Extended to nine days for some, Qurban Bayram, also known as the Eid al-Adha, has officially begun in Türkiye. The exodus from the big cities in the west to resort towns in the south and the hometowns of thousands in inner parts of Anatolia caused heavy traffic over the weekend bringing to the fore the security concerns.

Although Qurban Bayram will start on June 28 and end on July 1, the Turkish authorities have extended it to a nine-day public holiday leaving the door for many citizens to rejoice with family and relatives in other parts of the country.

This year's initial exodus ahead of the holiday commenced after working hours late on Friday with people hitting the road in their own vehicles or filling the buses and airplanes.

The traffic on many highways across the country has intensified over the weekend while police and gendarmerie teams began to conduct inspections via the land and air in numerous provinces across Türkiye.

Throughout this period, authorities have deployed more staff and stepped up safety measures on the country’s road network.

In the capital Ankara, the helicopter-assisted inspection was carried out by the teams of the Regional Traffic Inspection Branch under the coordination of the General Directorate of Security, the Aviation Department, and the Traffic Department.

Vehicles were followed from the air by helicopter, particularly on the Konya road route, where traffic congestion was witnessed at large, the Demirören News Agency (DHA) reported Sunday.

Other central provinces including Kırıkkale known as a major crossroads connecting other provinces, as well as Afyokarahisar experienced heavy traffic congestion on Saturday.

The traffic flow, which was already significant in the early hours of June 24, intensified even more toward noon, resulting in extensive vehicle lines at various entry points to the city of Kırıkkale.

Similarly, according to the Anadolu Agency (AA) reports on Monday, the teams on the field have stepped up their inspections in the provinces of Malatya and Gaziantep.

Gaziantep Deputy Governor Muhammet Önder who participated in the inspections carried out within the framework of the traffic measures taken ahead of the Eid al-Adha told AA that the necessary measures have been undertaken so the holiday can be spent in peace throughout the city.

"We took our traffic precautions. We want our passengers to pay attention to the rules so that they can spend the holiday in a good way. We came to the application point to wish (them) a good trip. We chatted with the passengers and celebrated their holidays," Önder said.

Influx to south

On the other hand, traffic jams on roads leading to popular holiday destinations were also observed.

In the three days, starting from Friday to Sunday, 112,689 vehicles entered Muğla, home to well-known holiday hot spots such as Bodrum and Marmaris, as per AA reports.

Besides those arriving by land, the number of tourists arriving by air and sea reached 82,769, it was noted.

The province, known for its Blue Flag beaches, along with other southwestern locations is expected to be the number one draw for foreign tourists during the holiday.

According to Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TÜRSAB) President Firuz Bağlıkaya the demand for the Aegean and Mediterranean regions in the country is mainly concentrated in Alanya, Side, Belek, Kemer and Kaş in southern Antalya province; while the Kuşadası, Didim, Bodrum, Marmaris and Fethiye districts are preferred in the Aegean region.

Istanbul left vacant

On the other side, two days before Eid, the traffic density in Istanbul was recorded at 9% Monday morning, leaving an unordinary picture in the country's most populous city.

Traffic density in Istanbul, which was above 70% on the first working day of the week at normal times, was recorded as 9% at 9:40 a.m. (6:40 a.m. GMT), according to the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality's (IBB) traffic density map.

No congestion was seen on the D-100 highway and its connections, where traffic is usually locked on Mondays.

Although the traffic in Istanbul is partially relieved, traffic density still may occur in certain regions.

In this manner, police teams, carried out Sunday an aerial inspection by helicopters to prevent the risks that may occur in traffic and to identify drivers who violate the rules.

According to the DHA reports, the controls were carried out in the areas between the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge and the TEM highway, Ataşehir and Çamlıca toll booths while the drivers who violated the rules were detected by the police helicopters and then reported to the traffic teams.