220 volts AC, 50Hz. Two pin plugs are used throughout Turkey.

Turkey operates on 220 volts, 50 Hz, with round-prong European-style plugs that fit into recessed wall sockets /points

Four- and five-star hotels often provide North American-style 120 volts, 60 Hz flush-mounted sockets (points) for North American flat-prong plugs.

Check your appliances before leaving home to see what you'll need to plug in when you travel in Turkey.

Many appliances with their own power adapters (such as laptop computers and digital cameras)—can be plugged into either 110-120-volt or 220-240-volt sockets/points and will adapt to the voltage automatically, (but you will need a plug adaptor that can fit into the recessed wall socket/point. Read on.)

Read the technical stuff on your power adapter to see (the power adapter is the little gizmo, usually black and rectangular, that's in the power line between your laptop or camera and the socket/point.) Look for"INPUT: A.C. 100-240V".

If it reads that way, it can operate on either 110-120 or 220-240 voltage. If it says something like "INPUT: 100-125V", then it can't run on Turkey's 220-240 volts and you'll need to bring a transformer (also called a power or voltage converter)

You'll probably also need a plug adapter that looks like one of those in the photo on the right side of this page.

If you end up landing in Turkey without one you can search out a Turkish electrician's shop but how will you charge your appliance until you find an elektrikçi?

Many Turkish hotels have plug adaptors that they lend to guests. That might keep you going until you can find an elektrikçi. (You'll want to have your own adaptor to carry with you.)

In Istanbul, there are several elektrikçi shops in Eminönü on the streets between Sirkeci Station and the Main Post Office.

ELECTRICITY IN YOUR HOTEL ROOM

In your hotel room there may be an energy-saving device operated by your room key: you insert the flat card of the room key into a slot, and this activates all the electricity in your room, including lights, fan and television. (See the photo to the right.) The slot is usually on the wall just inside the door of your hotel room.

The idea is that you will remove the card from the slot when you take your room key with you and leave your room for the day, shutting off all the electricity automatically and thus cutting hotel costs.

But what if you want to charge batteries in your computer, iPod, digital camera or other device while you're out of your room? The batteries won't charge if all the electricity is shut off.

Simple solution: if the card is simply a card, slide a piece of stiff paper into the card slot (a business card works well) to turn on the outlets/points in the room, then switch off all the lights and other devices except the one you want to charge.

However, some of these devices use cards with computer chips in them; or thick rectangular plastic key fobs. For those, a business card or slip of stiff paper will not work. You'll have to charge your batteries at night, while you're in your room.

A few clever hotels put all lamps and most wall outlets on the key-card switch, but leave one or two outlets always-on for such things as minibar refrigerators. By experimentation, you may find an outlet that will remain powered on even when the key card is not in its slot.