Any visitor to Turkey will know how important music is to the local culture. From Turkish pop to Ottoman-inspired classical music (Türk Sanat Müziği), folk (Halk Müziği) and the blues (Türkü), live renditions can be seen and heard everywhere. One of the country’s biggest modern entertainment traditions has been the gazino – a high-end cabaret […]
In March, the world as we know it came to a crashing halt. The coronavirus pandemic was taking hold in all four quarters of the planet, prompting governments to take drastic actions to contain the deadly disease. Borders, air space and businesses were closed, and people were ordered to stay indoors as our hospitals became […]
The Mid Summer Ball (MSB) is one of the most famous club nights in modern Turkish Cypriot history, helping to bring a slice of the London underground to North Cyprus since 2004. Every summer, this mega event, attended by thousands of people, flies in dozens of leading House and Garage DJs and MCs to perform […]
Roots The effects of the French Revolution in 1789 reached the Ottoman Empire nearly fifty years later. Starting from 1839 until 1876, during the regression period of Ottoman Empire, a set of reforms were implemented to modernise, centralise and improve the legal, economic, social and political structure of the government, which was called the Tanzimat […]
On this day twenty years ago, actor Kemal Sunal suffered a fatal heart attack as he boarded an early morning domestic flight from Istanbul to the Black Sea city of Trabzon. He was just 55 years old. Sunal is said to have had a lifelong fear of flying and had not been on a plane […]
Based on the mystery about the world’s oldest temple Göbekli Tepe, acclaimed TV drama Atiye (The Gift) was the most popular series of the year 2019 on Netflix Turkey, despite only being released on 27 December*. The second Netflix original Turkish series, Atiye was given the thumbs up by non-Turkish audiences and was recommended by […]
A 5-minute video by Dowan Ahmet warning about the dangers of coronavirus and offering tips for “these uncertain times” has gone viral. Addressed to “the Class of 2020”, Ahmet’s clip has been watched by over ten thousand people. His tribute to “healthcare professionals and other frontline staff” who “risk their lives so you don’t have […]
The co-founders of Dalston’s Arcola Theatre have received the Off West End Special Achievement Award for their work staging outstanding theatre for the past 20 years. Mehmet Ergen, Arcola’s Artistic Director, and Leyla Nazli, an Executive Producer, received the award at the Off West End Awards ceremony at Battersea Arts Centre on Sunday 8 March […]
B Young has seen his new single Wine enter the British pop charts at number 35. It is the third hit single for the young British born Turkish Cypriot rapper from Hackney, East London. The slow-tempo song has already chalked up over 1.3 million views following its release on 13 February, entering the UK Official […]
In almost every speech, Gaye strongly asserts she’s fighting the “Geography is destiny” saying, aphorised by Ibn-i Haldun in the 14th Century. Is this a pertinent remark for Turkey and Turkish artists? In a way it is. Turkey has had many economic, social and geopolitical issues over the years. With its central location as a passage […]
