Letters from Istanbul: Avenues & Interludes
One Saturday afternoon in the autumn of 2012, I was walking around Beyoğlu. I don’t spend much time on the European side of Istanbul,...
Want a Romantic Evening? Try Kuzguncuk
When you first arrive in the city, you feel drawn to the riotous spectacle of Taksim, or to the multitudes of the street markets...
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...
Retrospective – Still Life Painting Workshop with Martin Harrison-Priestman @ ATÖLYE
Özyeğin University, in collaboration with ATÖLYE, will host a Still Life Painting workshop under the guidance of Martin Harrison-Priestman on Saturday 22 July. Running...
Retrospective – Expat Spotlight #17: Culture
In collaboration with ATÖLYE, Yabangee continues with a new season of Expat Spotlight - a monthly series showcasing the freshest, most inspiring contributions being...
Retrospective – Expat Spotlight #27: Film & Television
A collaboration of Yabangee and ATÖLYE - we proudly continue with a new, exciting season of Expat Spotlight - a monthly series showcasing the...
Through the Lens: Beşiktaş Match Day Mayhem
While there are many demographics represented in Istanbul, the city can be divided into three main tribes, based on loyalty to Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray, or Beşiktaş. I am...
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,...
Behind the Scenes at the IKSV 38th Istanbul Film Festival: Daily...
All about Firuze
International Competition entry Beloved is about the life of Firuze who lives on the Alborz Mountains in Iran. The film, which tells...
A Glimpse Back in Time: Review of the James Robertson Exhibit...
Do you ever wish you could go back in time to experience life during the Ottoman Empire? If so, there is an exhibition at...
Review: Dismantling the Archive @ SALT Galata
The years between 1900 and 1940 were more than a little eventful for the Turks. The period saw numerous wars fought on many fronts,...
Celebrating Beethoven with Buchbinder (and some Mozart on the side)
Many of us might not have known about pianist Rudolf Buchbinder earlier. However, we all learned his name well last month: He was the...
Miniatürk – Educational and Fun!
Miniatürk, situated on the North-Eastern shore of the Golden Horn, in a nutshell, is a display of the main monuments of Istanbul and Turkey...
Life under Occupation: A Review of Eleni by Nicholas Gage
When Mosul was invaded in June, one of the first announcements made by ISIS was that the civilians within their territory would be treated...
Review: GusGus @ Babylon Bomonti
In short: This review is written by a person who, before going to the GusGus concert last Thursday at Babylon Bomonti, knew only two...
Review: Michael Franti @ Babylon Bomonti
Michael Franti was in Istanbul last week to perform again for the first time in over a decade. While his full band Spearhead wasn’t...
Reflections on the 37th Istanbul Film Festival (2018)
Film festivals require planning and commitment, and these considerations obstructed me from participating in the Istanbul Film Festival in previous years. This year, however,...
Electric Playground Istanbul: Nine Reasons to Check Out Marshmello
Marshmello has come a long way since first jumping into the music scene in 2015, by immediately turning heads as an anonymous producer with...
Book Review: Ten Minutes Thirty-Eight Seconds in This Strange World, Elif...
I deem Elif Shafak's novel Ten Minutes and Thirty-Eight Seconds in This Strange World, in which she tells the story of a prostitute named...
In Conversation with The Away Days
I was introduced to The Away Days by their song “Galaxies” -- the sound was so unique. Probably because my friend who recommended the song...
In Conversation with Filmmaker Serhat Karaaslan (Part 2)
Serhat Karaaslan, the filmmaker behind the short films, Bisiqlet and Musa, tells us more about his experience as a film-maker in Turkey. His most recent short...
In Conversation with Maximiliane Wittek of “A.C.A.B. – All Cats Are...
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...
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...
City Scherzos: Chopin in Koşuyolu
Some time back, I decided to try a new approach to my Istanbul stories.
Up until that point, the stories, though carefully written, were missing...