Millions hit roads as 9-day Eid holiday starts

ISTANBUL

With the beginning of the nine-day Eid al-Adha holiday, millions of people seeking to spend this break outside their cities have hit the roads, causing heavy traffic congestion, especially on routes leading to famous holiday destinations.

Even though the Eid al-Adha will start on June 28 and last for four days, the break was extended to nine days.

Millions of people eager to enjoy the nine-day break started their journey on the evening of June 23 but got stuck in a traffic jam.

The Central Anatolian Province of Kırıkkale, located at the intersection point of 43 provinces and known as the “key intersection,” witnessed intense traffic congestion.

The influx of people on the road seen on early June 24 increased even further toward noon, causing long queues of vehicles at the city crossings. Accidents occurred on the road as well.

Police and gendarmerie teams closed some intersections along the route to ensure smooth traffic flow. In another Central Anatolian province of Afyonkarahisar, which connects the four regions, increased traffic congestion was also experienced at junction points due to the holiday.

On the other hand, traffic jams on roads leading to popular holiday destinations were also observed. In just two days, 157,000 vehicles entered Muğla, home to well-known holiday hotspots such as Bodrum and Marmaris.

Marmaris, which normally hosts 300,000 people, is expected to welcome nearly 1 million domestic and foreign tourists during the Eid al-Adha holiday.

It was also reported that more than 35,000 vehicles entered Bodrum in the last 48 hours. Police teams conducted searches in vehicles with narcotic dogs.

Over 100,000 expats arrive via Kapıkule

In addition to vacationers in the country, thousands of expatriates living in various European states who wanted to spend the nine-day break in Türkiye have started entering the country.

Officials stated that since June 1, more than 100,500 expatriates have entered the country through the Kapıkule Border Gate, adding that they expect nearly 1 million expatriates to enter the country through three other border gates, namely Hamzabeyli, İpsala and Pazarkule, opening to Bulgaria and Greece before the feast.