Arts, Culture & History

If you have ever strolled through the ferry port of Beşiktaş on the European side of Istanbul, chances are you have walked past a...

  Three years ago building of a new mosque began on one of the highest hills of the city, where roosters still crow and visitors...

Now if you have watched Dan Brown’s Inferno, the movie with Tom Hanks, and have been a diligent tourist in Istanbul, you’d recognize the...

Phoenix Ancient City near present day Taşlıca lies far from the touristic bustle of Marmaris. This semi-isolated site is a treasure trove of archaic...

Like every other Turkish kid who grew up in the 90s, I have been to many “gold days” (altın günü) hosted by my mother...

Fun Fact: There are around 60 state-run brothels in Turkey. This may be surprising given Turkey’s reputation as a conservative, rather religious country. So,...

When Mosul was invaded in June, one of the first announcements made by ISIS was that the civilians within their territory would be treated...

There's nothing like a great concert, especially when life is stressful. The catharsis of listening to a live band and perhaps even dancing has...

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

Certain things that are second nature at home can be a minefield abroad. Etiquette in all of its various forms is especially tricky. Despite...

I remember walking down the large avenues and neatly perpendicular streets of Washington, D.C. not too long ago, longing for old buildings and crooked...

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...

People say that cities have a personality. I disagree. For me, a city has a genre. A category of literature or movies that jumps...

Once there was a time when Hattusha was reached by foot, through a dense forest that flourished near the Red River or Kızılırmak and...

After observing several overturned coffee cups with increasing curiosity during my first few months here, it became apparent that one does not simply sip...

Istanbul sure does have a lot to offer when it comes to the world of books - there are boutique retailers, hidden stores, retail...

You can walk into any chain bookstore in Istanbul and find stacks of neatly ordered books. Normally, they have the recently published stuff, and...

Istanbul arguably doesn’t really have one central district, like a downtown or a city center. It is a city of many centers, each with...

I’ve often passed in front of this church and wondered at its brilliance because it does actually look like a source of light. Maybe...

Pera Museum is currently hosting a thought provoking exhibition exploring critical issues in science, culture, and politics in the last 150 years, curated by...

Sometimes the grit and grime and non-stop pace of the city just get overwhelming. You need a break from the packed Metrobus and the...

Some time ago, I was discussing Elif Şafak with a Turkish friend.  I mentioned that I was reading The Bastard of Istanbul, and after...

Gallery spaces can too often reflect a highbrow approach to art which can be off-putting to the more casual art enthusiast. This is where BLOK...

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