Arts, Culture & History

A darbuka drum is a Middle Eastern instrument whose structure varies depending on location. They all have a conical shape with a nearly circular...

  Three years ago building of a new mosque began on one of the highest hills of the city, where roosters still crow and visitors...

Fun Fact: There are around 60 state-run brothels in Turkey. This may be surprising given Turkey’s reputation as a conservative, rather religious country. So,...

When I first lived in Istanbul for 6 months in 2013, some of my most memorable days were spent simply wandering the old city...

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,...

Eleven essentials for the Turkish home: 1. Hamam kit – Regular trips to the hamam are an Istanbul institution. With this in mind it’s no...

Home of the Design Biennial and a (gradually) increasing number of design and architectural gems, Turkey is finally becoming a name on the design...

The Byzantine Chronicles, a new blog by Yabangee contributor Timothy Mottram, sets out to shed light on some of Byzantium’s history through fictitious narratives. Each...

Like many of history’s greatest culinary discoveries, that of coffee stemmed from a noisy, restless goat and his attendant farmer’s desire for an undisturbed...

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...

If you are a fellow yabangee and have been noticing pictures of cattle hanging around in the streets lately, don’t worry. You haven’t stumbled...

In November, Yabangee contributor Devanshu Bawa and I were invited to the Indian Diwali Festival that is organized annually by the Friends of India...

From the organizer: Organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) and sponsored by Garanti BBVA for 23 years with the support of...

Türkiye is known for its sigara (cigarette) smoking culture. And while many events have shaped this practice, there is an intriguing tobacco history that...

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...

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...

Maybe you’re thinking of traveling to eastern Turkey. Perhaps you want to get on better terms socially with Kurdish-speaking friends. Or maybe you just...

After moving from Istanbul to the small village of Turunç in southwest Turkey’s Muğla region, I finally had the time and energy to explore...

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

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...

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

For the second part of our interview, I asked Ray about his work at Zorlu Center PSM and how the project has developed over the...

One of my family's favorite weekend activities, particularly now that it's gotten warmer, is to spend the morning wandering around neighborhoods, whether it's our...

As the weather has instantly morphed into Fall (literally overnight I have gone from sweating due to the obscene muggy temperature, to sweating due...