Turkey in January 2026: the most important developments in society
In January 2026, Turkey's most reported social story was its link to the protests in Iran. Turkish carriers cancelled flights to Iran on 9 January. By mid-month, Iranians were arriving in Turkey through a border gate as protests intensified and the death toll rose, and some used a Turkish border city to get online during internet blackouts in Iran.
Water and environment were a second theme. Ankara had muddy water and repeated cuts, Istanbul set an all-time record for water use, and parts of the Marmara Sea turned brown after a discharge by the city water utility ISKI. In Istanbul, a fire broke out every 19 minutes last year.
Other events included a migrant boat sinking off Turkey, leaving one dead and seven missing, and a ban on rallies in a Kurdish-majority city until Monday. Orthodox faithful marked Epiphany on Istanbul's shores, and the Turkish Historical Society opened free access to 50,000 digital books.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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