Istanbul roundup: Cafes to read and more…

Here is a Friendfeed discussion: Users discuss which Istanbul cafes are good to stay and read. Discussion in Turkish..

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Europe’s Tallest Building is in Istanbul Now

Kiler Group will spend an additional $150 million for constructing the retail facility and residential/office tower, bringing the overall cost of the project to $175 million.
236-meter-high Istanbul Sapphire opens
Turkish Press
Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Istanbul Sapphire, with its environmentally-friendly design, vertical gardens, recreational areas and technological features, had raised standards. “I believe Istanbul Sapphire will help promotion of

İstanbul Shopping Fest to lure tourists from around the world
Sunday’s Zaman
İstanbul is gearing up for its first shopping festival, the İstanbul Shopping Fest (İSF), to be held for 40 days between March 18 and April 26. With this massive event, İstanbul aims to revitalize retail trade by revealing all the lively colors of the

From Ankara to İstanbul
Today’s Zaman
asked my friend who has been saying for years that I should move to İstanbul. I replied, ?No, I don’t know what a wet hamburger is.? She rushed outside and came back with one. It is tasty and the reason that it is called a wet hamburger is that its

Activists appeal to mayor to stop practice of dog-dumping
Today’s Zaman
Animal rights groups urge the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality to improve the condition of animal shelters. About two weeks ago a group of around 1000 protestors met in front of the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality building to protest what they

Third bridge: remedy for traffic or environmental disaster?
Today’s Zaman
Various environmental and urban planning organizations have voiced concerns about potential damage to the environment and biological diversity of İstanbul if the proposed construction of a third Bosporus bridge is to go ahead

Lonely Planet’s guide to Istanbul
Adelaide Now
Picture: Lonely Planet Source: Lonely Planet THERE are plenty of cities as big and full of life asIstanbul, Turkey, but few where the energy seems to crackle in the air. A population estimated to number 14 million goes about its activities inspired by

Istanbul, Turkey An Up and Coming Gay Travel Hot Spot
Gayapolis
Istanbul. The Big Apple of Balkans. The only city where you can breakfast in Asia, take a taxi and lunch in Europe. A metropolis of 13 million souls – where modernity sits alongside the ancient. Ever since I learnt about Constantinople (surely a more

STARTING POINT: Developing the art scene in Istanbul

Istanbul’s promising office market
Hurriyet Daily News
The recovery in economic conditions has not yet had a full impact on the Istanbul office market, but in 2011 this will change. In recent months there has been firm evidence of renewed tenant demand, while at the same time it has become clear that the

Finding the Best Cheap Hotels In Istanbul Turkey
UK News Reporter
By Ricken Osten on Feb 20th, 2011 in Featured News, Travel Steeped in history and culture, Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey, boasts a population in excess of thirteen million. The economic and financial heart of the country, this vibrant city can

A new chapter to sightseeing
Independent Online
It’s something I’ve done subconsciously and it hit home only recently when, after a brief visit to Istanbul ? two days ? I found myself wanting to know more about this millennia-old city that had captured my heart and so entranced me

Istanbul: minarets and martinis
The Guardian
But its real heart, according to its eloquent son, Orhan Pamuk, in his evocative memoir Istanbul: Memories of a City, lies rather in the division between the old (which is usually the local and the Islamic) and the new (generally the western and the

Living in Modern & Fashionable Istanbul

Istanbul: minarets and martinis

Istanbul Armenians Document Violations of Minority Rights in Turkey
Panorama.am
Two recent documents from Istanbul shed new light on violations of minority rights in Turkey. The authors of these reports make cautious, yet accurate assessments of the problems facing the Armenian, Greek and Jewish communities

Palace Collection Museum opens in Istanbul
Hurriyet Daily News
The objects kept in the depots of Istanbul’s palaces are now on display at a new venue opened last week at the Dolmabahçe Museum. The museum offers objects including children’s dresses, writing tools, manuscripts, prayer rugs, gold-plated dinner sets

All Around Istanbul
Forbes
Istanbul is not just where East meets West; it’s where the past has always met whatever’s coming next. The city’s heritage is as layered as baklava–Roman beneath Byzantine beneath Ottoman. Its present is an arms-wide embrace of the 21st century

İstanbul’s second tube tunnel to open in 3.5 years
Today’s Zaman
İstanbul’s second tube tunnel project under the Bosporus Strait for vehicle traffic will be constructed in three-and-a-half years. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke during the ground-breaking ceremony of İstanbul’s second tube tunnel that will