Rule number one: Scrupulously avoid contact with anyone using a Westernized name. It's hard to believe, but in the major tourist areas of Turkey, particularly in the streets of Sultanahmet, an entire industry thrives on the acquisition and manipulation of emotions. This time, I'm not referring to carpet sales, but to something much more inestimable. Foreign women, receptive, even eager for new and exotic experiences, are just ripe for the picking, and although less than attractive ones can be particularly vulnerable, any single girl with cash in the bank and foreign nationality is a target.
Sultanahmet is filled with professional "gigolos" practiced in the art of courtship and persuasion. One will generously show a girl around town, take her to perfect hidden corners of the city, hold doors open for her, pay every bill, and rapidly sweep her off her feet. He will operate under the guise of success; perhaps he will drive you around in a Mercedes. The better ones come armed with scripts; the statements "You foreigners don't know how to trust anyone!" and "You foreigners think that we (Turks) are all thieves and barbarians" effectively disarm even the most remotely liberal.
Inevitably the topic of how bad things are economically will be carefully broached: How he can't pay his bills, how worried he is over his debts, and how any moment the authorities will repossess his furniture. Some invent elaborate stories of woe and before you know it, the woman is offering, no -- insisting, that he accept her help. And, because foreign passports command top dollar on the black market, it's not unheard of for passports to mysteriously go missing.
Some seducers even take this kind of behavior to its limits by pursuing the game as far as the wedding contract. But the most deplorable of the lot have been known to forge the marriage certificate with the assistance of those in the neighborhood even less scrupulous than themselves.
But this kind of behavior doesn't represent all of Turkey, and overall, women traveling alone in Turkey are treated with an almost exaggerated courtesy. In some cases, a woman will be in a better position to experience the openness of the Turkish people than if traveling en masse. With all of this warmth and hospitality, it's difficult to know how to temper one's instincts toward friendliness without affirming the general opinion among the more conservative class of Turks that all Western women are prostitutes. Even an innocent greeting or seemingly harmless camaraderie can be misinterpreted, so it's important to find a balance between polite formality and the openness that North American, European, and Australian women find so normal.
Practically speaking, no matter how modern the country may seem on the surface, don't be surprised if you're the only female in a restaurant. Eateries often have an aile salonu (family salon), an unintimidating dining area provided for men, women, couples, and anyone else not wishing to dine among groups of smoking, drinking, mustached Turks.
However Westernized Istanbul has become, wearing cutoff cheek-revealing shorts and a spandex midriff top is in bad taste. In the resort areas of the Aegean and Mediterranean seas, the economy of tourism seems to have won out over the local mores, but bathing topless is still insensitive. In Anatolia the sight of bare legs can cause a stir, so be sure to cover up on those long drives into the interior. In Istanbul, especially in the more modern neighborhoods, dress is modern, even racy, but when visiting the more traditional neighborhoods like Sultanahmet or Fatih, modesty will at least broadcast a different message to those likely to leer. Chances are you'll be visiting at least one mosque, and to enter, your shoulders, legs, and head must be covered. It's a nice idea to carry around a scarf, but all mosques provide some type of head covering.
