Istanbul101

Feride Yalav / January 08, 2013
Princes' Islands Neighborhood Guide One of the easiest ways to get away from the city, and certainly the cheapest, are the nine islands that compose the 'Princes' Islands,' which can be accessed via ferries from both the Europe... Read More »
Maria Eliades / December 28, 2012
The Bazaar District and Eminönü Neighborhood Guide The Grand Bazaar, otherwise known as the Kapalı Çarşı, is the place to be if you want to get a taste of old Istanbul. The colorful and almost overwhelming sights of all manners of items for sale, fr... Read More »
Maria Eliades / December 20, 2012
Christmas Special Celebrating Christmas in Istanbul We may not have any fat bearded Santas sliding down our chimneys and you probably won’t see any plastic reindeer decorating our gardens, but we still find ways to cel... Read More »
Pat Yale / December 12, 2012
Below Ground: The Sacred Springs of Istanbul   Like Hong Kong and Sydney, Istanbul is a city defined by water. Whether it’s the Bosphorus, the Golden Horn, or the Sea of Marmara, everywhere there is the shimmer of the sun reflected on water... Read More »
Feride Yalav / December 11, 2012
Escaping the Trite and Coming Home To Karaköy We’re not going to take you on a tour of Karaköy, describing the main streets and buildings one by one. We will not give you an in-depth analysis of its past as a port since Byzantine times. We ref... Read More »
Maria Eliades / December 05, 2012
New Year's Countdown: Fire Works or Fire Hazard What happens when 13 million plus Istanbul residents get excited for the New Year? It can be good or bad, so stay on the safe side with our tips:   The Taksim Crowd: New Year’s Eve tends to att... Read More »
Kemal Derviş / November 29, 2012
Kemal Derviş's AFT Atatürk Lecture On November 13, 2012, Kemal Derviş gave a speech at the Turkish Embassy in Washington, D.C., about Turkey in the present, Turkish identity, and steps needed to ensure that Turkey in 2023 (the 100th anniversa... Read More »
Maria Eliades / November 20, 2012
Top 7 Fall Walks Fall is undoubtedly the best season in Istanbul with none of the blazing, sweat-inducing heat of summer but with the cool breezes and sunshine which have us pining for more days outside. Here are some of the ... Read More »
Maria Eliades / November 12, 2012
Rooms with a View: Istanbul’s Historic Cinemas Cinema in Istanbul has had a long history which dates back to the 19th Century. With the emergence of a more urban way of life in the late 19th century, however, it was Pera, or Beyoğlu, which became the cen... Read More »
Maria Eliades and Ilter Türkmen / November 09, 2012
On the Anniversary of Atatürk’s Death Every year on November 10th at exactly 9:05am, traffic stops throughout Istanbul, people stand still for a moment, and sirens blare. The occasion is the anniversary of the death of the Republic’s founde... Read More »