some positives to report. It literally took me 2 years to recover from my alanya but you experience, but what I hadn't told you is that I went to the Kara deniz black sea coast many times before arriving in alanya and I love ved it because it was conservative and no men bothered me and I met many sweet people in the villages. I want to add that getting to my destination- the airport sabiha gokhen and the non English speaking Kamil koc people and international railray people- a total nightmare but this time my destination was like b gore in the karad niz- black sea coast. I love the city I am in. It is international with Colombians working here and an American bar with street dogs and people who speak En sh and LoVE the usa. I feel safe andat home here so Turkey is one of those places that has hostile people in certain cities and welcoming people in others. It's a crap shoot but I can direct you to the kind coties-side on the Mediterranean, giresunand akvhabat on the black sea , Kars in Eastern Turkey- I found real gems of people here, but most of these places are a message X of Turkish and people from around the world. They are welcoming to roreigners- izmirand Istanbul the aegeanand Istanbul are not welcoming in general to foreigners. I hope this helps. I reread my comments and I was really traumatized by my experience 2 years ago just wanted to update that I am happy where I am still travelling and not feeling the tremendous stress I was under during covid and the horrible sexual harassment I experienced in alanya. 🙂 Try out the places I mentioned, getting here in as still wtressful- people generally in tourism STILL do not speak any major languageandare hostile and unapologetic but once you get to the friendly places you'll be happy. You were only in Istanbul and not sure if galliopi is near istanbul- it's a summit or mountain right? But you would like where I am now. Best of luck to you.

  117. Attention all female Sola travellers who are considering Turkey as a destination. If a crazy womannon the bus does not like you for whatever reason when you get off the bus she can tell cops anything sh wants in Turkish even looking like the psychopath sh is and they will threaten you with cuffs and tell you 'shut up." No they don't speak English but they are jealous of and hate Americas so they learn that one phrase.
    I was seated on a big s chatting with a Turkish guy in the row next to me about travel. He mentioned his wife like ved in Paris. All of a sudden a menopausal woman starts screaming at home like a maniac and telling the driver something. I looked and told her to calm down. She continued acting like a psycho and then I stopped talking to the guy when I was ready to stop and enjoyed the views and 20 minutes later when the bus stopped at my station there was a cop station at the bus station and she began like a psycho again.
    Newsflo! I have been to 80 countries and every police officer treated me well EXCEPT FOR HIS PSYCHOTIC COUNTRY. There is a reason why only Russians live turkey. Turks are fukced in the head period. They have no tourist police as I wanted to report the maniac she was so aggressive towards me. The cops anything ven showed me their cuffs so I told them to call my embassy. DO NOT GO TO THIS COUNTRY. IT IS SO NOT WORTH IT! And they are living in a cave women are not respected erdogan is like the Ayatollah not the handsome cool shah. So don't be stupid, go to Greece!

  118. As a part of LGBTQI+ folks, from Turkiye, it is not specific issue bothering the tourists. And your experiences is not limited to your Turkish linguistic abilities. Millions of LGBTQI+, at least half of the population (The Women) and many children and now even, the one who may affected from the earthquake feel suppressed by Turks. Or in general by the Turkish men and their generational traumas. Turkiye was once a nice country, with warm and kind people, with nice cuisine, served with hostility. Now Turkiye is a country where average iq is below 80, f//cked up by high inflation rates where people could barely eat a meal high in protein once a day. If you can bear low living standards, had lived in suburbans, then you would have zero issues. But Turkiye is neither western nor modern country since its established. It is promoted as it as, but its not, an insider opinion.

  119. Most of the Turks I've met are rude, on the same level as NYC, if not more. I'm trying to understand the rudeness. It's not like some other countries where people are honest, beyond that, they can be confrontational. The aggression is often unprovoked. I'm extremely kind, polite, and friendly until they start yelling or get testy, then my feisty latina comes out, but it's always me reacting to people just being jerks. It's usually men. I'm actually close to Ephesus but I'm choosing not to go. As a woman traveling alone, who doesn't take shit, I figure going out is a risk. My strategy is to go to Gobekli, which is what I came for, and to quickly get the fuck out!

    That being said, the few nice Turks I've met are super nice. It's pretty polarized. If you could make another Turkey with just the nice Turks as the inhabitants it would be the best country.

  120. Yeah, I had exactly the same experience as yours, am from Kuwait, visited Turkey multiple times and I come with my family and my mother. I always visit Istanbul because my mother likes it. I’ve been getting the exact same reactions you’re getting that’s way I don’t get comfortable in Istanbul and would not visit it if it was not for my mother liking it .

    The people were very nice in all places other than Istanbul

  121. Found this blog post after having a horrible experience simply in the airport. My flight was delayed 24 hours, so I had some time to explore. However, my experience in the airport alone jaded me and don’t think I will ever come visit Turkey for an extended stay. I was yelled at numerous times by both men and women, appalled at people leaving their trash everywhere without any care, and the constant glares when I opened my mouth and spoke English even though the clerks were bilingual.

    Eventually, I started to simply be extra kind and ignore their rude behaviors. I literally told one employee please stop yelling at me and be patient as I waited for a woman to exit a line. He was screaming “Lady go now,” multiple times. They looked shocked when I smiled and responded to their behavior with pure kindness.

    With that said, I travel frequently and completely respect and understand culture and religion, but the women looked so unhappy and exhausted. I saw so many couples where the man was just asleep or screaming some random phrase while the women cared for multiple younger children.

    There was an instance where three younger children were so exhausted and one was crying. The mom out of pure frustration backhanded him across the face with extreme force and started screaming at him all while the dad snores.

    I’ve heard the country is beautiful but unfortunately 24 hours of encounters in an airport completely jaded me. The people should understand that more people would return and help the economy via tourism but unfortunately, their attitudes are a complete turn off.

    1. Same Jess. An airport worker incorrectly told me that I had to get a type of visa other than the one that I already had, which turned out to be the correct one (I found this out days later).

      He then refused to issue the visa I paid for, and screamed at me, waving his hand, dismissing me and ordering me off the line. Confused, I asked him to issue me the document I had just paid for, and he just kept screaming at me. He then actually motioned to hit me from behind the glass.

      This was my very first experience in Turkey, and while the subsequent ones have not been as extreme, I would not characterize peoples behavior here as very warm or kind.

  122. I lived in Turkey for many years. My wife is Turkish and English speaking. The Turkish people can be very friendly but there are many who look upon foreigners especially non Muslim foreigners as dirt. I had my battles with many of the latter types and I still am. It would appear that the Turkish court system is so corrupted it allows many to take full advantage of its weaknesses and it’s inability to protect truth speakers from pathological liars. It’s a beautiful country if you could just avoid these kind of people, which is hard. Your comments about their littering habits is unfortunately true…garbage everywhere. I used to walk along the local beach for miles just to find a clean spot to sit…full of cigarette butts…plastic bottles…any garbage they had..left. It’s something most European countries sorted on back in the 80s…but not Turkey. This behaviour must stem from the government as punishments are just not in place…stuff like cigarettes being sold with fake covers to cover the cancer warning covers on them…..there seems to be no desire to improve these matters and I believe the Turkish people are maybe difficult people to control when it comes to enforcement of laws such as anti littering. The Turkish people will happily sit in a garbage littered clearing for a picnic just because it’s out of Istanbul somewhere…nature as they call it. Garbage littered nature. The huge number of people with no English makes you think they are anti west…and look more inward and east…Russia….or other Muslim countries…they certainly don’t seem great lovers of Western Europe or America. Although the western southern coast from Izmir down are so pro west they go completely overboard about it all….all with their designer dogs…i found it rather sad because they are still most certainly in Turkey.

  123. Hi Bren,
    I am sorry for your experience, and I hope your thoughts will perhaps change in the future. If you need any help in Istanbul in the future, please let me know. I would try my best to help.
    It seems this article is one of the first sources to find if you google things like "I hate Turkey" ", "I hate Turks" or "Reasons why people hate Turkish people". This may explain why a lot of commentators share very strong negative opinions here, probably most of them googled such sentences to open themselves up about the unfortunate negative experience(s) they have gone through when they are in Turkey. I, after raising in Istanbul found a chance to travel to many different countries and moved to The Netherlands for my education. I do still live there. I can't really comment on traveling to Turkey as a woman (as I am not one), but except for that many comments, especially coming from ex-pats reminded me of basic culture shocks I had after starting to live in The Netherlands. For instance, as a Turkish, I also found Dutch people extremely rude and arrogant at first. But after I realized that only our social interaction culture is different tried to understand how they interact. The ways of communication of Turkish people and Western European/American people are very different. So before coming to Turkey, it would be beneficial to possibly expect a bit of culture shock and do a little research. Furthermore, Turkish people have been through very hard years in the last 10 years. The year you came, 2015 was honestly the year I felt most insecure and stressed about myself because of the constant terror attacks in Turkey (in comparison Covid time was heaven). All the events we have experienced made us feel more stressed, nervous, unhappy. So I hope people can understand why people do not laugh in the streets in daily life anymore, trust me, it was not always the case and I hope it won't either in the future. Fortunately, we still have great nightlife. Go to bar/clubs in Kadikoy and Cihangir, or meyhanes in Beyoglu at night. You will see happier people and you can have so much fun.

    Lastly, unfortunately, racism (against non-westerners) is growing in Turkey and it is a real problem. But I do not think people will be rude toward you because you are a tourist, this is something extreme. It may be because of all the things I have mentioned and also do not forget Istanbul is a big metropolis where people are always busy. Similar comments are also commonly made for cities like Paris or NYC. People have stated the rubbish a lot, to be honest, I think I have seen far dirtier big cities than Istanbul (Paris for starters) but it is still a valid point, as Turkey is still a developing country social services are not perfect. I think you should expect that when going to any developing country.

    Also, I must say it is sad that some commentators seem like people who have not traveled to Turkey but have been negatively obsessed with Turkey because of their marginal ideological background. I think it is sad how an honest travel article's commentary turns out to be a xenophobic forum with comments trying to prove that "Turkish people
    are the worst people on earth" obsess fully with historical narratives besides the point and a sort of supra-nationalist
    4chan rhetoric. I am also in doubt if people like "Lord Byron" lived in Turkey, it must be already quite difficult to live
    in any country if you had such extreme prejudices because of the locals' roots or religion. They are all welcome in the country in the future, and I hope they can get rid of their biases.

    Mert

  124. Wow I’m in Istanbul right now and have experienced the exact thing that you’re talking about. Turkey is the last stop for me on a month-long trip across Asia, and I have been lucky enough to visit incredible countries like a Singapore, Thailand, and Cambodia, which offered wonderful sights, but most importantly, warm, generous people who made me feel extremely welcome and comfortable in their country- the same way I treat visitors when they come to the US.

    This has not been the case in Turkey and it has made me consider cutting my trip short, despite having plans to travel onward to Cappadocia and Antalya. Without getting into details about the negative interactions I’ve had with people, people have been very cold, dismissive, and tend to stare. Four out of five times walking into a store, no one will greet me or return my greeting of merhaba. They just stare at me and give me a “what do you want?” look. Many of the people who have asked for help in the street or a ticket counters of also dismissively waved me away, and like you said, these have tended to be men.

    It is such a culture shock for me coming from countries where people are community – minded, open to others, and hospitable. I get that there will be cultural differences and that Turkey may be a little gruff, but I believe such behavior is rude in any culture. I am hoping that my experience in capadoccia and Antalya is different, but I am not sure I am hopeful. This seriously makes me question whether I would ever come back again. And that is a shame given the beauty of the city itself and my intention to learn about Turkey and its people.

    I will be spending one last day in Istanbul after my visit to the next two cities, and honestly, based on my experiences so far, I could see myself easily staying in a hotel the whole day. I doubt this will be the case, but it just speaks to how uncomfortable I have felt here, even as a very experienced traveler.

  125. guys… look… they dont do these stuff to you guys only okay (=˃̣̣̥ᆽ˂̣̣̥=) there are so many braindead idiots around that i do not think they should be allowed to roam free in this world. i think their purpose on life is annoying others, picking fights, acting like a bully to everyone they think they can beat, if you find some kids or young men laughing at you like you are a clown, those are infected people, dont interact with them unless its the only option, i hate them, decieve others, steal and many other stuff you can think in a classic 3. grade bad guy mob in movies… sometimes i cant believe these people are real… and no one likes these guys. NO ONE. not even their family, unless the family is infested with the virus that these guys have. they pick a fight eachother as well and rarely be friends with eachother etc, its like a fucking zombie movie shit +zombies can attack eachothers too. i feel bad for you

  126. OMG! We're currently travelling Turkey and we absolutely agree! I could have written this blog myself! We're 10 days in. Been to Istanbul, Bursa and on the way to Konya….luckily we're travelling together otherwise it would be REALLY hard….its true that it's not everyone who is like that but most are. We're Aussies and like you Kiwi's we're outgoing and friendly…. not finding it like that here. But We're pushing on…😅😆😅

  127. As a Turk, I'm embarrassed by what has been written here. I am genuinely sorry for your bad experiences, and I am sure that most of what has been written here is true. Despite being a Turk, I have unfortunately also experienced some of the negative incidents mentioned here as a woman, so I understand you. Unfortunately, Turkey is currently very divided. In certain parts of the country, or even specific areas within certain cities, you may be warmly welcomed, while in other areas you may encounter really unpleasant situations. Perhaps the collective depression the country is going through is making everything worse, I don't know. All I can say is that I am truly ashamed of the behavior of the people in my country. Having been well-received in every country I've visited as a tourist, I apologize on behalf of the people of my country.

  128. So I just got back from Turkey. It was my 8th time there. My husband is Turkish. Evert time I am there I am stared at. The 1st time I was there there were much less stares and people were friendlier . This was more so my experience in 2015 but since then I am looked at with disgust. I don't mind kind stares and happy curiosity but making people feel like aliens is immoral. I was just there for 9 days and I can say everyday someone was staring with disgust at me. Mind you the majority of people did not do that but a significant number did to cause me confusion and a feeling of being unwelcomed. I really have been trying to figure it out. I started wondering if it was because I was being viewed as Arab or was it that I was being perceived as African or Black. And then I wondered if it is because I am somewhat ambiguous particularly in the Turkish context while at the same time something African could be detected. Anyway from seeing these comments it seems just being a foreigner is a problem especially one speaking English with an American accent. So many people looked shocked and annoyed when they heard me speak. I wonder what language they expected from me. Now most of personal one on one experience with people doing some kind of private transaction has been good and our family and friends are great. Also I had a good experience with the taxi and hotel personnel on my last day. My husband was on a earlier flight than I was and I had to rely on these people and they were great. Now the airport immigration and one female Turkish Airlines staff were extremely rude as well as one flight attendant was completely disrespectful. I find that I get more glares from women as well. In 9 days I had about 15 people treat me like an alien.

  129. For sure you Can not judge the Turkey with a flash speed one week travel whereas the majority of the people cannot speak another language properly probably and the hospitable people of Anatolia who are really ready to share their meals with you and their acceptance of you as a guest
    Sure there can be extreme edges if you want to see them like that and to ask some questions is should be a knowledged guide not an ordinary people.
    If you travel with a tour as a wonderer tourist to understand the culture and their behaviors could make a point before you judge them and don't forget that you are the guest who needs to behave like a Roman in Rome…

  130. Happy I came across your post – it proves I'm not imagining things because I'm appalled at my experience. It's 2023 – second time here. The first trip a few years ago, I came in the peak season so lots of tourists and had a really packed agenda in 1 week with friends so didn't really interact with the locals too much. This time wanted to really take in the city – Istanbul, came alone in the off-peak season and try restaurants, clubs, sites. I had to cut my trip short – there is no encounter I had with a local that I enjoyed. From the full-on stares, propositions all over from men…they come across as sex-starved. I was clad in jeans and a tshirt most of the time if that makes a difference. When you politely turn down an advance, it immediately becomes a hostile encounter. Even those in the service industry who you'd expect to have some level of customer service, don't even say hi or smile. It's abnormal. I've travelled quite a bit. From hotel clerks, waiters, shops – it's exhausting and would not recommend this country. There are much better alternatives

  131. Hey! Don’t know how I came across your page but just wanted to comment as well.

    The unpoliteness of some or many people in Turkey has nothing to do with you being a tourist.
    I Turkish but was born in Germany and I live here. My family is from the Black Sea region, Giresun, so tourism is not as in Istanbul, therefore the people interact much more with natives than foreigners. Therefore I think for them it would be more special if someone from outside would be there. We, Turkish people who are living in Europe, are not special for them, some even don’t like us.

    So I just experienced the same as you. Especially when I was at the citizen office during the holidays. I have to admit that they knew that I was a German citizen but still, the woman was so pissed for no reason, twisted eyes and asked stupid questions (e.g. „And what do you expect me to do now?“ „Why do you need that?“ „come later again“) , so I wasn‘t polite then either. A few days later I needed a passport picture, the lady there was also very ignorant. Just took one picture and slendered to the computer 😂 I just think that they don’t like their work and because Turkish people are direct, they don’t make a secret out of it. It’s just them. Luckily, they were my only negative experience this year. All the other people were really friendly or at least neutral.
    Maybe my comment gave you another insight.
    Don’t know anything about your page but if you didn’t you should visit the Black Sea region. The people there are more open I would say and also curious about new people.

  132. Oh God, finally somebody whose experience I can relate to!

    Hi, I am sure that some of you will not like to hear what I want to say, but please hold on and let me understand it better. I may also be wrong and you can prove me right. It will be long. But I need to understand. Are Turkish people really the most RUDE nation?

    It was my first time in Türkiye, I have spent there 2 weeks, half professionally and second half turistically. I have spent the entire time in Istanbul.

    My point is… I found that Turkish people can be so extremely unpolite, it blew my mind. At times I was regretting the decision to stay longer there.

    I had various situations and of course not everyone was rude to me. Let me just take on few: rental company staff ignoring the simple greeting, even we said "marhaba" and without looking at us recited solely "passport, driving licence, credit card". We tried to continue, said "Hello" again, and were just making sure we are speaking about the car we reserved etc. The guy finally raised his eyes, said "Yes, hello. Passport, driving licence, credit card." …
    No please, no thank you, nothing, just papers and money 😳

    People in the supermarket would be very willing to help me against me assuring them I didn't need any help. In the end I had several people just packing my things and taking them to my car. I tipped them something around 4eur, and they left without hiding their disapproval… what the heck?

    Once we took a taxi on a rather short distance, it was Taksim to Galata. The driver told us there was a lot of traffic there, of course, it is a freaking centre. Then only in the taxi he requested 20eur for the ride… we already drove that distance before for less than 4eur, so I said he is dreaming and he should put the taximeter or we would get off. He yelled a whole litany of swears in Turkish into Google translate and showed me on his phone… I only remember something about God punishment and that he called me a crazy woman. We got off as he continued very angry and screaming.

    The belt of my watch broke and I was trying to replace it in Kadiköy as I saw many shops with watches there. I entered one that had a big collection of belts, but in first two drawers we were going through there was nothing that fitted the size or colour of my watch. I just wanted a simple natural leather, similar to the one I previously had. There was one younger seller and one older. The young one got impatient and said to me I wanted to be complicated 😒 there was no-one else in the shop waiting. The senior seller took the case over and shower me other drawers with more fancy belts that were exactly what I was looking for! In less than 5 min we had what we needed, maybe not the cheapest deal in the shop, but c'mon boy – you are selling watches not hotdogs 😂 on top of it the junior seller said from far that the lock I had was not original 🙄 (like, why it would be your problem?). His senior friend took the magnifying glass and rechecked with me, everything was marked with exactly the same brand. I just don't get it. How can you be so unprofessional?

    And all kind of those situations just piled up as I spent my time there. Any injustice or bad treatment should be beared and ignored also, because they can turn it into a drama really quickly. So honestly with time I would just swallow,  breathe and continue as if nothing happened because I didn't want to waste my time for that.

    I asked some people about my observations while still in Istanbul. I heard, that it is because of bad English 😳 ("hello" and "please" are not so complicated words or am I wrong?). Or because the people I met must have been Kurdish and not Turkish! (Not true, and also very rascist argument).

    In the end I had a good experience there, even made some new friends (by coincidence they are all non-Turkish: Syrians, Iranians and Kurdish). I also had a good connection with older generation of Turks, we communicated mostly through Google translate. Maybe until I met this guy of over 80 years that I shared my umbrella with in pouring rain. He was trying to force me to kiss him in his lips afterwards… (I did kiss his forehead instead in sign of respect, but was stupefied for the rest of my walk about his expectations 😂 ).

    Does anyone know why is it so? Maybe it is something about harshness of life in big city? Or the difference in culture that makes it hard to understand each other? How would you interprete such situations while in a foreign country?

    I have just pasted what I have written previously in a group on Facebook trying to understand that same point. 😉

    1. It is really because if the language. Turks characters really change in a foreign language; a lot. And also you misunderstand them, even if you think that you didn't because of the cultural difference. For instamce, while Turks might be much more polite on some issues where you would look rude, they also might be much ruder on some issues where you would look polite.

      But I have to say at least 85% of what has been said here is just exaggration and lies. If you would shiw this page to Turks I can't imagine what they would think. "Which country are they talking about? I have never heard such a bad nation before! All those members of that nation, 80% as I understand from thr comments, They deserve to be eliminated from this world!", I would think if I wouldn't know that they were actually talking about Turks. But as anyone who don't have those biased racist feelings, of course, Turks are not much different than Balkan people. I mean, that is so crazy that hiw everyone hates Turks here and throws any lie they can find. Bc. like I said, nation described here by raciat liars is something like a modern version of N*zi Germany not just government but as a whole nation! I mean this doesn't sound logical and of course a simple racist lie.

      Im thr end, all that has been said here sounds very absurd and funny and shows how anti-Turkism takes a big olace all over the world and that Turkey's Turks are on of the most hated nations in the world as we see from all those anti-Turkish current news papers, propaganda films and countless historical events.

      Siklemeyin abicim bu Batı'yı. Bir halt olmaz bunlardan anasını satayım. Sınırlar kalksın, Dünya barışı, şu, bu, dediğin sende ancak bu sayfayı okuyana kadar. Zira bu sayfa, hükümetlerin siyasetlerinin halka nasıl işlediğini gösteriyor. Osmanlı'da milliyetçilik yokken bizi milliyetçi yapan da bunlardır ki ülkenin bağımsızlık mücadelesinde gerekli kılınmıştır milliyetçilik. Dediğim gibi, sen oku, çalış, hayatını yaşa, etrafındakileri adam et ve bu itler ile burada bunlardan özür dilemek için sıraya giren aşağılık kompleksli Türk dölü el gün köpeklerini de siktir et. Ne mutlu milliyetçilik, insancıllık, her en güzeli dahil belirli bir ideolojiyi aşmış kişiye ama bunlar karşısında takınacağın tavır al sana milliyetçilik karındaşım. Ne mutlu Türk'üm diyene..!

  133. Personally I live in Turkey and Singapore I don't want English tourists at all they come to both countries always want football on in all the bars cause trouble by shooting off their mouths and getting drunk.

    And it is getting a nightmare especially in Turkey English tourists having parties outside until the hours of 12.am till 4.am shouting and yelling also seen young British nude jumping in pools a absolute disgrace.

  134. i think the timing was unfortunate. for the last 2 years, an exponentially increasing amount of foreigners started emigrating here. i am talking about an astonishing 4 million. many of them still refuse to learn the main language and adapt to our lifestyle. they polluted and made a middleeastern scene out of everywhere we used to enjoy. they are all well to do financially, buying everything the local population couldn’t people then started getting pretty tired of foreigners. they probably couldn’t tell you were a tourist, but mistook you for an immigrant as they come from all over the world. those who try to learn the language and make an effort to blend in get more positive reactions. pity really should’ve visited in pre-covid era you would’ve witnessed traditional turkish hospitality

  135. Hi Bren and Brian, as well:)

    I couldn'T resist but replying to you to say that: I AGREE WİTH YOU HUNDRED PERCENT! ANd I am Turkish born and raised in Turkey. Everything I complain about on a daily basis, you have summarised to precision.

    There are just too many things I hate here. But I wanted to explain the religion thing to you. I personally am a believer , I am what you would call a moderate Muslim. I don'T wear the headscarf or anything but I do believe in God and pray in my own words. Turkey might kinda look like a Muslim country on the surface but in reality nobody believes in God here. EVen the headscarf wearing women don'T, they just use it to pander to the ruling party. In fact, Turks die to look ''western'' and in their stupid mind becoming alcoholics and adopting the hooker aesthetics is what western people are about. In order to prove you are not a sharia supporting Slamist, you have to start drinking at breakfast and walk around basically naked. Also, if you have noticed there have been an incredible rise in the number of tattoo shops which the very ''Modern'' Turks love cos it also goes against the tatoo ban in İslam. SO, my point is even if you dislike the religion, it's in fact the complete lack of it for the last two decades that is ruining this society further because they haven'T left any respect for decency anymore.
    There is also a huge stray dogs and cats problem because there is a ponzi pet scheme gong on with the help of the political parties. Nobody wants to have pets at home but in order to fatten up the pet industry ponzi they started to release and breed dogs and cats on the streets. As a reulst of that, if I am not wrong about 50 people DIED in direct stray dog attacks and also there are rabies cases which the media barely reposrts on. I dont even count the car accidents, maimings etc. because of these animals roaming the streets and the insane rise in zoonotic diseases which nobody cares about! People are plain IGNORANT! Most of them make money off these animals but there are also those idiots who thşink feeding cats, dogs and pigeons on the streets make them ''western''! I dont know one western nation that has this kind of insnaity on their streets!

    The men are, yes you are exactly right, most obnoxious, disgusting o ftheir kind. They are rude, and they gossip like old ladies noncstop, they'Ll stare at you even if you dont stand out in any way. I call them all mountain bears which means you know uncultured,unedcuated filthy guys in turkish. ANd yes , the food here is just meat! And very disgusting unhealthy kind of it. Dont get me even started on the girls and women. AT this point they're all woke feminists, purple haired whores who claim to hate men but also gossip about and belittle normal single girls such as I am because they have managed to mate one of those pervy, filthy ignorant all day meat eating/smoking/drinking/tattoo and piercing loving bears and now think they are superior to anyone because in their world even marriage is a contest which they have to win before everybody else.

    As for racism, it definitely exists and is very visible especially if you are black or even asian. But to black people reading this specifically, you have to just ignore these stopid ignorant people. They'll stare at you, even laugh at you for no reason. It's just how these people are. I think it's an inferiority complex they suffer from because they just cannot fathom the fact that there are actually many other nations and races other than Turks!

    As a teenager I used to be sort of nationalistic cos that's just what you were taught at school and believed that we were right, just and honest and righteous. Now in my early 30s I see that it 's complete bs! We have a culture of looting and pillaging. That's why corruption is normalised and you'Ll see that after graduation everybody will start looking for an influential contact cos nepotism is how they survive. Your success at school means nothing unless you know someone.

    Lastly, please do not think that Turks do this people they hate foreigners and love each other. NO! NO! NO! They hate each other! They dont want anyone else to be successful or happy! Turkis people want everyone to be miserable so that they can feel superior. You wouldnt believe what my own paternal aunts did to us after my father died! They tried so hard to make us homeless and were so saddened when their plans failed! Yes, I do believe most people here are truly evil. I don'T have any contact with so called relatives or friends anymore after all the backstabbing I received. The fact that I can understand ENglish and (I actually work as a literary translator though I know my message wınt reflect that cos I am writing so hastily out of my fury right now) is enough reason for everyone to hate and get jealous of me. they are lazy, always reluctant to learn anything and yet they get jealous and resentful if somebody does work and achieves to learn a language or create something good.
    When I am walking outside, I feel even worse than you do. I do think it must be harder on foreigners but trust me it's difficult for people like me to live in this society which hates good natured, calm, peace seeking people. And I know this message makes me sound like I am an angel and everybody else is bad but it really feels like that. I know I am not a perfect person but I just cant find anyone I can relate to. And I am from/live in Izmir which is supposed to be ''modern.'' I think there is a minorty of truly good hearted, normal and moral people in Turkey but that minority feels obliged to isolate itself. I know I do.
    And no you do not sound racist and petty to me at all. In fact it 's relaxing to know that I am not crazy to have this opinion on my own country and people. I would love to have hope about the future but ı just dont. A few years back, I had lived in Belarus and I had felt the same kinda way there, as well. Though Russia is cleaner etc., I think Turkis and Russians are of same cloth. That's why I think there are so many russians living here now who don'T complain a bit about anything. Same coldness, came superficial mindset expecially on the part of women, same attention seeking and interest centered mentality. If you are not useful, nobody will even talk to you. And if they do, it'll be usually to put you down and to put themselves on top of you. I wish you better days during your stay and I hope you get to meet some of the good people here. Take care!

  136. I’ve been thinking about this actually and it reminds me, in every aspect, of my visit to France. I am Turkish but i have been a Francophile for some reason for many years now, so beforehand when people warned me of these things in Paris, i thought they were just intimidated of French culture lol. The country itself is beautiful amd the food. while not 100% my thing, is renown. The art history that can be witnessed everywhere speaks for itself and exceeded even my expectations. But the people were extremely rude and not just stand-offish as most people say the French tend to be which definitely happened, but they were harassing too for example a woman hittinh my shoulder hard while i was walking down the street and when i look at her she gives me a nasty stare, what the hell? People just refusing to help, in museums, where even in the Louvre the most famous museum in the world you can’t find a single English explanation -now unlike the op and so many here i don’t expect to go to a non-English speaking country and be all like “oh no those savages! how dare they speak only their own language when that’s exactly what i do??”but it’s the Louvre, i understand restaurants, ok i understand even taxi drivers not speaking English and even the metro, but they flat out refuse to acknowledge English is the most common language now. The men were downright Staring at me and one also picked his nose right on the street when i didn’t give him the time of day, and yes all these rude people were locals, but people don’t write long winded passive-aggressive-yet-venomous-between-the-lines blog posts and keep all the hateful commemts up which makes me believe the author here has some sort of personal issue with Turkish people. after my experience i still love France, the culture, i didn’t make it known to the world on the internet that i experienced these things to get some sort of personal vendetta against the country/people lol, and i have met many French people since all were super nice which goes to show a subjectively less than stellar vacay does not speak for a whole country’s population 🙂

    1. France is not Paris. If you had actually visited FRANCE and not just this overhyped tourist trap, you'd now it. Paris is amazingly beautiful and interesting, but it's a modern multicultural Western city, meaning full of alienated loonies, immigrant ghetto thugs, swindlers and scornful snobbish yuppies too busy running around in their corporate lives to even notice you. The latter are pretty much the only kind of "locals" you'll ever see. Go to London, NYC, Berlin etc it will be exactly the same thing

      Also, there are audioguides in several languages available in the Louvre so drop the BS.

      If you truly don't have the OP's mentality then learn some French next time you're here, you'll see, that will open you a lot of doors!

      1. You probably Are the Op, “so drop the bs” in your words—you noticed my comment among a sea of comments, or you are regularly visiting to spread hate on my country, i’m not sure which is more pathetic. Or maybe it’s the fact that your whole comment only agrees with what I said. Why are you so obsessed with trying to prove my country’s people are horrible anyway? Of course it’s understandable that i should take offense, this is my home and family, i don’t know why you should care as much, about this country that you don’t even care for. And also, most people realize no home nor families are perfect, but this “author”made a huge deal out of some tired people not smiling and worshipping the ground he stands on just because he’s from a Western country.And the way you haters don’t realise how imperialistic and xenophobic it makes you sound is probably the most pathetic of all the facts i just spit here.

  137. I don’t know where he is from. We generally have a positive attitude towards tourists. We just hate Arabs, and there’s an explainable reason for that. When you look at Arab countries and Arabized countries, you can see how they treat tourists. This is outdated (with all due respect, there are so many ignorant Arabs living in my country that this is not racism anymore, they are destroying our social order.) People living like tribes are destroying many of the economic, social and cultural features of our country with the excuse of escaping from war. We are not Arabs. Our country is a secular country. 60% of the Turks living here may be Muslims, but 40% are from another religion and this is a number that cannot be ignored.

    First of all, if you come to a country escaping from war, you have to respect its national values. We become racist when we say bad things to Ataturk and our soldiers, who saved us from division in the 1900s, and then ask why did we do that or when we inevitably get angry at him. No, guys, look. This is our country, every country has its own rules and values. If you live here, you have to respect our ancestors.

  138. Any big city will have its own challenges and downsides. Istanbul is no exception, it's one of the biggest cities in the world. If you're in the town for a few days you might get unlucky and experience more negative interactions with locals than positive ones.

    I'd like to address some of the common issues in Istanbul and also what will go well if you decide to go to this country in your next trip. I'm going to focus my tips on Istanbul since this is the place most people visit when they go to Turkiye.

    5 issues that you'll likely encounter:

    – People don't speak English well. The education system is very bad in Turkiye. It's unlikely to change any time soon.
    – Most vendors are just trying to make some monero and don't care about hospitality, especially in Istanbul. Economic situation in Turkiye is not well at the moment so unfortunately some people can't afford to be nice.
    – Turkish people are obsessed with cult figures. Especially Erdogan or Ataturk are popular. Unfortunately, people generally adore a person rather than working to replicate their good traits. They think if they put the picture or statue of whoever they like it'll automatically make them 'better'.
    – Due to the economic situation people have less respect for other people. They just don't trust other people and more worried about making ends meet. Especially in the last 10 years it's getting worse.

    6 positive interactions that are special to Turkish:

    – Make sure to visit some Mosques, especially the historic ones. These are the most peaceful places in Turkiye, they're open to everyone not just Muslims.
    – If you get off beaten path, especially to a small town or village people are absolutely generous and hospitable.
    – Don't be afraid to be nice to other people, when you're nice to a Turkish person they generally will reciprocate. They will in return be nicer to you than you were to them.
    – It's a relatively safe country, nobody will try to rob you or hurt you. Police is very easy to get in contact and they'll help you out wherever you are.
    – Turks love their homeland. If you show that you like Turkiye, they will treat you with utmost respect and try to show the best side of it.
    – I found that stray cats are an entertainment in Istanbul if you ever get bored. Turks are extremely feline friendly.

    Note that EVERY big city has their ugly and good sides. @Bren, next time you go to Istanbul let me know, if I'm there at the same time I'll do a free tour for you. I'm sure your experience will be totally different hanging out with a local.

    ============================
    Where does my bias come from?

    I'm Turkish. I love Turkiye and I believe if you meet people at the same eye level they will be good to you. This is not just true for Turkiye but for the rest of the world. I've read some of the comments here and I must say some of the most entitled people had some of the worst experiences in Turkiye.

    When you go to a country as a tourist don't expect that they speak your language, have the food that you're used to, greet the way you do, walk the way you do, be politically correct like the way you are. No, people are different in different countries, that doesn't make them bad.

  139. I kindly would like to say sorry for your experience in Turkey. I have been living in this country for 26 years as a turkish citizen so i can really understand what you have been through. From my experience, turkish people are not hospitable as people generalised. They naturally can't grasp the idea of differences in the human beings. They are usually super conservative and not open to new experiences. Because of their religion or culture ? I have no idea but that's what it is( there can be exceptions but i say generally). Since you had your visit like a year ago, you haven't seen the old turkey which the people were actually welcoming and happy. I saw how people changed morally and ethically in turkey due to economic inflation. It hit that hard to make people choose either you are going to be literally slave or you are going to be part of the group of people that they want you to be. Most of my sincere friends left the country and the remaining try to do it so. I feel bad for your experiences but can't say i am surprised. I would love to type it more about this topic but it won't not change anything.

  140. Dear Bren.

    I came by your notes about Turkey. Personally, I found them a bit harsh and biased.

    I think that it is really very difficult to submerge into a culture in one week to a certain extend to be capable to understand the reasons behind certain behaviours or attitudes.

    Cultures are very different and there is not a real true and not a reference culture against which to judge other cultures.

    In Turkey, you might find good English speaking people, but usually they are at work during normal hours and back at their home at evenings, since they are working in skilled jobs.

    If you visit a store such as a grocery store or butcher, it is difficult to find a person who speaks English. In touristic places, stores or hotels, as far as I know it is not the case. Generally you might find a person who speaks English. But this is not the case only for Turkey, you can not find them as well in Italy, because I couldn't.

    It is important to make the distinction between English being a lingua franca for business world and daily life. No one has the obligation to learn and speak English. To expect such thing would be only arrogance.

    I am living in France and I may say that in contrary to popular opinion about French being arrogant, in fact they are very kind and helpful. The problem is that when some people or tourists from native English speaking countries, are trying to directly speak in English to local people they get annoyed which is a very natural and understandable behaviour. In a touristic environment such a hotel or restaurant, it might not be perhaps something helpful or expected, but in an ordinary neighbourhood, you can't expect such competence. In some countries such as Sweden or Netherland, yes, people even in supermarkets are speaking English, firstly because of their education system, secondly since the language of all of those countries is germanic considering that English also being a germanic language.

    If you had asked something to someone who speaks English in Turkey, they would definitely answer you, even they would chat with you. For some of our citizens, I also find their behaviour unpleasant and unacceptable as well for me, but unfortunately that is valid for everywhere in the world. We are different, as people of a nation and even within a nation. What is acceptable for a culture is not acceptable for another, also vice versa.

    Yes, there are rude, disrespectful hicks who also get on my nerves and create terror in traffic or toxicity in daily life but we cannot say that they represent the general population.

    In big cities such as Istanbul and especially Istanbul, don't expect people to reserve a special time to you, because they are overwhelmed with economic problems and they are coping with daily problems. If someone who works in tourism however doesn't shows pleasant and kind attitude I wouldn't find that also unacceptable.

    Your experience in the bus about someone putting his garbage at your side is something really extreme. Something I never observed throughout my life in Turkey.

    I might say that there are really ignorant people in Turkey, as in every country. On the other side, there are very well educated people. There are also people who are not well-educated due to economic conditions but neither ignorant. They are self-educated and very smart people who are intelligent enough to differentiate an approach of someone with sincerity or arrogance. If they feel the sincerity they will help more than you can imagine. If opposite, they would kindly ignore you.

    Here, I have a Moroccan colleague and almost every week he tells me how wonderful Istanbul and Turkey is. Sometimes, I am even asking whether we are talking from the same city, since it was very tiring for us living in Istanbul.

    I read some other comments at your blog and I found them unfortunately very destructive and low quality. I don't think that they will do any added value for your blog. It might be better to set some writing rules for your blog also for your own sake.

    Finally, I might say that one week is a very short time to deeply analyse and judge a culture. Within that time period, we might only do some observations about the places we visit.

    I wish I had the time to discuss the subject with you further, but tomorrow is work day.

    What you are doing is really interesting and admirable.

    I wish you nice and joyful time and experiences with your travels.

    Iyi yolculuklar, bon voyage !

  141. I just had to look at your photo. Türkiye has been inundated by people from Syria, and from largely Arabic speaking countries and there is a lot of antagonism and unhappiness from that as the cities' population as changed with women covered everywhere unlike the Türkiye of old, more liberal and Western. Sorry but I think it's your looks . Glad you has some good experiences.

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