#573 Turkey...Thanks Levent!

#363 Turkey...Thanks Levent!

This FDC was issued to promote the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity on June,05 which is also the World Environment Day.

#337 Turkey...Thanks Nejat!

The 1.50 TRL stamp on the left is from 2008 definitive series of Turkish Provinces showing Yalova,which is a province in northwestern Turkey, on the eastern coast of the Sea of Marmara.

#292 Turkey...Thanks Umut!

These 2 stamps were issued in 2008 celebrating Centenary of the National Olympic Committee of Turkey.

#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.

#237 Turkey...Thanks Oguz!

The 75k stamp on the left of the upper row was issued in 2010 commemorating 90 years of Anadolu Agency,which is the Turkish state news agency commissioned with producing news releases pertaining to the country.

The agency was set up on April 6, 1920 by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Turkish Republic, as a propaganda tool during the Turkish War of Independence, and is the biggest news agency of Turkey.

The next 75k and 90k stamps were issued in 2010 celebrating 90th Anniversary of The Opening of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) which is the sole body given the legislative prerogatives by the Turkish Constitution. It was founded in Ankara on 23 April 1920 in the midst of the Turkish War of Independence. The parliament was fundamental in the efforts of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk to found a new state out of the remnants of the Ottoman Empire in the aftermath of the World War I.

The three stamps on the lower row are from 2009 Atatürk definitive issue.

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881–1938) was a Turkish army officer, revolutionary statesman, writer, and founder of the Republic of Turkey as well as its first President.

Atatürk became known as an extremely capable military officer during World War I. Following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire, he led the Turkish national movement in the Turkish War of Independence. Having established a provisional government in Ankara, he defeated the forces sent by the Allies. His successful military campaigns led to the liberation of the country and to the establishment of Turkey. During his presidency, Atatürk embarked upon a program of political, economic, and cultural reforms. An admirer of the Age of Enlightenment, he sought to transform the former Ottoman Empire into a modern, democratic, and secular nation-state. The principles of Atatürk's reforms, upon which modern Turkey was established, are referred to as Kemalism.