Columns & Conversation

Yabangee has had a number of columns through the years…

Review: Buika @ Cemil Topuzlu Open-Air Theater

Summer of 2016 has been a sad one for those of us who waited so long to see some of our favorite artists live...

Review: 23rd Istanbul Jazz Festival Opening @ Cemil Topuzlu

Imagine a night that Damon Albarn opens the 23rd Istanbul Jazz Festival at Cemil Topuzlu Open Air Theatre and then the Arabic ‘Ada Sahillerinde Bekliyorum’...

Persian Play is Highlight of the 20th Theatre Festival

As we transition into summer from spring, so have begun the series of IKSV Festivals: the just over Theatre Festival, the ongoing Music Festival,...

For all the barefoot dancers: Patti Smith in Istanbul

“The artist seeks contact with his intuitive sense of the gods, but in order to create his work, he cannot stay in this seductive...

Review: A Photographer’s Evening with PJ Harvey

"Fifteen keys, fifteen keys hang on a chain..." These were the first words the fuzzy audience heard from Polly Jean at Zorlu PSM on Wednesday...

A Strange Fast

With the start of the holy month of Ramazan this past week,  many Turks have been fasting and praying. It’s not easy, especially  in...

Review: The Bastard of Istanbul @ Zorlu PSM Drama Sahnesi

I can't think of a better way of reconnecting with the city after a few days of roadtripping among the nature of the Eagen region than by...

Out Now: “Letters from Istanbul, Vol 3: Living with Terror” by...

We're delighted to announce that long-time contributor James Tressler has recently released the third volume to his Letters from Istanbul series, available for purchase via Lulu....

In Conversation with Senem Tüzen, Director of Ana Yurdu (Motherland)

Senem Tüzen is an up and coming Ankara-born director who has been creating compelling short films since the early 2000s. Now, having just made...

Take 5: Kuzguncuk

Housing some of Istanbul's oldest churches and synagogues, Kuzguncuk historically was a cosmopolitan mix of Ottoman Istanbul's many cultures. Today, although a little more homogeneous, it...
e-refugee.com

Let the Child be Named Peace: E-refugee.com Review

You have no home. You have no address. You are a refugee. With those words we enter a dystopian universe, a black comedy in which the owner...

Review: Sara Baras @ Zorlu Center

Although it was not specifically advertised in the promotion, Sara Baras came to Istanbul to present her show Voces (Voices). The artist from Cadiz...

House-Hunting in the Age of Terror

My wife wants to buy an apartment. That’s a pretty common goal for many people in this city, since it’s a sound investment. The...

Review: Ibrahim Maalouf @ Volkswagen Aerna

Ibrahim Maalouf recently paid a visit to Volkswagen Arena to promote his album "Red & Black Light" as part of Positive Live's Looking Forward event...

Review: Closet Circuit Drawing Classes

Originally set up as a space for creative sustainability, over the past year, Closet Circuit has hosted a variety of projects including a unique...

Review: Luis Ernesto Gomez & Latin Jazz Band @ Nardis Jazz...

This weekend, I visited Nardis Jazz Club, just a few metres away from our beautiful Galata Tower, to catch Luis Ernesto Gomez & Latin Jazz Band. Despite visiting the venue on...

Review: Asian Dub Foundation `La Haine` Live Soundtrack @ Babylon Bomonti

An opportunity to reunite with Mathieu Kassovitz’s cult classic La Haine? Re-watching baby Vinz alongside a live performance from the talented Asian Dub Foundation? Babylon...
Yıldız Park

Through the Lens: Yıldız Park

  Now is the best season to visit Istanbul's parks and shake off the winter blues. A good place to start is Yıldız Park (yıldız is...

In Conversation with Maximiliane Wittek of “A.C.A.B. – All Cats Are...

A.C.A.B. - All Cats Are Beautiful is the much-loved brainchild of Erasmus exchange student Maximiliane Wittek. The full project, currently still in progress, features over 300...

Through the Lens: The Beşiktaş – Kadıköy Ferry

The Şehir Hatları ferry boat line, offering service across the Bosphorus to the Princes Islands and up to the Black Sea, has been operating...

Büyükada’s Greek Orphanage: A Photoessay

One of the best parts of visiting Büyükada, the largest and most populated of the Prince Islands, is witnessing the sharp contrast it provides to the...

Review: Buena Vista Social Club @ Volkswagen Arena

Cuban music surely is one of the richest and most passionate music genres in the world. Having been born and raised in the 90s, the...

In Conversation with Cynthia Paulauskas, Founder of Mediterranean Delights Fitness Voyage...

This post is sponsored by MDFV. When you think of a blue cruise, fitness is not usually the first thing that comes to mind. But...

Take 5: Cihangir (A Morning on Başkurt Sokak)

Istanbul arguably doesn’t really have one central district, like a downtown or a city center. It is a city of many centers, each with...