Monday, May 17, 2010

#265 Turkey...Thanks Levent!


This FDC was issued on May 1,2010 celebrating 150th anniv. of Şile Lighthouse.

Şile Lighthouse which serves as world's second largest active lighthouse and is the largest lighthouse in Turkey was built by the French Lighthouse Administrations between the years of 1859-1860 in the Ottoman period.Located at an altitude of 60 meters above sea level Şile Lighthouse tower height is 19 meters.Incandescent lights are used in the 1000 watts of power since 1968 to make the lighthouse work.It is the only lighthouse to flash in fifteen second intervals and flashlight tour of a full ratation is completed in 120 seconds.Light of the tower at nights can be seen from a distance of approximately 35 miles.

Pieces made of stone were constructed by Turkish architects the other parts made of metal and produced in the factory of Barbir Paris.The lighthouse internationally is a world-class standards.Lighthouse tower in the shape of an octagonal and in the form of 110 centimeters thick stone was painted black and white parallel bands so that it can be shown more easily.

Şile Lighthouse continues to be a companion to the night fishing for 150 years and it was opened to the public as a museum in 2004.

Şile is a small holiday town on the Black Sea, 70 km from the city of Istanbul, Turkey. In 2000 the population was 32,923, of which 10,571 lived in the town of Şile, and the remainder lived in surrounding villages. However, between June and September, the population rapidly increases because of the many residents of Istanbul who have summer houses in Şile.

There has been a fishing village here and today, Şile is a beach resort, popular with people who want a resort atmosphere without having to go to the expense of travelling to the Mediterranean Sea. Şile is about an hour's drive from the city and was always a retreat from the city. During Turkey's economic boom of the 1990s, a great many summer homes and holiday villages were built for the city's middle class, especially after the 1999 earthquake damaged the Marmara coast. There is a small but sandy beach, a little harbour of fishing boats, dense forest behind and a quiet pleasant atmosphere during the week. At weekends though, and especially on a hot summer Sunday Şile is crowded with day-trippers from the poorer districts of the city, who come packed into minibuses and vans to picnic and play football. There are a number of bars and restaurants with sea views, especially in the little park around the lighthouse.

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