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...
Learning Turkish: What You’re Up Against
The task of learning a new language while living in a foreign country can be a fun challenge. But it can also be stressful, and...
The Sunken Palace: Basilica Cistern
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...
(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...
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...
Introducing Köşe: A New Performance Space in Kadıköy
There is a new space for performing arts in Kadıköy’s vibrant Yeldeğirmeni neighborhood: Köşe ("corner" in Turkish).
Located on the Asian side of Istanbul, Köşe...
Smoke on the Water: Istanbul’s Vapurs
With its long and colourful history, its unique geographical position, its collection of characters, cultures, and creeds, Istanbul has no shortage of laudable attributes....
Barbarossa: A Monument in Passing, But a Legend on the White...
If you have ever strolled through the ferry port of Beşiktaş on the European side of Istanbul, chances are you have walked past a...
An International Linguistic Puzzle
My wife and I visited Konya, May 2023. Never having been to Konya before, we decided to hire a guide for an all-day walking...
Zorlu Center is a Jellicle Cat
Zorlu Center recently opened its doors to the world as an international center for business, shopping, and, above all, culture and art. It is...
Gold Day Recipes: Delicious Eats for a Day of Socializing and...
Like every other Turkish kid who grew up in the 90s, I have been to many “gold days” (altın günü) hosted by my mother...
Sketching Istanbul’s Hans Part 1: Büyük Valide Han
Emilie Varlet and Gabrielle Reeves began exploring Istanbul's hans in the summer of 2014, when they first started their sketching adventures in the city. They have...
Live Music in Istanbul: 9 of the City’s Best Venues
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...
In Conversation with Swedish Cultural Attaché Suzi Erşahin
As a dweller of Nişantaşı, I am lucky enough to be located in one of the centers of the Istanbul arts and cultural scene....
Zululuzu, Portuguese Theatre’s Turkish Debut
They spoke to me of people, and of humanity.
But I've never seen people, or humanity.
I've seen various people, astonishingly dissimilar,
Each separated from the next...
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: Turkish Fortune-Telling Culture
After observing several overturned coffee cups with increasing curiosity during my first few months here, it became apparent that one does not simply sip...
Five Beloved Turkish TV Series from the 2000s
Every New Year's Eve, Turks reminisce about the early 2000s and its classics. Rightly so, if there was something special about the 2000s, it...
Volunteering in Istanbul: Tarlabaşı Community Center
Many of us find doing volunteer work to be a fulfilling way to connect with our community. For yabangees, volunteering can be a great...
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,...
In Conversation with Ray Cullom, Executive Director of the Zorlu Center...
For the second part of our interview, I asked Ray about his work at Zorlu Center PSM and how the project has developed over the...
Top 5 Bookshops in Istanbul
Istanbul sure does have a lot to offer when it comes to the world of books - there are boutique retailers, hidden stores, retail...
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...
The Balyan Family: Royal Architects of the Late Ottoman Empire
Istanbul was the capital of the Ottoman Empire for centuries. Sultans and their wives, princes, viziers and pashas loved to show their power and...
In Search of Mantı
As you walk down the streets of Istanbul, the air swirls with color and unfamiliar smells. Occasionally, you stop and peer into shop windows,...