Turkey welcomes start of Eid-al Fitr holiday

ISTANBUL

Turkey has welcomed the beginning of the Eid-al Fitr holiday, also known as the “Ramadan holiday,” which begins on May 2 as the holy month of Ramadan has come to an end.

The three-day Eid holiday boosted domestic tourism, with millions hitting the roads days after the indoor mask mandate in the country was partly lifted after two years of strict coronavirus measures.

Police units made traffic controls across the country, warning drivers to wear seat belts and be vigilant while driving for long hours. Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu participated in one of the controls in the northwestern province of Kocaeli’s Gebze district.

The minister highlighted that the security units would be alert through the week, with some 290,000 personnel working with shifts.

Highlighting that his ministry has sent some 50 million SMS to citizens’ to warn them to be careful on roads, he noted, ”We have taken strict measures in the first four months of the year. The number of deaths at traffic this year is less than the last year’s.”

Vacationists thronged the Aegean and the Mediterranean coasts, but a precipitation warning came from Orhan Şen, a prominent Turkish meteorologist.

“From [the western province of] İzmir to [the southern province of] Antalya, the coasts will witness rainfalls as of early Monday [May 2],” Şen said. “The rain will start in Istanbul on late May 2.”

The governor’s office of Ankara warned locals of “thundery showers” expected through the week.