ATÖLYE Spotlight: In Conversation with Claire Guillon, Digital Strategy Consultant
The life of digital nomad is as exciting as it is daunting, a delicate balancing act of enterprise and responsibility in lands unknown. Like...
Lost in Turkey: Nemrut Volcano
For those unfamiliar, this isn’t the Mount Nemrut of stone headed statue fame in the province of Adıyaman. I’m talking about the caldera-topped Nemrut...
King of Istanbul Roads: A Dolmuş Interview
Being a foreigner in any part of the world can be a daunting affair. Anything and everything can be different from what you have...
A Mythical Tale of Love: Mimar Sinan and Mihrimah Sultan
Istanbul and its architecture are already mystical but it gets even more interesting when considering the Turkish myth about the famous architect Mimar Sinan’s two...
ATÖLYE Spotlight: In Conversation with Öykü Özgencil, Founder of INCOMPLIT
There's something to be said for the universal affinity of stories and storytelling in our collective childhoods. While this connection may seemingly fade as...
Real Student Comments
In all facets of daily, human life, the divide between what is expressed to others and what is in truth thought in one’s own,...
In Conversation with Jessica Sim and Gabrielle Reeves, Circuit Istanbul
On Tuesday evenings, people from all backgrounds and all over the city gather at a space called Circuit Istanbul in Kadıköy to enhance their creative...
Learning and Growing on a Turkish Organic Farm with TaTuTa
I found myself popping out of a packed dolmuş onto the side of a winding country road. Shortly after, my overstuffed tan hiking bag...
Who Runs this City? – Daily Istanbul Running Activities
Who rules Istanbul? If you have been here for longer than a day, you already know the answer is obvious: CATS. They are everywhere...
Giving Birth in Turkey: Getting Prepared
In our previous piece we discussed choosing your obstetrician - this was the most difficult part. Now it is time for you to relax...
In Conversation with Murat Çelebi, Board Game Designer
If there’s one physical thing that travelers seek to bring or find along the journey, aside from books, it is board games. Even more...
Lost in Turkey: Isparta
Located at the western end of the Taurus Mountains, Isparta is a little-visited province of pine, oak, and juniper covered slopes and abundant mountain...
Ten Great Podcasts For Your Istanbul Commute
We live in a great time to be stuck in traffic! Especially if you live in Istanbul, you’ve been given the greatest gifts of...
ATÖLYE Spotlight: In Conversation with Aysu Güneş, Legal Advisor
Understanding and navigating the legal framework of Turkey is no easy task. The complex system of law can be both intimidating and Kafkaesque in...
A Five Star Toilet – Bathroom Tales in Turkey
Back in 1990 when I first visited Turkey, toilets, whether squat or what we think of as ‘normal’ but the Turks call Ala Franga,...
Chinese Man Brings their Sound Back to Babylon
Chinese Man dropped by Istanbul on Saturday as part of their international Shikantaza tour, which has included shows in Mexico, Canada, China, and Europe...
Oman: Sun, Sand, Dates, and Opera
Oman had long been on my mind as my next quest overseas. The promise of dates, palm trees, sand dunes, bright, open, sun-tainted skies,...
Introducing: Open Roof Space by ATÖLYE
Educational institutions are increasingly seeking ways to rethink and transform learning environments in a way that increases the possibility of exploration. With this aim...
ATÖLYE Spotlight: In Conversation with Michael Barngrover, VR Developer
A quick chat with most any foreigner living in Istanbul will demonstrate the city's tendency to attract residents in unique and often random ways....
The Talk of the Town: Rising Performance Artist Ayça Ceylan
Some people have an air that reserves them from the rest of us. When I first met performance artist Ayça Ceylan, she instantly gave...
Buried Treasure Beneath Our Mind’s Bosphorus: Reflections on Zeynep Beler’s “Beachcomber”
Living as a millennial in a cosmopolitan city, I know I’m not alone in admitting my smartphone is an extension of me. The selfies...
Accessible, Riveting and Totally Radical: Catch Ai Wei Wei’s “On Porcelain”...
“If you love your country, you become a criminal,” celebrated and controversial Chinese artist Ai Wei Wei said during an artist talk when his...
In Conversation with Alfredo and Zafira Araujo Velazquez, Danzart and Culture...
I will never forget the opening night of Danzart and Culture Boutique, when my friend Alfredo and his wife, Zafira, invited me to come...
A Long Weekend on the Lycian Way: Kaş to Üçağız
The Lycian Way is heaven for hikers. Its 540 kilometres following the ancient Lycian route between Antalya and Fethiye and provides plenty of chances...