Features

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How to open a bank account in North Cyprus 

With savings rates of up to 5% for accounts in sterling, a personal bank account in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) can seem like an attractive prospect. Some, with a second home, may want the convenience of a current account and associated bank card from which to make online trans...

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Why the second phase of Turkey’s Peace Operation in Cyprus was necessary

On 14 August, 1974, Turkey commenced the second phase of its military intervention in Cyprus. The order was famously given in a coded message referring to the daughter of the then Foreign Affairs Minister Turan Güneş. “Tell Mr Güneş that Ayşe can go on holiday,” was the secret signal given by the...

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Remembering Cengiz Topel and the Erenköy Resistance

The struggle to survive has defined much of the recent history of Turkish Cypriots, with the Erenköy Resistance of 1964 among their most famous battles. A major milestone that occurred early on in the 11-year Cyprus Conflict, the Battle of Erenköy not only highlighted the bravery and resilience of t...

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Inside Istanbul’s incredible new airport

On 5 April, the world witnessed the single biggest move in aviation history. Dozens of aircraft, each weighing 44 tons, and 10,000 pieces of equipment weighing approximately 47,300 tons were transported on five thousand trucking rigs from Atatürk Airport to Istanbul Airport. Less than 48 hours later...

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Former head of Turkish Cypriot Women’s Aid Committee Suzan Hamit dies

Muazzez Suzan Hamit, one of the British Turkish Cypriot community’s key activists during the 1960s and early 1970s, has died in London aged 76. She had been battling with serious ill-health for a number of years and was rushed to Whipps Cross University Hospital late on Friday night, after being...

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We remember: the extraordinary life and work of Türkan Saylan

One of Turkey’s most exceptional women passed away ten years ago today, 18 May 2009. Türkan Saylan was a doctor, educator and civil society activist, made famous first for her fight to eradicate leprosy and later for establishing Çağdaş Yaşamı Destekleme Derneği, ÇYDD (Association for the Support of...

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Your essential guide to Ramazan and why it’s important to Muslims

Today millions of Muslims around the world have started to fast during daylight hours. This period of abstinence will last for one month. Known as Ramazan in Turkish, or Ramadan, this month is regarded as the holiest in the Muslim calendar as it is believed this was when the Ku’ran was first reve...

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No way out? 15 years after Greek Cypriot voters dashed Cyprus unification hopes, why TRNC recognition is becoming the ‘default’ position

On 24 April, 2004, Turkish Cypriots voted in favour of uniting the island of Cyprus in historic referendums on what was dubbed the ‘Annan Plan’. But the United Nations blueprint for a federal solution remained just that after Greek Cypriots overwhelmingly rejected it – and were rewarded with Europea...

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Why is there such a lack of diversity in Turkish fashion media?

This weekend, from 20 to 21 April 2019, the second edition of Istanbul Modest Fashion Week will take place in its glorious home city. Launching to much anticipation from the media, influencers and the public alike, Istanbul Modest Fashion Week (IMFW) is going to be bigger than ever, with a host of t...

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Turkish Cypriots, UN Resolution 186 of 4 March 1964, and the start of the embargoes

Fifty five years ago today, the United Nations (UN) Security Council passed a resolution, the ramifications of which continues to be felt decades later. Three years after the independence of Cyprus from British rule, leaders of the Greek Cypriot community initiated their notorious Akritas Plan, whi...

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