Site inspection has been made between 26 - 30 January 2005 along the line of totality in the middle and the south-western part of Turkey. This is to inform you about the situation in  Turkey and what you will find when you come to there. We omit the Black Sea coast and inland of that region as an observation area, since cloudiness is always probable. "This eclipse samples a large section of global weather and culture, with attractions to please just about everyone. No region is without its problems, but weather prospects are good-to-excellent      across most of the path, save for a portion from northern Turkey to western Kazakhstan. Egypt, Libya, and Mediterranean Turkey offer a combination of  the best weather prospects and the easiest travel arrangements". (Reprinted from NASA's Total Solar Eclipse of 2006 March 29, Espenak and Anderson 2004)

Our trip began in January 26, 2005 from Kayseri which has good flight connections with Istanbul. The eclipse totality line crosses Turkey diagonally. We started from Hacibektas located just on the totality line (Lat. 38deg. 56'; Long. 34deg 35'). Near the village there is a very suitable area where the international commemoration ceremonies are held. It is enclosed by a wire fence. Electricity and toilets are available. In Hacibektas you may visit a dervish dergâh (lodge) in the centre of the town, and you may be able to make the acquaintance of the Alevi order, one of the heterodox branches of Islam. Totality reaches Hacibektas at 14:04 LT with a duration of 3 min. 38 sec. Meteorological prospects are moderate. Continuing south along the totality line we reached the area of Cappadocia with its unique and strange rock formations (fairy chimneys) and subterranean dwellings. Totality occurs at 14:02:20 LT with 3 min. 13 sec. duration at Avanos (Lat. 38deg. 42'; Long. 34deg. 51'). This is one of the most beautiful towns in Cappadocia. You may watch the eclipse by balloons as well (http://www.kapadokyaballoons.com).

Going on our way we reached KONYA where the totality reaches at 13:58:13 LT with a 3 min. 23 sec. duration. According to Espenak and Anderson probability of seeing eclipse is 46% in KONYA. This rate's as third maximum probability on their list. But the seeing conditions are very good and there is no scattered light (dust). We have chosen the university campus in KONYA (Lat. 38deg. 01'; Long. 32deg. 31'). MANAVGAT (Lat. 36deg. 48'; Long. 31deg. 18') lies practically on the totality line and was our last stop. It is 50 km from Antalya and connected with a highway. This site has the second highest probability of seeing the eclipse. We have chosen Sural Hotels Group's garden covered with grass as the observation park. It is enclosed by a wire fence. In Manavgat you will find a dust free, clean sky with little scattered light. This site is chosen for our experiments as well as for those of other professional groups. The accommodation conditions are quite large; from 3 stars to 5 stars hotels are available at very reasonable prices because March is in the low season. Please contact our official tour operator (www.dertur.com) for accommodations.