Arts, Culture & History

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...

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...

As the weather has instantly morphed into Fall (literally overnight I have gone from sweating due to the obscene muggy temperature, to sweating due...

Yoko Ono has spent more than seven decades making art that refuses to behave like an object. Her work often begins with something almost...

A notable player in the current world of art house cinema, Turkey has seen a new wave emerge and establish itself. Amongst others, there...

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...

Eleven essentials for the Turkish home: 1. Hamam kit – Regular trips to the hamam are an Istanbul institution. With this in mind it’s no...

What comes to your mind, when you hear the word Istanbul? After living here for almost four years, there are many words and associations which...

Having only laid claim to most of their monikers since the declaration of the Republic, Istanbul’s street names often go unnoticed (highly due to...

Aside from the yet to be excavated ancient settlement near my home in Turunç (near Marmaris), Stratonikeia was my first, official, ancient city experience...

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

These days quasi-historical shows like Game of Thrones are the most watched (and pirated) shows on TV. Also, Muhteşem Yüzyıl, “The Magnificent Century”, a prime-time...

Like many of history’s greatest culinary discoveries, that of coffee stemmed from a noisy, restless goat and his attendant farmer’s desire for an undisturbed...

To-morrow is Saint Valentine's day, All in the morning betime, And I a maid at your window, To be your Valentine. Then up he...

Before Orhan Pamuk came to prominence in the West and launched Turkey once more into the international literary scene, Yaşar Kemal was Turkey’s best-known...

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...

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...

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...

“A Doenmeh friend of mine told me his father had informed him that his father’s mother used to go to the beach every Friday...

Salon İKSV’s one daylong festival Gezgin Salon, in which concerts are spread all over the city rather than taking place at only Salon İKSV,...

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...

Head-On by Fatih Akın is one of those films that perfectly encapsulates the beauty and energy of Istanbul, with its flaws and all. The...

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,...

Editor's Note: This venue is no longer open. Located within quick reach of the historical Chora Museum, Pages, the first Arabic bookstore in Istanbul, marks...