When a social media user, Samet Karaboğa, asked Artificial Intelligence (AI) to create Disney characters of Turkish political leaders, the results went viral. Karaboğa shared illustrations of 9 of the 10 leaders AI had created for him on his Instagram page, Samet SKB Karaboğa (@samkrbg). He apologised for having to omit the one of Ahmet […]
This year marks thirty years since Mahsun Kırmızıgül’s acclaimed album Alem Buysa Kral Sensin [‘If This is the World, You Are the King’] dropped, shaking up Turkiye’s music scene with its catchy fusion of Turkish Fantezi, Arabesque and Folk songs that propelled Kırmızıgül to the top of the charts. Kırmızıgül’s music epitomises the sounds of […]
An independent bookshop in Beşiktaş, Istanbul, is the winner of the coveted Bookstore of the Year Award in The London Book Fair’s International Excellence Awards. Minoa wowed the panel of judges with its beautiful “must-see” presentation of books that has made it a tourist attraction in Istanbul. The Turkish outlet beat three other bookshops from […]
The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan’s annual mega Eid / Bayram festival to celebrate the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan / Ramazan returns with another extravaganza in the heart of London on Saturday 29 April. Now in its 18th year, this free one-day event welcomes Londoners and visitors to the capital’s iconic […]
Turkish film director Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s latest film, Kuru Otlar Üstüne [‘On Dry Grass’] has been selected to compete for the Palme d’Or and other top prizes at France’s prestigious Cannes Film Festival. Kuru Otlar Üstüne is one of 19 feature films to be selected for the festival’s 76th edition, which this year will run […]
If you’re in London and looking for an upmarket, fun place with a Turkish vibe to celebrate the end of Ramazan with friends and family, then look no further than Melin Restaurant on Chigwell Road in Woodford. This plush venue, favoured by the stars of The Only Way Is Essex, footballers and more, is under […]
Organisers have announced the programme for the fourth edition of the London Turkish Speakers Theatre Festival, which will start on 12 May and run for three weeks. This year’s plays include a Turkish take on Casablanca about a moral no-man’s land, and solo shows featuring two distinct rebels with a cause, one inspired by Iran […]
On Sunday morning, the British Turkish community woke to the tragic news that broadcaster Hülya Nur Özdemir Alişoğlu had passed away. She was aged just 41. The popular presenter of ATV’s long-running television lifestyle show, Londra Aktüel, which she created with her producer-director husband Sevgin Alişoğlu, had been battling breast cancer for a number of […]
One of the most exciting new bands to emerge from Turkiye is Lalalar. Hailing from Istanbul, the three-piece outfit serve up a unique blend of punk rock, psychedelic funk and electronica bound together with Anatolian beats. Band members Barlas Tan Özemek, Kaan Düzarat and Ali Güçlü Şimşek describe their sound as “a future-nostalgia through some […]
Turkish comedy lovers in Britain are in for a treat as Zafer Algöz and Can Yılmaz finally get to perform in London. The pair, who are known for their family-friendly comedy talk show Burda Olan Burda Kalır [‘What Happens Here Stays Here’], will be live at the Bloomsbury Theatre in central London at the end […]
