Where are the public shelters in Turkey?

Short answer. Turkish law provides for "general shelters" (genel sığınaklar) built by the State or prepared in existing structures, coordinated by AFAD ¹³. Since November 2025, basement car parks of shopping centres and public car parks must be built to shelter standard, and metros are to be designed as general shelters ¹. No national shelter count or public shelter locator is published.

What is a "general shelter" in Turkey?

The Shelter Regulation defines general shelters as shelters for collective public use, either prepared for this purpose in existing structures or built by the State, with coordination by AFAD. The text reads: "Genel Sığınaklar: Halkın toplu kullanımına yönelik olarak, mevcut yapılarda bu amaç için hazırlanmış olan veya devlet eliyle yapılan, koordinasyonu Afet ve Acil Durum Yönetimi Başkanlığı tarafından sağlanacak sığınaklardır" ¹.

They are distinct from the fallout shelters that owners must include in many new buildings, which are covered on our building a shelter page.

What changed in November 2025?

The amendment published in the Official Gazette on 7 November 2025 extended shelter duties to places used by large numbers of people ¹:

• Car parks. Basement car parks of shopping centres and public car parks must be built to shelter standard ¹.
• Metros. Metros are to be designed as general shelters ¹.
• Nation gardens. Large new "nation gardens" (millet bahçeleri) must include general shelters ¹.

Existing shopping-centre and public car-park basements have until 31 December 2028 to be brought up to shelter standard, under transitional article 3 of the amendment ¹.

How many public shelters are there?

Turkey publishes no national count of public shelters. We found no official figure on AFAD's shelter page or in the regulation ¹³.

How do I find the nearest shelter?

There is no official shelter finder. The official tools locate disaster assembly areas (toplanma alanları), not shelters:

• the e-Devlet service "Afet ve Acil Durum Toplanma Alanı Sorgulama" (assembly area search) ⁵;
• the map in the AFAD Acil mobile app ⁴.

For an air-raid alarm, AFAD tells people who are outdoors to go to the nearest general shelter, or to underpasses, tunnels, solid arcades or basements ².

What do the sirens mean for shelter?

AFAD's signals tell you when to prepare and when to go ²:

• Yellow warning: prepare your shelter.
• Red alarm: go to shelter immediately.
• Black alarm (CBRN): for a radiological danger, go to shelter; for a chemical danger, go to an upper-floor room and seal it.

Details are on our Turkey alerts page. Background reading: what to do during an air-raid alert and chemical shelter-in-place.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a map of public shelters in Turkey?

No official shelter map is published. e-Devlet and the AFAD Acil app show disaster assembly areas, not shelters ⁴⁵.

Are shopping-centre car parks shelters?

Since the November 2025 amendment, basement car parks of shopping centres and public car parks must be built to shelter standard; existing ones have until 31 December 2028 to comply ¹.

Where should I go if the sirens sound and I am outside?

AFAD says to go to the nearest general shelter, or to underpasses, tunnels, solid arcades or basements ².

Is an assembly area the same as a shelter?

No. The official tools locate disaster assembly areas (toplanma alanları), not shelters ⁴⁵. For air-raid alarms, AFAD points to general shelters, underpasses, tunnels, solid arcades or basements ².

Sources

1. Resmî Gazete / Çevre, Şehircilik ve İklim Değişikliği Bakanlığı — Sığınak Yönetmeliğinde Değişiklik Yapılmasına Dair Yönetmelik (Resmî Gazete, 7 Kasım 2025, Sayı 33070) — https://www.resmigazete.gov.tr/eskiler/2025/11/20251107-2.htm (accessed 2026-10-20)
2. AFAD - Afet ve Acil Durum Yönetimi Başkanlığı — İkaz Alarm İşaretleri — https://www.afad.gov.tr/ikaz-alarm-isaretleri (accessed 2026-10-20)
3. AFAD - Afet ve Acil Durum Yönetimi Başkanlığı — Sığınaklar — https://www.afad.gov.tr/siginaklar (accessed 2026-10-20)
4. T.C. İçişleri Bakanlığı, 112 Acil Çağrı Merkezi — AFAD Acil Mobil Uygulama Projesi — https://www.112.gov.tr/afad-acil-mobil-uygulama-projesi (accessed 2026-10-20)
5. e-Devlet Kapısı / AFAD — Afet ve Acil Durum Toplanma Alanı Sorgulama — https://www.turkiye.gov.tr/afet-ve-acil-durum-yonetimi-acil-toplanma-alani-sorgulama (accessed 2026-10-20)