Scent of Istanbul in Poetry

Turkish poetry often tells us stories of love, anger, sorrow, longing, agony, happiness, and excitement... many with a scent of Istanbul. These poems were...

In Conversation with Omar Johmani, Future Game Designer at Bahçeşehir University

Turkey’s economic and infrastructural growth over the past decades has made it an attractive place for people all over the region, which from the...

Take 5: Karaköy

Spread across the quaint streets of Karaköy there are restaurants, cafes and bars at every corner. There is one type of restaurant, in particular,...

A Cat, A Rat, and Two Teyzes

It started with my husband spotting a rat on his way to work. "Don't get scared, but I saw a mouse on the ground floor...

ATÖLYE Spotlight: In Conversation with Meltem Şahin, Illustrator, Animator and Educator

Meltem Şahin is an illustrator, animator, and educator with an extensive array of projects in her portfolio. A Fulbright scholar, her exhibition "Negative Pleasure" late last...

(Sep 18 – Oct 5) 48th Istanbul Music Festival by IKSV

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...

Q & A: Pelin Turgut – Co-Founder & Co-Director of !f

In anticipation of the 15th !f Independent Istanbul Film Festival we reached out to co-founder and co-director of !f, Pelin Turgut. She took the time...

Take 5: Gayrettepe (Relaxation Edition)

Gayrettepe is often overlooked because it is located between some pretty famous neighborhoods like Ortaköy, Nişantaşı, Beşiktaş, and Levent. But I’ve called this centrally-located...

Istanbul: So Good They Named It Thrice

What’s in a name? that which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet True facts, Shakespeare, true facts. And while I...

Watch Out: The Cross in the Golden Horn

Minarets and mosque domes, side by side with skyscrapers, dominate today's Istanbul skyline. Roaming the streets of Fatih district, one quickly forgets that for many centuries...

A Little Piece of Georgia in Istanbul

Georgia – the land of the Caucasus Mountains, hospitality, wine, Stalin and dumplings. I love all kinds of dumplings. However, no dumpling that I...

Turkish 101: Proverbs of Absence

Proverbs are short but powerful expressions that aim to convey a message of wisdom, truth, and morality. They stem from collective experience and are...

Through the Lens: The Çapa-Şehremini Above (Black & White)

As someone who lives in the Çapa-Şehremini area, an old neighborhood of Fatih, I spend a lot of time on the complexly interwoven, narrow...
Petek Turşuları

From Boza to Bourbon: Pickle Juice at Petek Turşuları

Located just off Beyoğlu’s balık pazarı, Petek Turşuları at first appears to be just like the many other pickle shops around town. The walls...

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...

Walk Across Turkey: Three Girls and A Wedding

In this better frame of mind, I continued walking through Denizli. My gait was slowed by the pain in my foot, and by mid-afternoon,...

An Ode To Turkish Cheese

The experience of moving to another country can be very similar to having a re-birth. A second life where you set to figure out...

Eton Academy: The Gateway for Accredited Homeschooling by Cambridge Assessment

Your child deserves a better future, and nothing can help them change and improve quite like a high quality education that meets international standards....

Istanbul’s Short-Term Bicycle Rental System: İSBIKE

İSBIKE System Istanbul is one of several international cities offering increasingly diversified alternative transportation options, including its own short-term bike rental program. The İSBIKE system...

Romancing the Old City: A Somewhat Cynical Love Note to Istanbul

To-morrow is Saint Valentine's day, All in the morning betime, And I a maid at your window, To be your Valentine. Then up he...

The Museum of Innocence by Orhan Pamuk

You might have not heard of this museum but if you are a reader, you would probably have bumped into the name Orhan Pamuk....

Zorlu’s Mix Festival 2017: A Diverse Musical Journey

We all saw the posters advertising Mix Festival at Zorlu Center this past weekend, and while Fatboy Slim was originally featured on some of...

The Turkish Fez, Hats & Atatürk

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,...

Walk Across Turkey: Horsunlu

Friday, 7 September I stopped that day at Horsunlu, a small village at the eastern edge of the Menderes River valley. The river valley at that...