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....
Bhangra Diwali Festival & Me
Among the highlights of my month was the Bhangra Diwali Festival, organized by the Friends of India Association, and taking place at the Hilton...
Midnight at the Pera Palace
A young journalist travels back in time to 1919 Istanbul, accidentally disrupting the natural flow of history. She must act quickly to prevent the...
Green Getaway: Polonezköy
There are times when Istanbul can be too much, at least for a country girl like me. Especially in the summer, as the sticky...
Istanbul Half Marathon Recap
Although predictions had called for a sunny morning, April 26 turned out to be a dreary day with clouds and slight showers. Nevertheless, many Istanbulites...
A Dozen of the Best: The 12 Cellists of the Berlin...
The Istanbul Music Festival is always a highlight of the summer. This is the forty-third year of the festival, and the central theme this time...
Emma Shapplin Wows Rain or Shine
Saturday evening, the Cemil Topuzlu Open-Air Amphitheater hosted one of the most unique names in cross-over music, Emma Shapplin: a coloratura soprano who has...
Review: Charlie Parker Tribute @ Salon IKSV
Since 2011, Salon IKSV has been organizing special sessions to pay tribute to some of the most unforgettable names in jazz. Each year these...
Review of ISTrapped: Turkey’s First Room Escape Game
Istanbul is a city of countless sights and activities, which makes getting locked up in a room for an hour seem like a strange...
Turkey at the Expo Milano 2015: Food, Hospitality, Design
The World Expo, held this year in Milan, is one of the foremost opportunities for states to dazzle the rest of the world. This...
Come what may, Spoken Word Istanbul is here to stay
“There are just three rules: No Racism, no sexism, and no homophobia.”
Rules? I thought this was an open-mic event. There shouldn’t be any rules.
“You...
Electronica Festival Istanbul 2018: Returning to Turkey’s Electronic Behemoth
The moment you reach Kafes beach, with music blasting through the air, the gorgeous sea stretching for miles, and massive stages and structures all...
Big Burn: Istanbul’s Greatest Fire Concept Party That Really Did Happen
Anyone who’s lived here long enough has likely noticed a proliferation of high-quality music events around the city in the past several years generally...
Camel Wrestling in the Land of the Efe
Camel wrestling is, in a word, raucous. Smoke permeates every inch of the earthen amphitheater, so much so that it is difficult to make...
Insider Trading: Ilkay Boz Hair Studio
One of the hardest things to find is an affordable hairdresser that you can really put your faith in. Dealing with a language barrier...
Star-studded Chamber Music with Kopatchinskaja, Gabetta, Leschenko
Among all the fine music and impressive artists that are and have been part of the 43rd IKSV Music Festival this month, there was...
Istanbul’s Hidden Architecture: The Camondo Stairs
Strolling through Istanbul requires two basic skills: a good sense of direction and a strong pair of legs. The steep hills and windy streets...
“The Water Diviner”: Dancing with the Last Samurai’s Braveheart Horse Whisperer
No, that headline is not a misprint. It was my impression upon seeing The Water Diviner (Son Umut), a new film that opened in...
Review: Mor ve Ötesi @ Dorock XL Kadıköy
Sending “rock” waves through Turkey and the world for over 20 years, Mor ve Ötesi played to a jam-packed house last Saturday at Dorock...
Review: Buena Vista Social Club @ Volkswagen Arena
Cuban music surely is one of the richest and most passionate music genres in the world. Having been born and raised in the 90s, the...
Big Burn Istanbul: A New Hope in this Fiery Festival
Music festivals are essential to the very fabric of a quality Istanbul summer -- a yearly reminder of the city's appeal to international artists,...
Nadas Istanbul: A New Creative House in Yeldeğirmeni, Kadıköy
NADAS Istanbul, a new creative house in Yeldeğirmeni, Kadıköy, is open for workshops, classes, projects, and coworkers.
NADAS is a creative house dedicated to urban...
Bir Başkadır, A Kaleidoscopic Gem of a Turkish TV Series
In an abnormal and downright weird 2020, healthcare workers have been the heroes that the world needed. In a more mundane fashion, the ones...
Formicarium: Maintaining the Collective Memory of the City of Ants
A twenty-nine year old artist from Diyarbakır is questioning the demolition of his hometown’s city walls, comparing his past with today’s Istanbul at his...