Travel Postcard: 48 hours in Istanbul

By Simon Akam

ISTANBUL (Reuters Life!) – Turkey’s largest city is a 2010 European Capital of Culture filled with the treasures of a glorious past from the Roman and Ottoman empires, while straddling the Bosphorous Strait where Europe meets Asia.

Exploring the other Istanbul

Adrian Mourby
We arrived in Istanbul late at night, transferring from the airport by boat. Traffic jams here are a nightmare these days.

We made much better speed chugging along the Bosphorus in our hotel’s polished wooden launch, gazing up at the minarets of the Blue Mosque, the graceful outline of the Topkapi Palace, the sweeping Bosphorus Bridge and the sturdy 15th century Fortress of Europe. But we didn’t disembark in Europe. This, after all, is the only city in the world with a foot on two continents.”

Eat your way around Turkey — Without ever leaving İstanbul
Sunday’s Zaman
Try it at branches of Konak on İstiklal Caddesi or at the Süslü Karakol in Beşiktaş for the authentic Bursa experience. Kebapçı İskender, Süslü Karakol,

Clock ticking for Istanbul quake
Sify
Reports indicate that the clock is ticking for an earthquake to strike the city of Istanbul in Turkey. The magnitude-6.1 earthquake that hit eastern Turkey

The hippodrome tells the story of İstanbul
Today’s Zaman
The ancient Hippodrome in İstanbul — yes, there was a Hippodrome in İstanbul, for those who don’t know — in Sultanahmet used to serve these very purposes

A 100 hours of living in Istanbul at Journalist in Turkije
By Fréderike Geerdink
There is a good reason to book a hotel on the Asian side of the city (called the Anatolian side by Turks) when you visit Istanbul: it provides you with a reason to take a boat to the European side, where the main tourist attractions are

Istanbul: First Day With Masters Students :: DanWilt.com
By Dan Wilt
We took off our shoes and walked the interior of the Blue Mosque, then spent the afternoon in the Istanbul Bazaar and Spice Bazaar. Fascinating. The Turkish people are quite beautiful in one of the most important cities (in terms of

Magazine shows glimpses of Halit Refiğ’s İstanbul
Today’s Zaman
The latest edition of the İstanbul 1453 Culture and Art Journal offers a look at the city as seen by the late Turkish filmmaker Halit Refiğ

South African artist offers intrigue with artwork on İstanbul
Today’s Zaman
The dynamism of İstanbul evokes different, and not always positive, feelings and emotions for everyone. But for one visionary artist who has always been

New architecture trends on display at Istanbul gallery
Hurriyet Daily News
Organized by the Arkitera Architecture Center with support from Buildist and sponsored by the Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture Agency,

Istanbul’s second children’s theater opens
Hurriyet Daily News
Children’s plays used to be staged wherever theater space could be found, but there are now two dedicated children’s theaters in the city, Istanbul Mayor

Istanbul Eats in Turkish, Mashallah!

After almost a year of reviewing restaurants in English, we?re happy to announce that our reviews are now also available in Turkish. We?ll be updating the Turkish site (istanbuleats.com/tr) constantly with new reviews and classics from the Istanbul Eats archives

International Art Center sets out to place Üsküdar on İstanbul art map
Today’s Zaman
This is the message of a new art center named the International Art Center and its first exhibition presented to art lovers in İstanbul’s Üsküdar district.

Istanbul quake inspection leads to misunderstanding
Hurriyet Daily News
Fault lines between municipal institutions have surfaced through an Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality-funded research project that was meant to uncover the

Istanbul Will Rule the World — Again!
True/Slant
By JEREMY HELLIGAR Why doesn’t Istanbul get more love? So it’s not the Paris of the South (like Buenos Aires), and it lacks the sexy nowness of Dubai and

A Turkish Builder on Istanbul’s Deadly Buildings
New York Times (blog)
The fact is that 70 percent of all the settlements in Istanbul, I would say, are vulnerable to a major earthquake. This is a diagnosis

Jean-François Pérouse : ?Istanbul offre à l?Europe une énergie dont elle a besoin?

Télérama (France) n° 3140, 20-26 mars 2010. pp. 20-24

Propos recueillis par Olivier Pascal-Moussellard

Installé à Istanbul depuis onze ans, cet urbaniste observe les mutations de la ville en témoin privilégié. Le portrait qu?il en dresse contredit les clichés.

Le grand bazar

Télérama (France) n° 3140, 20-26 mars 2010. pp. 36-38

Luc Le Chatelier

Destruction des vieux quartiers, constructions sauvages? l?ancienne perle du Bosphore, en faisant table rase de son passé, perdrait-elle progressivement son âme ?

Istanbul: la ville polychrome

Télérama (France) n° 3140, 20-26 mars 2010. p. 19

Olivier Pascal-Moussellard

Dès aujourd?hui et durant tout le week-end, histoire de fêter le printemps, nous vous proposons un petit tour de la perle du Bosphore. Entretiens, Rencontres, Images, sons à foison pour en finir avec les clichés sur la bouillonnante istanbul, capitale européenne de la Culture 2010.