Before the arrival of paddle steamers in Istanbul, ferry services on the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus were provided by the long narrow rowing boats of various types known as kayik. These graceful swift boats and their boatmen were a characteristic part of life in Istanbul. The largest and most magnificent of all these vessels […]
The city of Bursa, which lies at the foot of a great mountain in northwest Turkey, was once capital of the Ottoman Empire, and its historic buildings bear witness to an illustrious past. Here you can wander through the courtyards of hans where merchants exchanged their wares, and the covered bazaar whose shadowy passages smell […]
History is full of curious contradictions: heroic acts born of cowardice, and sparks of compassion in the midst of ruthless conflict. One such example is Florence Nightingale, who not only transformed health care for soldiers during the Crimean War but whose work changed the whole concept of nursing and hospital care throughout the world. The […]
The 17th-century Turkish poet Nef’i declared, ‘Is Edirne a city, or the rose garden of heaven?’ and in the 20th-century Professor Suheyl Unver, author of many books about cultural history, said that loving Edirne was a form of worship. The 17th-century writer Evliya Celebi declared his intention of counting all the public buildings in the […]
In the northern foothills of Mount Uludag, 15 km from Bursa, is the picturesque village of Cumalikizik. Set amongst chestnut and fig trees, the village is famous for its Ottoman period rural architecture. The village was originally established under the endowment of the second Ottoman Sultan Orhan Gazi (1324 – 1360), and settled by Turks […]
Once you have made the acquaintance of provincial Turkey, you will be hooked. You will fall asleep dreaming of Asia Minor’s hidden valleys and awaken to their call. Birgi is one such little-known delight – a quiet and dignified small town at the foot of Bozdag in western Turkey. Heir to a long series of […]
The month of Ramazan is not only a time of religious significance but also a chapter of its own in Turkish cultural history. The evening meal known as iftar was marked by its own special customs, family visits were exchanged, and a nation of normally early risers sat up until late or even promenaded in […]
At one’s first glance there are two things that are particularly remarkable in the ancient monuments of the Ottomans: the choice of the site and the perfect unity of the whole. Whether or not it is in a raised place, the site always has a view of vast open spaces and however far one may […]
HISTORY TIMELINE OF ISTANBUL Pre-Historic Era 7000 BC Neolithic fishing settlements in Kadikoy, Pendik & Yarimburgaz. Byzantium 660 BC – 196 AD (Greek/Pagan) 750 B.C. Greeks sailed through the Bosphorus. 676 B.C. Byzantium was founded probably by Greek colonists from Athens and Megara. 667 B.C. Greek colony of Chalcedon founded in what is known as […]
As the Turkish Republic was founded on the heritage of Ottoman Empire, many things from that time such as the Turkish Flag continued with slight changes. The Ottomans used various flags of different colors at different times. In the 14th century, it was white, in the 15th century, it was changed to red. Once it […]
