Arts, Culture & History

Born on the 15th of January 1902 in Thessaloniki, where his father was serving as an Ottoman government official; Nazım Hikmet Ran, commonly known...

These days quasi-historical shows like Game of Thrones are the most watched (and pirated) shows on TV. Also, Muhteşem Yüzyıl, “The Magnificent Century”, a prime-time...

In Istanbul, when December arrives, you might observe a sudden change in the streets. Decorations hung up on the poles in the shape of...

It started as good a time as any – on a dolmuş to Hasankeyif with a crate of live chickens on my lap. I...

Do you recall the days when uncle Google was not only a click away? The days when most knowledge was hidden in those big,...

Contemporary Istanbul, the city's premier international art fair, is back for its 18th edition, bringing together art enthusiasts, collectors, curators, and artists from around...

Have you heard Piri before? It is an audio walking tour app which urges explorers to discover amazing cities. With Piri, you can explore the...

When Mosul was invaded in June, one of the first announcements made by ISIS was that the civilians within their territory would be treated...

Sometimes the grit and grime and non-stop pace of the city just get overwhelming. You need a break from the packed Metrobus and the...

IKSV has announced the title and conceptual framework of its 16th Istanbul Biennial. The Biennial will be taking place between September 14th and November...

“Çilesiz bir günüm olmadı gitti Bilmedim ömrümün suçu ne usta Allah'ın gücüne gider mi bilmem Verdiği bu candan ben bıktım usta My carefree days never came I don’t know,...

As a follow-up to our interview with rapper and all-round nice guy of Turkish hip-hop, Ege Çubukçu, we asked him to put together a playlist for those...

When my husband and I first visited Istanbul as tourists several years ago, we got the requisite blurry shots of the Hagia Sophia and...

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

I remember walking down the large avenues and neatly perpendicular streets of Washington, D.C. not too long ago, longing for old buildings and crooked...

I discovered a great passion for cooking when I started traveling around the world. I couldn’t believe what I’d been missing! I wanted to...

I’m Australian, so coming from a country with one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world, wearing a hat in summer,...

Nestled deep in the back streets of Göztepe lies the Istanbul Toy Museum. The lovely white house is guarded by two giraffes ready to...

The marriage bureaucrats at the Şişli marriage bureau seem like the unhappiest people in the world. Just a few meters from the miniature theater, where everyday...

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...

One day, after having heard our neighbor's son practicing his guitar almost daily, I went to her door and asked in piecemeal Turkish if...

From the organizer: Organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) with the support of the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Culture and...

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

We raced against the sun to reach the spring before all light had gone, Seçkin at the wheel and me biting my nails with...