Watch Out: The Cross in the Golden Horn

Minarets and mosque domes, side by side with skyscrapers, dominate today's Istanbul skyline. Roaming the streets of Fatih district, one quickly forgets that for many centuries...

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 Top 5 Yeşilçam Films

Yeşilçam, which translates to “Green Pine”, is a shorthand for Turkey's old film industry. The name comes from Yeşilçam Street, an area of Beyoğlu...

Walking the Rainbow: Istanbul’s Colorful Stairs

Protest in Turkey can take many forms. Sadly enough, few of them will leave a positive imprint on your memory: TOMAs and tear gas,...

The Untold Story of an African in Turkey

By Bairma Kihoro People have always been crossing borders. Not just geographical, but social, cultural and psychological ones as well. Everyone has their own dramas,...

(PAST EVENT) Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch: Café Müller @ Zorlu PSM

The 27th Istanbul Theatre Festival hosted by IKSV proudly presents one of the most anticipated events of the year: Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch's mesmerizing...

Discussing the Dönme with Artist and Researcher C.M. Kösemen (Part 2)

Dayla Rogers continues her conversation with artist and researcher C.M. Kösemen about the Dönme and their history.  You are a person of Dönme background. A...

Review: Spoken Word Istanbul @ Arsen Lüpen

Three years ago, Merve Pehlivan, an art and writing enthusiast, decided to create a friendly environment where writers, poets, singers and performers of all...

Introducing Piri: Audio Explorations of Istanbul’s Hidden Gems

Have you heard Piri before? It is an audio walking tour app which urges explorers to discover amazing cities. With Piri, you can explore the...

In Conversation with Samer Al-Kadri of Pages, Istanbul’s First Arabic Bookstore...

Located within quick reach of the historical Chora Museum, Pages, the first Arabic bookstore in Istanbul, marks a historic moment for the city and...

In Conversation with Itır Erhart on Running and the Adım Adım...

Itır Erhart, an Assistant Professor at the Media School, a part of Istanbul Bilgi University’s Faculty of Communication, studies a wide range of topics,...

Müslüm Gürses and The Rise of Arabesk

“Çilesiz bir günüm olmadı gitti Bilmedim ömrümün suçu ne usta Allah'ın gücüne gider mi bilmem Verdiği bu candan ben bıktım usta My carefree days never came I don’t know,...

Underground Istanbul, Where the Sun Doesn’t Shine

Cities like Istanbul stand alternatively as testaments to humanity's sustained success and survival and to its limitless culture of waste and forgetfulness. While Newton...

In Conversation with Ray Cullom, Executive Director of the Zorlu Center...

I am a concert nerd. And the Zorlu Center Performing Arts Center has been a new paradise found. It has only had one season...

The Passages of İstiklal

İstiklal Caddesi is home to many eateries, stores and coffee shops. Although chains such as Shake Shack have been cropping up, the promenade manages...

In Conversation with Justin and Busra of Turkish Tea Time

Let’s be honest, us Yabangees know all too well that the online resources available for learning Turkish are far from enjoyable and rarely interactive....

Istanbul’s Next Big Concert Venue: Your Apartment

For those who are new to the city or unfamiliar with Turkish artists, Istanbul’s local music scene might seem alluring, if also slightly out...

Ancient Love Affair: Carian Project, a Self-Initiated Artist Residency

After moving from Istanbul to the small village of Turunç in southwest Turkey’s Muğla region, I finally had the time and energy to explore...
Zaza

The Restless Art of Mohammad Zaza

Mohammad Zaza is an accidental convert to the life of a travelling artist. Born in Saudi Arabia to Syrian parents, Zaza moved to Aleppo in 2005...

Turkish Literature 101: Nazım Hikmet Ran

Born on the 15th of January 1902 in Thessaloniki, where his father was serving as an Ottoman government official; Nazım Hikmet Ran, commonly known...

In Conversation with the Editors of Sofra: A Gathering of Foreign...

Having been one of the contributors to the Tales from the Expat Harem anthology over a decade ago, I was excited to see a...

Review: Sutra Visits Zorlu Performing Arts Center

One of the highlights of my incredible solo backpacking trip around China in the winter of 2012 was seeing a traditional kung fu performance...

The Woman Married to Mount Nemrut

In late 1881, the Prussian Academy of Sciences in Berlin received a strange letter from the German Consul of Izmir, mentioning some mysterious statues...

Arter & Antrepo 5: Architectural Monuments Hosting Contemporary Art in Istanbul

That Istanbul is a force to be reckoned with in the contemporary art world is undeniable. You just need to look at spaces like...