The first day of February brings the regular geographically themed puzzle from the FT. Find it to solve online or download and print at ft.com/crossword
The usual preamble:
A cryptic puzzle themed on one particular place in the world. Its name should be inserted at 25 down. Work out the place by solving the * asterisked clues. Their solutions have some relevance to the place, such as famous people, locations and culture
Solid puzzle from the reliable Sleuth, with a good number of thematic solutions crammed into the grid. Aside from testing the limits of my knowledge of Turkey, the puzzle also served up a few words and phrases that were new to me, but all was fairly clued making it possible to deduce the correct solutions. Good stuff. Thanks, Sleuth!
Definitions are underlined in the clues below. Thematic clues are marked with an asterisk and have no further definition.
| ACROSS | ||
| 9 | ATAKULE |
* Advanced opinion to conceal guilt at intervals (7)
|
| A (advanced) + TAKE (opinion) concealing alternate letters (at intervals) of gUiLt
A 125m high communications and observation tower in Ankara, Turkey – one of the city’s most prominent landmarks |
||
| 10 | TOPKAPI |
* Leading African animal with head obscured (7)
|
| TOP (leading) + [o]KAPI (African animal) with the first letter removed (head obscured)
Palace in Istanbul, Turkey, with its origins in the 15th century |
||
| 11 | BURSA |
* A second problem after turn (5)
|
| A + S (second) + RUB (problem) reversed (after turn)
City and province in northwest Turkey |
||
| 12 | CENK TOSUN |
* None stuck out (4,5)
|
| Anagram (out) of NONE STUCK
Turkish footballer who played for Everton from 2018 to 2022 |
||
| 13 | MARMARIS |
* Damage I detected in chocolate bar (8)
|
| MAR (damage) + I inserted in MARS (chocolate bar)
City on the Turkish Mediterranean coast popular with holidaymakers |
||
| 14 | ARARAT |
* A type of skirt linked to Thailand (6)
|
| A + RARA (type of skirt) + T (Thailand)
Highest mountain in Turkey, popularly imagined to be the landing place of Noah’s Ark |
||
| 16 | LIRA |
* Recall trouble besetting Republican (4)
|
| Reversal (recall) of AIL (trouble) containing (besetting) R (Republican)
The currency of Turkey |
||
| 18 | SIIRT |
* Garment after swapping Hungary for Italy (5)
|
| S[h]IRT (garment) swapping H (Hungary) for I (Italy)
City and province in eastern Turkey |
||
| 19 | EYED |
Saw part of journey educationally (4)
|
| Part of journEY EDucationally | ||
| 23 | BODRUM |
* Person with spirit (6)
|
| BOD (person) + RUM (spirit)
Port town in Turkey, known in ancient times as Halicarnassus, and once home to the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World |
||
| 24 | BESIKTAS |
* Varied bikes appreciated by Bob (8)
|
| Anagram (varied) of BIKES + TA (appreciated) + S (shilling or bob)
One of Turkey’s most successful football teams, named after the district of Istanbul where it is based |
||
| 26 | ANITKABIR |
* A fool in front of Ford, backward guy (9)
|
| A + NIT (fool) + KA (Ford car) + RIB (guy) reversed (backward)
Mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk (1881-1938), founder of the modern Turkish republic, located in Ankara |
||
| 28 | EVREN |
* Uniform worn by king (5)
|
| EVEN (uniform) containing (worn by) R (king)
Kenan Evren (1917-2015), military leader who became Turkish president following a coup in 1980 |
||
| 29 | ERDOGAN |
* Follow a name behind extremists in Ecuador (7)
|
| DOG (follow) + A + N (name) behind first and last letters (extremists) in EcuadoR
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, president of Turkey since 2014 |
||
| 30 | GOZLEME |
* Little weight left in precious stone close to necklace (7)
|
| OZ (ounce – little weight) + L (left) inserted in GEM (precious stone) + last letter of (close to) necklacE
Turkish flatbread with savoury fillings |
||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | CARBAMYL |
Radical graduate boarding vehicle with this person’s lecturer (8)
|
| BA (graduate) inserted in (boarding) CAR (vehicle) + MY (this person’s) + L (lecturer) | ||
| 2 | FAIRER |
More reasonable female has frame to dry clothes (6)
|
| F (female) + AIRER (frame to dry clothes) | ||
| 3 | RUNAWAY |
Uncontrolled area in place to view models (7)
|
| A (area) in RUNWAY (place to view models) | ||
| 4 | NEW CRITIC |
One closely studying text upset crew in moment almost (3,6)
|
| Anagram (upset) of CREW IN + TIC[k] (moment, almost) | ||
| 5 | STUN |
Surprise in case of secret body in New York (4)
|
| First and last letters (case) of SecreT + UN (body in New York) | ||
| 6 | UPSTART |
Social climber in shipping company with a cutting quality? (7)
|
| UPS (shipping company) + TART (cutting quality) | ||
| 7 | PASSER-BY |
Witness brass, yep, being shifted (6-2)
|
| Anagram (being shifted) of BRASS YEP | ||
| 8 | LINNET |
Figure with nothing reared songbird (6)
|
| TEN (figure) + NIL (nothing) reversed (reared) | ||
| 15 | TREE FROGS |
Ferrets go off — and arboreal creatures (4,5)
|
| Anagram (off) of FERRETS GO | ||
| 17 | RED BIDDY |
Sign to stop offer on extremely dodgy form of cheap wine (3,5)
|
| RED (sign to stop) + BID (offer) + first and last letters (extremely) of DodgY
Red wine mixed with meths, apparently. Sounds delightful |
||
| 20 | DISINTER |
Unearth liquid in diets, right? (8)
|
| Anagram (liquid) of IN DIETS + R (right) | ||
| 21 | BULKAGE |
Bag Luke moved for mass to stimulate movement? (7)
|
| Anagram (moved) of BAG LUKE | ||
| 22 | VICENZA |
Italian city deputy supported by New Zealand and Australia (7)
|
| VICE (deputy) + NZ (New Zealand) + A (Australia) | ||
| 23 | BEAKER |
Drinking container is more exposed with litre drained (6)
|
| B[L]EAKER (more exposed) with L (litre) removed (drained) | ||
| 25 | TURKEY |
[See Notes] (6)
|
| The country to which the solutions of all asterisked clues are connected | ||
| 27 | BIND |
Some club in difficulty in predicament (4)
|
| Some of cluB IN Difficulty |
Wandering from the Gulhane to the Pudding Shop, plus meditating in that marvellous mosque, hadn’t added much knowledge; the themers I did know were all via osmosis from afar: Topkapi, (Sea of) Marmara, Ararat and Erdogan. Lots of guess-and-check for the others, so a bit ho hum. But thanks both.
Didn’t love it as I know nothing about turkey and life is too short