Lifestyle & Commentary

Have you ever heard of the word yabancı, which also lends its name to this platform? If you've ever visited Istanbul, you’ve probably heard...

Every time I head out to the islands, I look back on the Istanbul skyline as I imagine the first astronauts gazed down upon...

Before I left for Istanbul, I had many friends promise that they would come and visit me. Unfortunately - since life gets in the...

This weekend has seen the country suffer yet another senseless terror attack, leaving 5 dead and 39 injured in the heart of our beautiful,...

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...

I went and played my first game of football for a team in Turkey, adding to several other nations around the world in which...

Editor's Note: The following is a guest post from Kristina Delgado of Small Projects Istanbul, one of the organizations involved with this year's We...

The title of my piece belongs to the aphorism of famous Danish author Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875). Andersen said long time ago “where words...

Just as you never fully know a person, a subject or yourself, you never grasp Istanbul in its entirety; it’s too big, too complex...

Editor's Note: We asked Smilja Brown, the driving force behind last year's "We Are ALL Refugees" benefit concert, to reflect on last year's event. Below, she...

Moving to a new city, where you don’t really know anyone? There is a lot of excitement when you open a new chapter in...

Valentine's Day in Istanbul isn't necessarily for everyone, but it's got much to offer for those in love and plenty of potential for romantic...

This week has been one of sadness and deep reflection for all of us in Turkey. These heinous, tragic attacks are all too frequent and...

New years are always a good time to forget the past and start with something new, like pursuing goals and adopting changes. As my...

It's with great sadness today that we've learned of the passing of long-time friend and contributor Barış Mumyakmaz. A graduate of Galatasaray University and the...

Even though decades pass, some stories and books are ageless. Reading is more than just a hobby, as books also help us manage mental...

Back in 1990 when I first visited Turkey, toilets, whether squat or what we think of as ‘normal’ but the Turks call Ala Franga,...

When foreigners move to Türkiye, they usually prepare themselves for the obvious cultural shifts—things like dating customs, family dynamics, or the sheer challenge of...

We recently made an open call to our community for suggestions and have since compiled a list of organizations that are currently taking part...

Aah, walking. It's that thing we do every time we're not sleeping or laying on the couch gazing at the beauty of the wall....

It’s Tuesday, May 26, 2020, the final day of lockdown in Istanbul. Some of you spent your days indoors working on your bodies. Many...

A feeling that was about to disappear in the chaos of life suddenly hit me so hard that I had to sit down and...

It was a bright, sunny Saturday, during my very first trip to Istanbul, when I went where very few tourists would dare – Yedikule...

In a city buzzing with nightlife, the electronic music scene is a changing tapestry as the nightclubs of Istanbul past ebb and evolve into...