Cizre

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Cizre is a town in southeastern Turkey on the road to Iraqi Kurdistan.

Sometimes the mentality can differ a little bit from city to city however the mentality among kids in Cizre is so radically different from the mentality of kids anywhere else in Turkey that you have to see it to believe it. One piece of advice is: Do not stop in Cizre if you can avoid it. However it is located at a 4 way intersection so you are likely to get dropped off here.

I disagree, I had a few nice days in Cizre with a friendly Kurdish family who hosted me. There are lots of Kurdish children who loves to practice their English with foreigners. If you travel with a camera, pull it out! They are really eager for you to take photos! --Jakobwithk 19:38, 12 January 2012 (CET)

Be extra clear with declaring that you don't intend to pay for the ride in this city as many drivers here want money.

Get out

To Silopi and Zakho in Iraq

From the big intersection just follow the Silopi road and look for a piece of sidewalk where none parked so people can stop for you. It's a lot of traffic on this road so you won't have to wait long.

To Sirnak

From the center walk about 1 kilometer to get to the Sirnak-road which is not a very well traficked road but of the vehicles on it are bound for Sirnak.

To Mardin , Gaziantep , and beyond

Follow D400 from the city center and walk until the roundabout where in joins the E90. Here, you can find a ride in less than 5 min.

Bear in mind

  1. When you start hitchhiking you are actually very likely to be surrounded by a big number of kids whose only interest in you seem to be to terrorize you. If you dont get picked up in 5 minutes this pack of kids may have grown big enough for drivers to think that you're a popstar and not a hitchhiker. A sign is recommended.
  2. People are likely to ask for money so be very clear before you get into the vehicle.
  3. If you want to hitchhike - don't use the normal thumbing, wave your hand up and down as if you are telling them to slow down - that is how they do it in the region

Sorry I have to disagree again, just let the children know that you will "otostop". Sure a bunch of kids gathered around me, I just talked a bit with them, took a photo and then they stayed at a distance so I quickly got a ride. This was while hitching towards Batman--Jakobwithk 19:38, 12 January 2012 (CET)

Sleeping

August 2018: If you have in mind to camp in Cizre, forget about this idea. This is probably the most strategic point in all Turkey, so police is literally at every corner. In one afternoon we had our documents checked and questioned 5 times, once it happened 5 minutes after a previous check. While professional and polite, they just won't leave you be. A local volunteered to "show us a place to camp" which, in his understanding, consisted of bringing us to the huge military base of the city and asking there for an official permission to camp. That was totally ridiculous in itself (because why would anyone ever take responsibility to allow it?), their only suggestion in the end was: go to Mardin instead.

There are hotels for 50+ TL and a dozen couchsurfers, but barely active. Best to come with a host prearranged, or simply not stay overnight in Cizre. If you have a host though, and police knows about it, they will definitely check IDs and question them as well, as they questioned for a long time the local to whom we just said hi in the street.