Türkiye Sporran Guide

Türkiye v Scotland – Wednesday 16th November – 8pm TRT (5pm GMT)

Scotland’s final international of 2022 will take place in Diyarbakır in the south east of Türkiye. Unfortunately it is not a preparation game for the Qatar World Cup but a friendly between two teams who made it to the play offs but fell just short of making the finals. Türkiye were hoping to make it to their 3rd world cup finals but lost to Portugal in the semi-final of path C. Their first ever international match was a 2-2 draw with Romania in 1923 they then joined FIFA and competed in the Paris Olympics the following year, their first of 6 Olympic tournaments. They qualified for the 1950 World Cup finals following a win over Syria but like Scotland chose to withdraw. They qualified again in 1954 on the toss of a coin after drawing with Spain in a replay, in Switzerland they defeated South Korea 7-0 but lost to West Germany twice, the second was a play off and they were elimated in the first round. West Germany went on to win the tournament. They have only ever qualified for one more WC finals tournament since, in 2002 where they finished in 3rd place, losing to winners Brazil in the semi-final before beating South Korea for 3rd place. The bronze medal gained entrance to the Confederations Cup in 2003, where again they were 3rd losing to France in the semi-final who went on to win. In the European Championship Türkiye did not qualify until the tournament was expanded in 1996 but have competed in 5 of the 7 tournaments since, their best performance was the semi-final in 2008 losing to Germany 3-2. In the recent Nations League tournament they won group C1 to get promoted back to League B, also guaranteeing them a play off for the Euros should they fail to get out of Group D where they will face Croatia, Wales, Armenia and Latvia.

Anyone expecting a Turkey Sporran Guide may be suprised to see one for Türkiye, Turkey is of course the Engligh version of the name but was widely used internationally. The Turkish government applied to have it changed to Türkiye early this year and this was accepted by the United Nations, FIFA and UEFA in May with immediate affect.

This will only be the 2nd ever match between the 2 nations, the first also a friendly in Türkiye in June 1960. Caldow and Young scored for Scotland in Ankara but the hosts won 4-2. This will make it a first trip for quite a few TA although Istanbul is a city many of us will have travelled through in the past. Many will also have travelled to Türkiye on holiday but unlikely to have ventured as far east as Diyarbakir, not far from the border with Syria and Iraq.

After the disappointment in June Scotland roared back to win the Nations League group so Steve Clarke has lots to build on and will view this as an opportunity to get his squad together again, learn some lessons position the team in the best possible place for a difficult qualification campaign. Türkiye have a very experienced and capable squad with Inter Milan star Hakan Çalhanoğlu their best known player and Cenk Tosun of Beşiktaş the top scorer in the squad with 18 goals in 45 caps.

Yeni Diyarbakır Stadyumu

The game will be played at the Yeni Diyarbakir Stadymu located in the north east of the city. It was built as part of a nationwide stadium programme and opened in 2018 with a design based on an 8 sided star to reflect the walls of Diyarbakir. It has a capcity of 33,000 and was only just granted a UEFA licence in time for this game. This will be the first occasion that the national side has played in the city as the Turks look to widen the appeal of their national side. The stadium is is home to local clubs Diyarbakırspor and Amed S.K., both way below the Turkish Süper Lig. It has also hosted the Turkish Cup Final but the arrival of the national team has certainly sparked interest with the home end tickets selling out within an hour of the public sale.

Scotland have an allocation of 1,250 and supporters will be housed in the south east corner of the stadium in the Misafir (Guest) Tribünü sections 127-128 and 234-237, coloured bronze in the map above, entrance is via the ramp on Professor Necmettin Erbakan Bulvari. As passport numbers are required for purchasing tickets in Türkiye there is a good chance they will be asked for at the stadium. From the UK government guidance it is recomended you keep your passport with you at all times anyway.

The stadium is approximately 7.5 miles from the Grand Mosque in the old town. Bus numbers A2 and B8 travel from The University passing the old town between Dağkapı (Mountain Gate) and the Post Office, timetable can be found here, taxi would be the other option would take about 15 minutes and be less than £5.

Park 75 has been suggested as a Fan zone for the match and local authorities are encouraged to meet there, drinking is permitted but is unclear at this stage what will be there, it is 2.5 miles from the stadium.

Ticket Pickup

This match will be 100% ticket pickup and on this occasion everyone will have to pick up their ticket individually, it is not lead booker. Ticket pickup will be 1000 – 1600 on match day at the Radisson Blu Hotel Diyarbakir, Fırat, Urfa Bulvari No 170, 21000 Kayapınar/Diyarbakır. Note this is on the outskirts of the city as well so allow time to get there. We would also remind supporters to be respectful and behave whilst picking up tickets. There have been isolated issues in the past, ATAC would like to encourage the SFA to have more ticket pickups in the future to help reduce point harvesting. This will only happen if Ticket Pickups are trouble free.

There is no ticket pickup at the stadium.

Tartan Army Sunshine Appeal in Turkey

The Tartan Army Sunshine Appeal make their 93rd consecutive donation in Diyarbakir to Colourful Hopes. Colourful Hopes Association (CHA) was set up in 2015 after the Kurdish siege of the Sur area of Diyarbakir and the civil unrest that followed. They carry out activities and workshops to develop and spread the culture of international human rights and to aid the healing of children aged 5-18 affected by the conflict, they currently help about 200 children in Diyarbakir. CHA has plans in place to make use the donationby organising 160 workshop sessions with these supporting children aged 8-16, covering Oral history, Upcycling, Music, Philosophy , Photography and Life Skills training.

TASA will be making a presentation to Colourful Hopes on match day (16th November) at 1.30pm. TASA would encourage as many TA as possible to attend the presentation at Rengarenk Umutlar Derneği, Ziya Gökalp, Lale Sk. No:14, 21300 Sur/Diyarbakır.

Diyarbakir

It’s safe to say that Diyarbakir is a bit of an unknown quantity to most travellers, never mind the Tartan Army. With a population of roughly 1.8 million, which is more than triple that of Glasgow, Diyarbakir is the name of both the city and province in which the city itself is contained. The city is also known by the local name Amed to the Kurdish population. Historically Diyarbakir was known for its copper mining but, in modern times, it has become more synonymous with craftwork and jewellery, in particular silverwork.

Diyarbakir is one of Türkiye’s most beautiful cities. The unofficial capital of Kurdistan, an area that spreads across parts of Turkey, Syria, Iran and Iraq, it has a very long and rich history. It is also modern, dynamic, and full of life. The city spreads across an incredible desert. 

In addition to basic safety common sense, there also needs to be a degree of cultural awareness on this trip from the Tartan Army. Diyarbakir is a very conservative city and is very Kurdish, rather than Turkish. As such, it is safe to say that being half-naked and drunk in a fountain at 1am wouldn’t go down well with the local authorities! Large non-football crowds should also be avoided, as these can often be demonstrations by PKK supporters (the banned “Kurdish Workers’ Party”), which are broken up forcefully by Police. It has been strongly advised to us that you should follow the instructions and cooperate with the Police at all times.

The city itself though does have various things to offer for those who head over. Sadly, a lot of the historical sites in and around the city are no longer in existence due to regeneration works, designed at modernising the city. Planning laws were put in place to preserve the staggering amount of nearly 600 historic sites inside the old city walls, but sadly it seemed these were completely ignored and many places of historic value were acquainted with the bucket of a JCB advancing at high speed. Thankfully, some did survive though and the most prominent of these is the Diyarbakir Fortress. The fortress itself and surrounding Hevsel Gardens were both named as Unesco World Heritage sites back in 2015. Diyarbakir hosts the widest and longest city walls in the world. The walls are only shorter than the Great Wall of China. Though the oldest walls date back to 6th century BC, the walls younsee today are from Roman times. The emperor Constantinos II commissioned them in 4th century AD. Since then, they have been rebuilt many times using stone, black basalt, and adobe. For anyone wishing to stretch their legs for a while, the city walls provide a 6km loop of the district.

The historic Dicle Bridge, also known as Ten-eyed Bridge, crosses the Tigris River just south of Hevsel Gardens. It was built in 1065 during the Marwanid period. The bridge is 178 m (584 ft) long, 5.60 m (18.4 ft) wide, and consists of 10 arches, thus the name. It is made entirely from local basalt stone.

The Great Mosque of Diyarbakir, also known as Ulu Cami or the Grand Mosque, is one of Turkey’s most impressive mosques. Muslims consider it the fifth holiest site after the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus. The Seljuq Sultan Malik-Shah wanted a more important Diyarbakir. Thus, in 1091 he commissioned a mosque that was to be as grand as the one in Damascus.

For those wishing to indulge in a bit more history and expand their knowledge, the Archaeological Museum has a wealth of historic artefacts where you can spend an hour or so perusing at your leisure. There are trips outwith Diyarbakir to consider during your time over there, with places like Mardin being an option, as well as organised trips to Cappadocia and wider Mesopotamia. Worth noting though that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office currently advise against visiting any area within 10km of the Syrian border.

Türkiye is known around the world for its delicious food. To our delight, fantastic eateries of all kinds dot Diyarbakir. Not only is the food great, but you get to eat in historic buildings. 

Fırın-ci Sur is Diyarbakir’s finest restaurant. Enjoy traditional Turkish food in a carefully reconstructed 19th-century bathhouse (Vahap Ağa Hammam)! It is very difficult for us to recomend bars or restaurants as we don’t have contacts and there is limited information available but we are reliably informed there are bars and rumours that Diyarbarkir is a dry city are wide of the mark.

Map

Winning Words

Important Information

AVERAGE TEMPERATUREDiyarbakir in November is an average of 10 °C but has been warmer recently
CURRENCYTurkish Lira (TRY) approximately 21TRY to £1
TIMEZONETurkiye Time TRT – GMT + 3
PLUGS AND SOCKETSIn Turkiye power plugs and sockets are type F so an adapter will be required
COVIDAs of 1 June, all COVID-19 restrictions in Turkey have been lifted, and passengers arriving in Türkiye are no longer required to present proof of vaccination or negative PCR test results
VISAIf you are visiting Türkiye, your passport should be valid for at least 150 days from the date you arrive and there should be a full blank page for the entry and exit stamps
Travel to Türkiye for tourist purposes without a visa for visits of up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
It is advised to carry your passport with you at all times in Türkiye
Remember to check Visa and entry requirements for any other country that you transit through.
EMERGENCYCall 112 or 155 (police), 112(ambulance) and 110(fire)
HEALTHThe European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), is not valid in Türkiye. Make sure you have adequate travel health insurance and accessible funds to cover the cost of any medical treatment abroad and repatriation. 
LGBTHomosexuality is legal in Türkiye. However, many parts of Türkiye are socially conservative and public displays of affection may lead to unwelcome attention.
EMBASSYThe British Embassy in Türkiye is in Ankara, Şehit Ersan Caddesi 46/A, Çankaya, Ankara, Türkiye
If you’re in Türkiye and you need urgent help call
+90 312 455 3344
KURDISTANDiyarbakir has a very large Kurdish population and has been a main focal point of conflict between the Turkish state and Kurdish sepatarist groups. There are many protests in the city, it is best to avoid any protests as trouble can escalate quickly, particularly during prayers on a Friday. Turkish police detained three people at a recent match in Diyarbakir for unfurling the Kurdish flag.
MOBILE PHONES ROAMINGAll mobile operators will charge for using mobile phones in Türkiye, check with your provider as roaming charges could be expensive and may be best to buy an addon before travelling
OTHERThe FCDO advise against all travel within 10km of the border with Syria and all travel to Sirnak and the province of Hakkari
You should avoid all demonstrations and leave the area if one develops. Police have used tear gas and water cannon extensively to disperse protests
Dress modestly if you’re visiting a mosque or a religious shrine to avoid offence.
It is an offence to insult the Turkish nation or the national flag, or to deface or tear up currency
In Diyarbakir take care at night especially in the old quarter areas without street lighting. The lower end of the street toward the Mardin Kapı, the Mardin Gate, is pretty dark and can be dangerous at night. Do not become prey to pickpockets who seem to hang around there.

Getting Around

Frequent and reasonably priced flights operates between most cities, including Istanbul and Ankara to Diyarbakir. The Guney Kartalan Express direct train runs five days a week from Ankara to Diyarbakir, it takes 21 hours. There are also many local bus companies offering services from cities all over Türkiye.

Z2 is the bus service from the Airport (Havaalani) to the city, see timetable below. Taxis should cost about 20TRY approximately £1. Journey should take 15-20 minutes.

Within Diyarbakir there is alocal bus service, there aren’t many details online but the Diyarbakir Muicipal website has the timetable and route details.

BiTaksi is the local Yandex equivalent and recomended mobile phone App for taxis, probably best to install the app at home before travelling. Once you are in to the app it does have an option for English.. We are lead to believe Uber also operate in the city and there will be plenty of taxis on the street, as always caution is recomended check for meters and take care for scams.

150 Years of the Tartan Army

The 30th November 2022 will be the 150th anniversary of the first ever football international, a 0-0 draw between Scotland and England at the West of Scotland cricket ground in Glasgow. There were 3,000 fans in attendance making this game the debut of the TartanArmy as well as the birthplace of international football. The Hampden Collection are hosting a series of events #Fitba150 to commemorate the occasion including an event at the West of Scotland Cricket Ground on the anniversary itself. Next year on 12th September there will also be a 150th heritage match between Scotland and England at Hampden as the SFA also turns 150 as they were formed in 1873.

Scotland Fixtures this month

The men’s match in Türkiye is not the only Scotland action this month, the women’s team have a training camp in Spain and the Under 19s host Group 8 of the 2023 European Championship Qualifying Round, first and second in the group plus the best 3rd place team will qualify for the Elite Round. Scotland fixtures:

UEFA Nations League 2022-23

Scotland won Nations League Group B1 to gain promotion to League A so will have some top ties to look forward to in 2024. Our final ranking from Nations League was 20th, Türkiye are 35th. As group winners both are guaranteed a play off for Euro 2024 if they fail to qualify from the group stages.

The Nations League Finals will be played in June 2023 and feature the 4 winners of League A groups: Croatia, Spain, Italy and Netherlands. It is expected the finals will be in the Netherlands.

Euro 2024 Qualification

As Nations League group winners Scotland moved up to second seeds for the Euro 2024 Qualification draw. Scotland were drawn in Group A ,we will face difficult tasks against Spain, Norway, Georgia and Cyprus. The fixtures for the group are below, we start with a home double header and end with another home tie against Norway. Top 2 from the group will qualify for Germany 2024.

It has already been confirmed that Scotland will play England in a friendly on 12th September 2023 at Hampden, we will also have to play another friendly on Match Day 8 in October. Potential European opponents who also don’t have a qualifying match on that fixture date are Albania, Armenia, Bulgaria, Estonia, France, Germany or North Macedonia. It could also be against any other non European nation, this should be confirmed by the end of January at the latest.

PDF

A pdf version of this Sporran Guide can be downloaded and then printed from here.

Turkiye-Sporran-Guide-_-Association-of-Tartan-Army-Clubs-ATAC-compressedDownload

Thank You

ATAC would like to thank the following websites and organisations for their assistance with creating this sporran guide