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Take a Clean Break in Istanbul

ISTANBUL AWAKENS the senses like few places on earth, with its centuries-old minarets, fragrant bazaars, clanging trolleys, all the ships and ferries chugging up and down the mighty Bosporus. For a long time, Istanbul has also offered a distinctive type of sanctuary from all that overstimulation: the Turkish bathhouse, or hammam.

How To Discover Your Fortune In Istanbul

Fortune-telling has long played an important role in Turkish culture. Even after the conversion to Islam, which deems fortune telling sinful, Turks continued to practice and value fortune-telling. In fact, a müneccimbaşı (the head of fortune tellers) was kept in the Ottoman palaces to cater to the Sultans’ desires of knowing what the future holds.

A Spot of Romance

THE project has eaten up all his Nobel prize money and he says he could have written half a novel in the time it has taken to finish it. But Turkey’s laureate, Orhan Pamuk, finally has his Museum of Innocence, the wellspring of his bestselling 2008 tale of the same name, about the doomed Istanbul lovers, Füsun and Kemal.

Fish restaurants in Istanbul: Natural Selection(s)

In the evolutionary process of the Istanbul fish restaurant, there was a moment in the late 1990s when the amphibious, shore-hugging boat restaurants crawled out of the Bosphorus and became land dwellers.

Dreaming in Ottoman: Istanbul at a Crossroads

Istanbul is a curious city, a bit of a playground. You can pick and choose what you want. It's a string of villages, and you can live in whatever village you like. Some villages are religiously conservative; others are wild. You have the choice.

August 31, 2011

Çukurcuma Neighborhood Leading Used and Antique Goods Market

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Istanbul’s famous Çukurcuma neighborhood is the place to buy the best second-hand and antiques in the city. The neighborhood offers many different choices for old accesories and furniture. Even though the owners were previously based in other neighborhoods, they agree their last business stop is Çukurcuma.

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August 17, 2011

Istanbul’s New Contemporary Art Platform: ‘Art Beat Istanbul’

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Istanbul is preparing to welcome in September the first contemporary art platform that is inviting international dealers to participate as well as Turkish dealers. The first annual Art Beat Istanbul, which will debut between Sept. 14 -18, coincides this year with the opening of the 12th Istanbul Biennial, which is devoted to Turkish participants from Sept. 17 to Nov. 13.

“Our aim is to create a unique destination for art professionals and investors by introducing Istanbul’s galleries and artists to the world. The fair is also a platform for international exhibitors, including Middle-Eastern and U.S. galleries, to gain recognition in Turkey,” said Arhan Kayar, Director of Art Beat Istanbul. Kayar’s name is also behind events like the Istanbul Design Week and the Turkish Pavilion at Expo 2000.

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August 09, 2011

Istanbul to Welcomes First ‘Crime and Punishment’ Festival

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Examining the relationship between justice and cinema, the first International Crime and Punishment Film Festival will run from Sept. 23-30 in Istanbul with a full program of films, panels, discussion sessions and workshops.

The festival will screen over 100 films from 40 countries and will provide an opportunity to compare the justice systems and social structures of different countries and their approaches to crime and punishment with similar practices in Turkey.

Read more on Hurriyet Daily News: Istanbul to Welcomes First ‘Crime and Punishment’ Festival
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Jazz singer Schuur takes stage at Istanbul’s Reina

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Grammy-award winning singer Diane Schuur will be on stage Tuesday at Reina, the landmark Istanbul club on the Bosphorus.

Schuur, an American artist, has been dubbed by some peers as the “first lady of jazz,” a title previously held by Billie Holiday.

As a result of a rare complication, Schuur went blind not long after birth.

Read more on Hurriyet Daily News: Jazz singer Schuur takes stage at Istanbul’s Reina
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