Cities of Health
İstanbul: Once named Byzantium and Constantinople, Istanbul is Europe's most populous city with 12 million inhabitants. Being the center of Turkeys cultural, economical, business and social life, Istanbul is one of the most diverse and rich metropols in the world. It is located on the Bosphorus Strait and encompasses the natural harbor known as the Golden Horn. It is the only city in the world which is situated on two continents, extending on both Europe and Asia.
Istanbul served as the capital city of the Roman Empire (330-395), the Byzantine Empire (395-1204 and 1261-1453), the Latin Empire (1204-1261), and the Ottoman Empire (1453-1922).
Istanbul is uniquely surrounded by thousands years of historical and cultural heritage, mosques, churches and synagogues proving to be a junction point of civilizations.
The first human settlements in Istanbul date back to 5500-3500 BC. Today Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia and the Grand Bazaar stand out as the most important monuments among hundreds scattered throughout the city. The Topkapi Palace used to be the official and primary residence in the city of the Ottoman Sultans for 400 years. Hagia Sophia is a former patriarchal basilica, later a mosque, now a museum. Hagia Sophia was the largest cathedral of the era, famous in having the widest massive dome, considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture. The Grand Bazaar is one of the largest covered markets in the world with more than 58 streets and 4,000 shops hosting between 250,000 and 400,000 visitors daily. It is well known for its jewelry, pottery, spice, and carpet shops.
Today Istanbul hosts internationally renowned art festivals and thanks to its diverse cultural heritage and lively art scene, it has experienced European Capital of Culture in 2010. The historic areas of Istanbul were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985. Istanbul welcomed over 6,5 million tourists in 2007.
Ankara: The capital of Turkey, Ankara is the Turkey's second largest city after Istanbul with a population of 4,4 million.Centrally located in Anatolia, Ankara is an important commercial and industrial city. The oldest settlements in and around the city center of Ankara belong to the Hatti civilization which lived during the Bronze Age.Before getting under the Ottoman Empire's control, the city was ruled by the Roman and the Seljuk Empire.
Ankara is the center of the Turkish Republic's state and government, housing all foreign embassies. It is an important crossroads of trade, strategically located at the center of Turkey's highway and railway networks, and serves as the marketing center for the surrounding agricultural area. Ankara plays a leading role also in Turkey's cultural, social and educational advance by hosting 10 universities.
Antalya: Antalya is located on the Mediterranean coast of southwestern Turkey, celebrated as one of the most popular summer destinations throughout the world.
As of the 2009 census, Antalya had a population of 1,095,157. The city includes sites with traces of Lycian, Pamphylian, and Hellenistic -but mainly Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk and Ottoman- architecture and cultures.
Situated on coastal cliffs, Antalya is surrounded by Taurus mountains. Kaleiçi, the restored historical center of the city -with its hotels, bars, clubs, restaurants, and shopping- retains much of its historical character; its restoration won the Golden Apple Tourism Prize by FIJET, the European Association of Professional Travel Writers and Journalists.
İzmir: Historically Smyrna, Izmir today is the third most populous city of Turkey and the country's largest port after Istanbul. The city is the inheritor of almost 3,500 years of urban history and hosts a population of 3.7 million today. Izmir is located at the most western part of Turkey and as a result of this geographical position has a flora and fauna blended with Turkish customs and habits. This modern city still retains traces of its ancient, Ottoman and Levantine past. Being the hub of the Levantine community, Izmir has long been a centre of culture and civilization where Judaism, Christianity and Islam have always co-existed peacefully.
Adana: Reputed most with its extraordinarily fertile lands and broad range of agricultural products, Adana is the center of a region called “Cukurova”, the agricultural coastal lowlands.
It is said that the history of the city dates back to 8000 years, hosting more than 40 civilizations. In fact, throughout the history, the city itself and its surroundings have been highly attractive places for several reasons beyond the rich flora, such as the mild weather, rich underground and running water resources, its geographical position at the only passway to Mesopotamia in South Anatolia and finally rich mineral resources.
Adana, being one of the large towns of Asia Minor, about 40 kilometers inland from the sea, ranks as the fourth largest city of Turkey with its nearly 1,500.000 inhabitants. The Taurus Mountains, forming the northern border-lines of the province, exhibit altitudes as high as over 3000 meters.
Kayseri: Kayseri is a large and industrialized city in Central Anatolia, Turkey. It is the seat of Kayseri Province. In conjunction with the addition of new districts and first stage municipalities into the metropolitan area, the city's population, which was 690,000 in 2000, is currently 911 984.
Renowned for its culinary specialties such as mantı, pastirma and sucuk, the city is also rich in historical monuments (dating especially from the Seljuk period). While it is generally visited en-route to the international tourist attractions of Cappadocia, Kayseri has many visitor's attractions by its own right; Seljuk monuments in and around the center, Mount Erciyes as trekking and alpinism center, Zamantı River as rafting center, the historic sites of Ağırnas (Sinan the Architect's village), and Develi to name a few
Kartalkaya 120 miles northwest of Ankara. There are two mountain top hotels located at 2000 meters
Both hotels claim that they have a doctor available at the hotel. These doctors are general practitioners and are resident over the weekends and called in on the weekdays. Each hotel has a first aid room, and initial examination, evaluation, bleeding control, dressings, simple suturing and splinting are available.
The nearest hospital is 38 km away from the ski resort and travel time is estimated as being approximately one hour, depending on weather conditions. The hotels offer transportation if necessary. There are both government and private hospitals in the town of Bolu.
Snowmobiles can pull a stretcher from the mountain to one of the hotels, where the person is evaluated, necessary first aid is given and then the patient is transported to the hospital if further treatment is necessary. Fellow skiers on the mountain alert the snowmobile, who goes to help the injured person. No x-ray or casting facilities are available near the mountains. A small Jandarma mountain resscue team is being activated in February 1999 and will be based at the Hotels.
Erciyes Mountain (Erciyes Dagi) 210 miles south east of Ankara, near Kayseri. There is one main hotel, located at 2200 meters next to the lift:
This hotel has a doctor available, who is associated with a first-aid clinic in the area. The hotel has a small first aid room for initial evaluation, simple suturing, control of bleeding, dressings, and splinting. There is no radiology or casting facility on site.
The nearest hospital is 20 km away, and estimated travel time, depending on weather conditions, is 25 minutes. There are two choices of hospital in the town: a teaching hospital and a government hospital.
There are 2 snowmobiles available to pull a stretcher up the mountain, and the hotel would make a vehicle available for transportation to the hospital if necessary. Fellow skiers on the mountain would help to alert the drivers of the snowmobiles.
Uludag 280 miles west of Ankara, close to Bursa. There are numerous hotels located near ski lifts. It is an extremely popular resort, which is very crowded on weekends and local holidays. One of the main hotels was contacted for information.
This region has the best on-site medical facilities of all the resorts in Turkey.
There is a 3-story clinic on site. Orthopedists, and internists are available 24 hours a day. A pediatrician is also available during the high season and local school holidays. There is one nurse and one other staff member employed at this clinic, both of whom are a associated with Uludag University Hospital in Bursa. An ambulance with a nurse and doctor could be made available if necessary for transportation to the town. This clinic has a small radiology department with x-ray equipment suitable for evaluation of injuries to the head, arms or legs; further investigations would be referred to the hospital. The two ambulances belong to the government hospital.
Sabanci Poliklinigi, Tel. 0224-285-2166 Contact person is Mr. Mustafa Karaca. He does not speak English, but the doctors have limited knowledge. Hotel staff are available for translation problems
There are 5 snowmobiles, patrolling the mountains for any problems or accidents so any injured person can be transported down the mountain on a stretcher. The local Gendarmerie (Jardarma) are also available to assist with retrieving an injured person from the mountains; they work together with the drivers of the snowmobile to help people. A spokesman from the clinic suggested that retrieval time off the mountain could be up to 15 minutes to get to the clinic, and another hour to get to the hospital at Bursa. Usually, the patient is first evaluated at the clinic, then referred to the hospital if necessary. There are no in-patient facilities at the clinic.
Palandoken Mountains In Erzurum, 570 miles east of Ankara. There is one main hotel at this resort, located at 2400 meters:
This hotel has a doctor available 24 hours a day. Who specializes in internal medicine. There is a small first aid room at the hotel for initial evaluation, control of bleeding, dressings, simple suturing, and application of splints. There are no casting or radiology facilities on site. The nearest hospitals are only 4 km away from the mountain, and estimated travel time is 10 minutes, depending on weather conditions. There are more than five main hospitals to choose from, mainly Government or University Hospitals. The hotel staff can assist with any language difficulties and provide transportation to the hospital.
There are 2 snowmobiles available to pull stretchers off the mountain. Right next to the hotel are the Gendarmerie (Jardarma), who work together with the drivers of the snowmobiles to assist injured skiers. They can also give first-aid if necessary.
Elmadag (Ankara) 10 miles southeast of Ankara.
The Ankara Ski Club was contacted, and they reported that there were no medical facilities on the mountain. Occasionally on the weekends snowmobiles are present to assist retrieve an injured person, but there is no first aid available. If there is an accident, fellow skiers call for help and transportation to a hospital in downtown Ankara is by private vehicle. A telephone is available at the hotel or ski club to call an ambulance.
It might be advisable to take a small first-aid bag with you, should you plan to stay on the mountain for some time.
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