Arts, Culture & History

“Zeytinyağı gibi üste çıkma!” or “Don’t stick out like olive oil!” This time last year, my husband and I were sipping olive oil at a...

Perched on the hill of Çamlıca is a spiritual gem that combines Ottoman and modern architecture, where the breeze carries both the sounds of...

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...

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...

Artifacts have been found in Istanbul (previously home to some of the world's largest empires, the city has also been known as Byzantion, Nea...

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...

With its long and colourful history, its unique geographical position, its collection of characters, cultures, and creeds, Istanbul has no shortage of laudable attributes....

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...

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

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

Miniatürk, situated on the North-Eastern shore of the Golden Horn, in a nutshell, is a display of the main monuments of Istanbul and Turkey...

Last week, my husband brought home a 5-liter bag of raw milk. He secretly stuck it in the refrigerator and then surprised me by...

Being a proud plant mother and a witch-in-training, I couldn't find a better place to live than in Istanbul. The city thrives with spice...

Istanbul was the capital of the Ottoman Empire for centuries. Sultans and their wives, princes, viziers and pashas loved to show their power and...

“Light is more important than the lantern, The poem more important than the notebook” ― Syrian poet, Nizar Qabbani To the general public, Syria has become...

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

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

The marriage bureaucrats at the Şişli marriage bureau seem like the unhappiest people in the world. Just a few meters from the miniature theater, where everyday...

The Venice International Film Festival’s VR program “Venice VR Expanded 2020” has come to Istanbul For the first time in its 125 year history, La...

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...

Back in the day, mothers with unwed sons would often be on the look out for a good single girl to wed their sons...

“They first need to learn Turkish to be better integrated into their Turkish communities -- namely, their schools,” stressed Anna Tuson, the communication manager...

One day, after having heard our neighbor's son practicing his guitar almost daily, I went to her door and asked in piecemeal Turkish if...

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