Arts, Culture & History

I am fascinated by hamams. Their architecture (those gorgeous holed domes), their history (the ancient ritual of public bathing) and the leisure (they provide...

A notable player in the current world of art house cinema, Turkey has seen a new wave emerge and establish itself. Amongst others, there...

There is a new space for performing arts in Kadıköy’s vibrant Yeldeğirmeni neighborhood: Köşe ("corner" in Turkish). Located on the Asian side of Istanbul, Köşe...

A friend of mine from the Czech Republic once told me her feelings while she visited Istanbul one year ago. She said that it...

Having only laid claim to most of their monikers since the declaration of the Republic, Istanbul’s street names often go unnoticed (highly due to...

Perched on the hill of Çamlıca is a spiritual gem that combines Ottoman and modern architecture, where the breeze carries both the sounds of...

As a long-time lover of cemeteries, I’m often telling people about my trip to this or that burial ground. Most have one question: “why?”...

The Princes' Islands (Adalar) are a chain of nine small islands in the Sea of Marmara, about 20 km east of the center of...

Gallery spaces can too often reflect a highbrow approach to art which can be off-putting to the more casual art enthusiast. This is where BLOK...

Altın günü is not just a get-together of women, it is a culture. So if you have no clue on how to behave properly,...

Camel wrestling is, in a word, raucous. Smoke permeates every inch of the earthen amphitheater, so much so that it is difficult to make...

The 27th Istanbul Theatre Festival organized by IKSV proudly announces an electrifying addition to its program: "Double Murder" by the acclaimed Hofesh Shechter Company....

“They first need to learn Turkish to be better integrated into their Turkish communities -- namely, their schools,” stressed Anna Tuson, the communication manager...

At a gathering of the elite doctors of the world, speaker after speaker demonstrates a miracle of medical science. An operation able to change...

It wasn't so long ago that we promoted the first iteration of World Café, a language learning project organized by local university teachers. After...

When you traverse the streets of Turkey you can see it all around. Everyone is sitting around consuming it. It’s red, it’s hot and...

In the midst of all the fairytale magic of Cappadocia, there lies an overlooked jewel embedded in the valley known as Mustafapaşa. Despite its...

The 90s was a unique period all over the world and the same goes for Turkey. In Turkey, alongside its distinctive music genres and...

Yes, I just did that. Referred to the joke-question we all hear from home: Do they eat turkey in Turkey? Well, yes, yes they...

Now if you have watched Dan Brown’s Inferno, the movie with Tom Hanks, and have been a diligent tourist in Istanbul, you’d recognize the...

With its long and colourful history, its unique geographical position, its collection of characters, cultures, and creeds, Istanbul has no shortage of laudable attributes....

You can walk into any chain bookstore in Istanbul and find stacks of neatly ordered books. Normally, they have the recently published stuff, and...

Every New Year's Eve, Turks reminisce about the early 2000s and its classics. Rightly so, if there was something special about the 2000s, it...

In this megacity, which delivers stress in seemingly increasing dosages year by year, I’m realizing that it is essential to wear a different pair...