Ottoman Empire

New democratic networks emerge [in French, Erkan quoted too] as “Turkish novelists Orhan Pamuk and Elif Shafak accused of being Western stooges by pro-government press…

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Turquie : les nouveaux réseaux démocratiques1   Un an et demi après la contestation de Gezi, où en est la démocratie en Turquie ? Et pour quelles nouvelles formes de mobilisations ? Journalisme citoyen, tweets et sites, mais aussi squatt-maison de quartier, face à un État de plus en plus autoritaire. Enquête multimédia interactive d’Eric … Read more

Turkey moves to make Ottoman language compulsory, Erdoğan meets with the militant Islamist leader, Davutoğlu warns Army…

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Compulsory Ottoman language classes in high schools stirs debate Turkey’s national education council has agreed to send a proposal to introduce compulsory Ottoman language courses in high school education to a vote in its general assembly meeting After meeting Erdoğan, militant Islamist leader complains of ‘mind control’ The released leader of a militant Islamist group in Turkey … Read more

“10 issues Turkish media are banned from reporting on” Dispatches from Turkey…

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10 issues Turkish media are banned from reporting on Hurriyet Daily News The media ban on the corruption inquiry is a first for Parliament, but Turkey has seen 150 gag orders in four years. Here are 10 of them 650 New Child Abuse Cases in Turkey Every Month Bianet :: English A political note drafted by various … Read more

11 places for Turkish coffee in İstanbul and an İstanbul news roundup…

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İstanbul’da 40 Yıllık Hatıraya Patlayacak Türk Kahvesi için 11 Adres  ListeList by Çağla Gillis Mandabatmaz   Being an Armenian today in Istanbul Hurriyet Daily News I had an Armenian intern at that time and I mentioned casually to the bunch I was eating with that it must be hard to be an Armenian in Istanbul during … Read more

Rubens’ Three Graces is in trouble in Turkey! Barbarians at the Gates news from Turkey…

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Turkey’s media watchdog goes into racy details for kiss scene RTÜK has done it again, raising eyebrows this time by going into the ‘erotic’ details of a TV drama kiss scene WorldViews: Why Turkey’s military wants to ban ‘Game of Thrones’  Yahoo news New regulations for military schools in Turkey reportedly prohibit the screening of shows like … Read more

Photos of OTTOMAN ISTANBUL FROM THE 1900S.. Istanbul’s ‘gray’ transformation in past decade…

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1889: A Visit to Constantinople  NYT > Turkey by By INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE From the International Herald Tribune archives: The German emperor and empress visited Turkey in 1889. 40 PHOTOS OF OTTOMAN ISTANBUL FROM THE 1900S These rare pictures give an insight into life in Ottoman Istanbul more than a hundred years ago when the Ottoman … Read more

Istanbul authorities are keen to destroy another park: Validebağ, Üsküdar… Istanbul news roundup…

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Police escorted bulldozer enters Istanbul grove at dawn, driving locals to streets The Validebağ grove on Istanbul’s Asian side has become the latest disputed green space in the city Court suspends controversial mosque construction at Istanbul grove  Hurriyet Daily News An administrative court has suspended the controversial construction of a mosque in the Validebağ grove VIDEO: Turkish, German … Read more

So some authorities at work to fix Istanbul’s notoriously crowded Metrobus network… Istanbul news roundup…

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Turkey seeks solution to metrobus crowds The authorities are set to implement a system aimed at solving problems in Istanbul’s notoriously crowded Metrobus network, which often works above its capacity Simit sellers removed from central Istanbul Street vendors selling simit, a local pastry enjoyed by all walks of life, have been removed from central spots across Istanbul … Read more

Süleyman Shah tomb claim “vehemently” denied by Foreign Affairs Ministry…

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  Foreign Ministry vehemently denies bargain with jihadists over Turkish territory Foreign Ministry has categorically denied a report that Ankara has agreed to hand over the tomb of Süleyman Shah to jihadists in return for the release of 49 Turkish nationals Police remove shop signs in Arabic in Gaziantep amid refugee influx Officers have requested from Syrian … Read more

Istanbul: A Broken Silhouette…. an Istanbul news roundup..

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A Broken Silhouette stambouline by Emily Neumeier Istanbul’s new Metro Bridge and the political battle over the city’s historic panorama İstanbul’s mega projects to kill nature and environment Today’s Zaman Present at the press conference were, among others, Professor Nuran Zeren Gülersoy (İstanbul Technical University [İTÜ] architecture faculty, city and Ottoman İstanbul in 10 iconic … Read more

“İstanbul’s historical peninsula disappearing… an Istanbul news roundup…

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İstanbul’s historical peninsula disappearing Cihan News Agency The historical peninsula, İstanbul’s Old City, is like a huge outdoor museum, with thousands of artifacts and architectural masterpieces; however, it is Istanbul Becomes the Last Stop on the ‘Grand Tour’ Men’s Journal Istanbul has gone by several names over the years. Founded as the Greek city of … Read more

Yandex data compares Istanbul’s traffic – 17 % more time spent in mornings…

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Data provided in Turkish here. A comparison between October 2012 to October 2013 states that 17 % more time spent in mornings and 12 % more time spent in evenings in Istanbul traffic since last year…   ************** In other Istanbul news Hagia Sophia: between consecration and contestation Should Hagia Sophia become a mosque? Or … Read more

Cengiz Aktar: Ermeni Müslüman

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Ermeni Müslüman   ?Bizim için 2015?in bugünden bir farkı yok, bugün neyse 2015 de bizim için odur. Bu konuyla ilgili korkacak bir şey yok. O gün dile getirilebilecek iddialar bugün de zaten var. Zaten ellerinde bir şey olsa, buyurun kestiğinizin belgesi deyip, önümüze koyarlardı, varsa buyursun getirsinler. Soykırım yapıldığına dair herhangi bir belge yok, olsaydı bunu getirmek … Read more

Architizer article: The Istanbul Protests And The Future Of Public Space…Walking at Marmaray photos..Istanbul news roundup…

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  via @Tespit_Defteri When Marmaray breaks down people begin to walk under the Bosphorus. Authorities explain that these breakdowns are either due to power problems or citizens’ mishandling of the emergency breaks…   Walking in Istanbul a form of time travelStarPhoenix ISTANBUL, Turkey ? Last summer, Istanbul’s Taksim Square was the scene of confrontations between police … Read more

Looking at its rector, islamitische universiteit rotterdam is a big farce…

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A recent article in Dutch newspaper accuses the rector of Islamic University of Rotterdam, Ahmet Akgündüz, of spreading intolerance, anti-western beliefs etc. And he is also quoted today in our social media circles of blaming Occupy Gezi activists as “mosque enemies, communist union leaders, pro-Asad people who murders Muslims, Alevites etc.” Before he disappeared from … Read more