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ISTANBUL, May 23 (Xinhua) — The Turkey step of the 15th Europa-Orient and East-West Friendship and Peace Rally, one of the world’s leading automobile rallies, started on Sunday in Istanbul.
The rally began with the participation of some 30 teams, all on old vehicles, from across the world in Istanbul’s historical Sultanahmet square.
“Thanks to this event, the contestants find the opportunity to get to know the Turkish people and the culture of Turkey,” Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Faruk Kaymakci said at the ceremony.
The route, which includes the world-famous central Anatolian region of Cappadocia, will end in the southwestern Mugla province on May 29.
The rally kicked off in Belgium’s capital Brussels on May 16, and the participants, travelling through the Balkan countries, recently arrived in Turkey.
Only over 20-year-old vehicles with a maximum value of 1,111 euros (1,300 U.S. dollars) can join the race that is not based on time or speed. The teams should fulfill the social tasks previously determined along the route.
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