Interviews & Profiles

Master jeweler Mehmet Nasuh Ortak of MNO Jewelry has been creating custom-made jewelry in gold and silver since 1987. Mr. Ortak has also been...

Gamze Saymaz, born in 1994, is a poet based in Istanbul. She studied English Language and Literature as well as Psychology while participating as...

After going through more bassists than Spinal Tap did drummers, Foton Kuşağı's lineup is finally set, and the band is ready to return to...

I have been a regular performer and audience member at Spoken Word since coming to Istanbul four years ago. At the time, the founder,...

Going on a four year honeymoon isn't really the type of thing you plan for, but it's exactly what happened to freelance designer Oki...

It's no secret that football banter is frequently relied on to help expats and locals bridge the gap. The real struggle lies in creating the...

“I see myself as world citizen. The whole world is my home but I have to say, Istanbul is the place where I see...

A.C.A.B. - All Cats Are Beautiful is the much-loved brainchild of Erasmus exchange student Maximiliane Wittek. The full project, currently still in progress, features over 300...

If you've been in Kadiköy Merkez, trying to push through the crowds, then it's very possible you've missed this gem of a coffee shop....

Arthere is a gallery and artists’ workspace in the Yeldeğirmeni neighborhood of Kadıköy. After nine months of preparation, it opened in December of last...

The expat scene in Istanbul, as it is in many places, is one rather preoccupied with the preservation of the cultural habits of home,...

Most of us foreigners living in Turkey struggle with learning Turkish. It’s quite common to find internationals living here for five, ten or even...

Just behind Kadar Has University stands a dream house. A creative place where only positive energy is welcome and ideas about how to reuse...

Attention jewelry lovers! Meet Şebnem Erçelik of Shibu Design. Şebnem designs creative pieces that capture the vitality, culture and spirit of Istanbul. To see...

As a dweller of Nişantaşı, I am lucky enough to be located in one of the centers of the Istanbul arts and cultural scene....

With their upcoming performance alongside The Young Shaven at Karga on Saturday 16 December, Farketmez reminds us that plenty of Istanbul's most promising bands...

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...

  Meet Dirk Vermeiren, a transplant from Belgium and one of the hosts of the popular radio program SOUL SENDIKASI - in Turkish, no less! Why did...

Hockey is a sport that thrives in northern countries like Canada, Sweden and Russia. As such, most people would never guess that ice hockey...

Nerd culture is rising. Comic book sales are up and everybody and their mum are watching Game Of Thrones or the next Avengers Movie....

There’s a music scene brewing in Istanbul, and it has been for the past few years. It’s no longer all cover bands and Türkü....

Istanbul is a very vibrant city, full of young people. Although I did not know too many Turkish people when I started visiting the...

She may not recall this as vividly as us, as we did not ask her about it... but we first met Liana Georgi (she/they)...

Istanbul is a melting pot of yabangees from different backgrounds and professions. I was fortunate to meet Anastasiia Piletckaia quite soon after relocating to the...