The Consequences of Overstaying in Turkey
Turkey is a fantastic country all year round, very popular amongst tourists around the world for its historic mosques, various street vendors and its...
Istanbul on a Budget: Free Culture, Art, & History Offerings
To which public places can we go to, if we do not want to spend any money at all? At first, it seems like...
Tale from Istanbul’s New Normal
Friday night. A few minutes before midnight. April 20th, 2020. Kaan is in the CCTV room of the luxurious hotel where he works as...
Introducing RIFA: Robert’s International Football Academy
RIFA - Robert’s International Football Academy was started by Robert Mullally in 2012, with the dream to change lives and perspectives through sport. How?...
The Peculiar Case of the Cult of the Renault 12
Did you notice that every Renault 12 in the known universe had disappeared? Are you worried that some black hole had appeared and was...
Take 5: Kuzguncuk
Housing some of Istanbul's oldest churches and synagogues, Kuzguncuk historically was a cosmopolitan mix of Ottoman Istanbul's many cultures. Today, although a little more homogeneous, it...
Insider Trading: Murat Efe Prop House
Somewhere in the winding alleys of Fener and Balat, the former Greek-Jewish neighborhood of Istanbul, there is a hidden workshop and store that might...
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...
Setting of Records: Istanbul’s New Mosque
Three years ago building of a new mosque began on one of the highest hills of the city, where roosters still crow and visitors...
5 Turkish Words I Can’t Live Without
Learning Turkish while living in Istanbul can be an experience both painstaking and profoundly exciting. There is an undefinable moment in this adventure -...
Learn Turkish in Your Comfort Zone with Turkish Academy
If you are an expat living in Türkiye, a language enthusiast watching every single Turkish drama, or a university student researching about Turkish history,...
Announcement: Free Wi-Fi Spots in Istanbul
Starting in April the metropolitan municipality of Istanbul (İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyesi) will offer free Wi-Fi hotspots at a number of the city’s squares and...
There’s No Such Thing as a Simple Turkish Wedding
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...
Compulsory Earthquake Insurance in Turkey – Quick, Easy, Affordable Price Quote
If you've dealt with purchasing property at all in Turkey, it's likely you've been informed that having earthquake insurance in Turkey is compulsory. Considering...
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...
Saving Money in Turkey
So you’ve come to Turkey and plan to stay for a while, or you already live here and have decided to save up some...
Insider Trading: Kılıç Ali Paşa Hamam
I am fascinated by hamams. Their architecture (those gorgeous holed domes), their history (the ancient ritual of public bathing) and the leisure (they provide...
Feriköy Organic Market and the Lady of the Cake
This is a story of how I unexpectedly stumbled upon the perfect cake.
Like crossing a perilous street in Taksim on Labor Day or eating...
Expat Life: Struggles of My New Turkish Home
I arrived in Istanbul with little knowledge of the country, its culture or language. Straight from the vacation in Japan with my boyfriend and...
Istanbul Revisited: Impressions from 1964 to 2022
First Encounter, September, 1964
I arrived at Sirkeci Station on the Orient Express — the real Orient Express, a train that was anything but express...
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...
Oman: Sun, Sand, Dates, and Opera
Oman had long been on my mind as my next quest overseas. The promise of dates, palm trees, sand dunes, bright, open, sun-tainted skies,...
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...
A Beginner’s Guide to Turkish Hip Hop, by Ege Çubukçu
As a follow-up to our interview with rapper and all-round nice guy of Turkish hip-hop, Ege Çubukçu, we asked him to put together a playlist for those...