Lifestyle & Commentary

When Tas decided to share her cheeky and genuinely pretty accurate list of worst Turkish foods (looking at you leblebi!), my inner Turk compelled...

“İnek var!” an alien called to the driver. “İnek mi var?” I replied to her great surprise then suddenly as if by pure magic inek appeared in...

Moving to a new city, where you don’t really know anyone? There is a lot of excitement when you open a new chapter in...

Located in the quiet northern suburb of Sarıyer, Tarabya is home to the modern, chic amenities of downtown life as well as the natural...

I lived in Mecidiyeköy for my first few months in Istanbul. That part of town is interesting in its own right, and it was...

Three weeks ago, I was taking the metrobüs with my brother from Şirinevler, on a very rainy day. Being as crowded as it was...

“If you do follow your bliss you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you,...

A feeling that was about to disappear in the chaos of life suddenly hit me so hard that I had to sit down and...

Let’s first and foremost acknowledge the great privilege of being able to choose your place of residence. Most people are not granted the luxury...

In my previous article, I wrote about the more difficult side of navigating Turkish family dynamics as a foreign partner. The constant phone calls,...

Every time I head out to the islands, I look back on the Istanbul skyline as I imagine the first astronauts gazed down upon...

Nothing: nothing to do, nothing to fix. No work to go to, no garden to tend. No meetings to go to, no dance classes…absolutely...

Many will be quick to share the story of how prophet Mohammed cut his robe as to not disturb the slumber of a cat...

From the organizer: We created Friendly Speed Dating because we believe in the power of human connection. We understand that dating can be difficult and...

We Call It Home: Istanbul Dialogues is a new monthly series showcasing the inspiring contributions being made by Istanbul’s diverse international community to the...

By Abdelrahman Mahmoud Permaculture. Does the word ring any bells? If yes, and you are already well acquainted with the concept, then hold on a minute...

When I first moved to Istanbul in 2016, I too experienced loneliness. After all, I was a foreigner in a new country, who did...

1) You might have thought it would never happen, but here it is: Istanbul Airport We knew they were building it. We knew they planned...

The title of my piece belongs to the aphorism of famous Danish author Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875). Andersen said long time ago “where words...

Yesterday Turkey was rocked by a horrific suicide bombing targeting a group of people traveling to Syria on a humanitarian mission. The victims were bright, selfless...

New years are always a good time to forget the past and start with something new, like pursuing goals and adopting changes. As my...

I went and played my first game of football for a team in Turkey, adding to several other nations around the world in which...

What’s left behind becomes a faded memory, one that will be carried long distances no matter how tough it gets. Life becomes what’s packed...

“At no other time (than autumn) does the earth let itself be inhaled in one smell, the ripe earth; in a smell that is...