Here is today’s Turkey news in English, Thursday 29 October 2026, the 103rd anniversary of the Republic. Rain reshaped Republic Day ceremonies across the country, a fairy chimney collapse in Cappadocia killed three people, and Ankara prepared to host Friday’s Organization of Turkic States summit.
Göreme collapse and the storms
– **Fairy chimney collapse near Göreme Open Air Museum kills three**: A fairy chimney gave way at the museum entrance in Cappadocia during heavy rain; three people died and five were hurt, and search and rescue work ended in the evening. – **Demre floods again, D-400 to Kaş closed**: Overnight rain flooded homes and greenhouses in Çevreli and Üçağız and closed the Demre–Kaş road. – **Mersin downpour floods Erdemli**: Homes, shops and streets flooded in Erdemli under an orange warning, and a stream closed a road in Silifke’s Yeşilovacık. – **Bosphorus shipping halted by cargo ship breakdown**: Traffic was suspended overnight after an engine failure off Kanlıca, then reopened in stages.
Republic Day, 29 October
– **Erdoğan leads the Anıtkabir ceremony**: The president laid a wreath at Atatürk’s tomb and wrote in the mausoleum’s Special Book. – **Erdoğan’s 103rd anniversary message**: A video message on defence, energy, transport and diplomacy. – **Istanbul postpones the Vatan Caddesi parade**: Rain postponed the parade, while the official ceremony went ahead indoors. – **Rain moves celebrations indoors**: Thrace and Mersin held ceremonies in sports halls and Kocaeli cancelled its torch parade. – **Navy ships open to visitors in 29 ports**: Including Bodrum, Marmaris, Fethiye, Kaş, Antalya and Alanya.
Diplomacy and the Turkic summit
– **Turkic leaders open Beştepe Nation’s Forest**: A 645,000 square metre park opened in Ankara on the eve of Friday’s Organization of Turkic States summit. – **Aliyev to miss the Ankara summit**: Azerbaijani media said Foreign Minister Bayramov will represent Baku. – **Türkiye and Uzbekistan sign five agreements**: Including a social security deal and a trade protocol, after Erdoğan met Mirziyoyev. – **Schengen visa relief sought for truck drivers**: After a protest at Kapıkule, the Trade Ministry raised the issue with Bulgaria and the European Commission.
Istanbul and the rest of the day
– **Taxi drivers protest at Martı TAG’s office**: The protest in Maslak followed an appeals court ruling against the taxi chambers’ lawsuit. – **Üsküdar mayor released under house arrest**: The suspended mayor left prison in Çorlu after three months in detention. – **Body found off Silivri identified as ship’s second captain**: The search continues for the remaining crew of the vessel that sank on 2 September. – **Bus and truck collide in Şırnak**: The driver died and 14 people were injured near Uludere. – **Former state minister Ünal Erkan dies**: The ex-police chief and emergency-rule regional governor will be buried in Ankara on Friday. – **Writer Cem Akaş laid to rest**: The Can Yayınları editor-in-chief was buried in Istanbul.
New guides
– **Living in Marmaris and İçmeler**: Airport buses, neighbourhoods, hospitals, rents, buying and Rhodes ferries. – **Living in Ölüdeniz, Hisarönü and Ovacık**: Dolmuş lines, hospitals, markets, rents and zoning checks near Fethiye.
Tomorrow we will follow the Turkic States summit in Ankara and the aftermath of the Göreme collapse from 08:00.
Sources
- Fairy chimney collapse near Göreme Open Air Museum kills three (Turkey Daily News)
- Demre floods again, D-400 to Kaş closed (Turkey Daily News)
- Erdoğan leads the Anıtkabir ceremony (Turkey Daily News)
- Turkic leaders open Beştepe Nation’s Forest (Turkey Daily News)
Photo: Diego Delso / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
