16th Istanbul Biennial: The Seventh Continent
IKSV has announced the title and conceptual framework of its 16th Istanbul Biennial. The Biennial will be taking place between September 14th and November...
(PAST EVENT) 18th Contemporary Istanbul @ Tersane Istanbul
Contemporary Istanbul, the city's premier international art fair, is back for its 18th edition, bringing together art enthusiasts, collectors, curators, and artists from around...
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,...
CRR’s New Season in Full Swing
Cemal Reşit Rey launched the 2019-2020 season on Wednesday October 9th with the CRR Symphony Orchestra and Choir performing all-time favorite arias and lieds....
Haydarpaşa Cemetery: A Cemetery with Something to Say
As a long-time lover of cemeteries, I’m often telling people about my trip to this or that burial ground. Most have one question: “why?”...
How Bazaar: Istanbul’s Best Markets
When one thinks of shopping in Istanbul, there’s one particular place that usually springs to mind. The city’s most famous market, the Grand Bazaar,...
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...
In Conversation with Multidisciplinary Artist and Researcher C.M. Kosemen
C. M. Kosemen is an artist and independent researcher born in Ankara, Turkey in 1984. He studied at Cornell University, Istanbul’s Sabancı University and...
(Past Event) Hofesh Shechter Company: Double Murder @ Zorlu PSM
The 27th Istanbul Theatre Festival organized by IKSV proudly announces an electrifying addition to its program: "Double Murder" by the acclaimed Hofesh Shechter Company....
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...
Exploring the Princes’ Islands: The Kınalıada Mosque
The Princes' Islands (Adalar) are a chain of nine small islands in the Sea of Marmara, about 20 km east of the center of...
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...
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...
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...
City Highlights: Sancaklar Cami
A friend of mine from the Czech Republic once told me her feelings while she visited Istanbul one year ago. She said that it...
Insider Trading: Cook’s Corner for Expats in Turkey
I discovered a great passion for cooking when I started traveling around the world. I couldn’t believe what I’d been missing! I wanted to...
A Glimpse at the Magic of Turkish Tea
When you traverse the streets of Turkey you can see it all around. Everyone is sitting around consuming it. It’s red, it’s hot and...
20 Must-See Turkish TV Series: 2000s
While it's safe to say that Turkish TV series have always been widely popular domestically, recent years have seen a dramatic increase in the...
Istanbul: So Good They Named It Thrice
What’s in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet
True facts, Shakespeare, true facts. And while I...
The Creme de la Kaymak of Eccentric and Interesting Expat Istanbulites
Someone recently described Istanbul to me as a city where you can "have the best day of your life, followed by the worst day”,...
Istanbul’s Hidden Architecture: Şemsi Pasha Mosque
Mimar Sinan was, without a doubt, the greatest architect of the Ottoman empire. His importance and influence are often compared with his contemporary Michelangelo, and it's an established...
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...
Discussing the Dönme with Artist and Researcher C.M. Kösemen (Part 1)
It is well known that the Ottoman Empire was a place of incredible cosmopolitanism. What is often overlooked is the existence of “syncretic” peoples,...
Sketching Istanbul’s Hans Part 2: Rüstem Paşa 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...