Design agreed for ‘mosque dresses' for tourists visiting Turkey

ISTANBUL – Anatolia News Agency

Sultanahmet Mosque in Istanbul. DHA photo

Tourists who don't have appropriate clothing to visit historic mosques in Turkey will be provided specially designed clothes according to a new regulation issued by the Tourism Ministry.

Female tourists will wear headscarves along with dresses that will cover their entire bodies, and male tourists who wear sleeveless shirts, t-shirts and shorts will also be provided for under the special dress codes.

The clothes will be available in at least six colors and will be devoid of any figures or writing. The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality will clean the used clothes regularly.

Tourists will not be charged for the use of the clothes.

The pilot scheme will be implemented at Sultanahmet Mosque at first, and subsequently spread to others mosques if deemed necessary.

The Istanbul Provincial Culture and Tourism Directorate made the decision about the new dress code in a meeting on Jan. 22 entitled “Managing visitors of Istanbul’s historic mosques.”

The joint meeting was attended by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and directorate officials.

Tours inside the mosques will last approximately 10 minutes on busy days, according to the new regulation.

Samples of the design were not shown as the clothes were not yet ready, directorate officials told the Hürriyet Daily News.