Istanbul and the Kebab Culture In the 1980s, tourists visiting Istanbul often associated the city with three essential experiences: rakı, shish kebabs, and the city’s vibrant atmosphere. From an Orientalist perspective, kebabs were considered the quintessential dish of Istanbul and Anatolia, representing the culinary soul of the East. Today, kebab culture is stronger than ever. With the rise of fast …
History of Beer in the Ottoman Empire The history of beer in the Ottoman Empire can be traced back to the 19th century. Sultan Abdulhamid II ruled the empire from 1876 to 1909, a period marked by both modernization and increased centralization of power in the hands of the sultan. During his reign, Western cultural influences permeated various aspects of …
The beautiful adornments of our red flag, the crescent and the star, are explained in many different ways. As famous poet Mehmet Akif addresses the Turkish red flag with the crescent and the star during the Turkish National Anthem, which is sung by the children with a lot of enthusiasm at ceremonies, many works today emphasize that the crescent and …
If you are writing the history of world civilization, you absolutely have to talk about the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. These two Anatolian rivers unite in the Shatt al-Arab region and pour into the Gulf of Basra. Being in a mystic position with the metaphors, stories, legends and religious explanations that are woven around the rivers that scientists have already …
Especially in the last ten years, Turkish series have been in high demand in the Balkans, and the Middle East. The filming locations of those highly popular series attract tourists as well, so we have prepared trip tips for Turkish series fans.
Şırnak, which is located in the Southeastern Anatolia Region, emerged as a city after being a town of Siirt, in 1990. It is home to Mount Cudi, which is believed to have hosted Noah’s Ark. The city has a history from 5000 BC. Since the Neolithic Period, the Assyrians, Urartians, Seljuks, and Ottomans inhabited the city. The city is surrounded …
Hakkâri, located in the southeastern part of our country, is a historic city bearing the traces of the civilization of Mesopotamia. The city, whose history was quite old, came to light with the Paleolithic Age and was converted into a settlement at the time of the Urartian. With the culture of Iran and the Middle East on one hand and …
Besides being the oldest city in our country, Gaziantep stands out as both an old and current settlement area in the world.
“Winged birds, geese, cranes,Flocks of long-necked swansRoam in herdsOn the Asian meadows,On both sides of Kaystros…” The train departing from İzmir towards Tire winds its way through the Asian meadows mentioned in Homer’s verse above. Beyond the crescent-and-star symbol stuck on the window, cloud-topped mountains accompany the view of the plain that juts inland like a gulf into Anatolia. It …
In Turkey, discussions around films like Nymphomaniac often stir controversy. While some can view such films as art or narrative exploration, others fear they might incite uncontrolled desires. Although the film was permitted at festivals, it was banned from public cinema screenings—even with age restrictions—on the grounds that it belonged to the “pornographic” category. But what if the very concept …