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The Guide Istanbul

Istanbul History and Culture

Turkish Islam: An Exceptional Story
Mustafa Akyol / December 04, 2011
Turkish Islam: An Exceptional Story Compared to Arabs, Turks were latecomers to the Muslim faith. The former were politically and intellectually more advanced until the 13th century, when the Arabs’ brilliant civilization was nearly destroyed by one of the most devastating Read More »
Hürrem Sultan
Esin Atıl / November 17, 2011
Hürrem Sultan Ottoman sultans were renowned for their patronage of art and architecture, one rarely equaled by the rulers of other great empires. It was the duty and prerogative of a sultan to commission monumental architectural complexes that incorporated Read More »
The Grand Bazaar
Will Washburn / September 21, 2011
The Grand Bazaar As often with tourist sites in Istanbul, there is a slight discrepancy between the English and Turkish names of the Grand Bazaar, known locally as the Kapalı Çarşı or Covered Market. The Turkish word pazar (also the word for Sunday) generally Read More »
Museum Break: Cool Museums To Beat The Summer Heat
Madeleine Pelletier / August 09, 2011
Museum Break: Cool Museums To Beat The Summer Heat In Istanbul the summers are hot and the tourists are plentiful but here are two places you can go to take a break from the crowds and the temperatures while enjoying some of the best sights the city has to offer. Take one of the many boats travelling Read More »
Traditional Turkish Motifs
Philippa Scott / August 02, 2011
Traditional Turkish Motifs In British author A.S. Byatt’s best-selling collection of fables, the title story, The Djinn in the Nightingale’s Eye, takes its inspiration from the Turkish glass known as çeşme bülbül, “nightingale’s Read More »
Fal: Fortune-telling a la Turca
Talya Arditi / June 08, 2011
Fal: Fortune-telling a la Turca How To Make Turkish Coffee: • Fill the fincan (the delicate Turkish coffee cup) with water and pour it into the cezve (a bell-shaped copper pot) • For each serving, add one teaspoon of coffee. Add sugar to taste: sade Read More »
Topkapı Sarayı: From Palace to Museum
Dr. Esin Atıl / April 08, 2011
Topkapı Sarayı: From Palace to Museum One of the world’s most fabulous palaces is undoubtedly the Topkapı Sarayı, the residential and administrative headquarters of the Ottoman Empire for four centuries. The palace, actually a small city covering an area of 499,000 square Read More »
The Evil Eye
March 27, 2011
The Evil Eye The belief in the powers of the "nazar boncuk" or "evil eye bead" is found throughout the Mediterranean and Aegean, spreading from Turkey as Far East as the Turkic Republics. No one really knows how, but the cult of the blue Read More »
NARGILE… A different kind of "smoke"
March 15, 2011
NARGILE… A different kind of "smoke" Nargile, the eastern waterpipe, is as popular as ever and an evocative reminder of the smoky past of Istanbul. Nargile, also known by the terms "hookah", “shisha” or "hubblybubbly", originated a few centuries ago in Read More »
The Hamam: Where Cleanliness and Godliness Combine
Sevil Delin / March 15, 2011
The Hamam: Where Cleanliness and Godliness Combine Long before the Turkish tribes swept into Anatolia, they had established healthy bathing traditions. Upon their arrival in Asia Minor, they confronted another squeaky-clean civilization: the Byzantines who took their spas seriously and had Roman-style Read More »