Regaip Kandili – the Night of Wishes
The word regaip means wanting or desiring so Regaip Kandili is commonly referred to as the Night of Wishes. On this night believers say Allah opens up the doors of mercy. Followers seeking his...
View ArticleMarch 18, 1915 Allied attack on the Dardenelles
On this day in 1915 sixteen battleships, including six English and four French, set sail for the Dardenelles intending to wrest control of this vital waterway. The stakes were high as the strait had...
View ArticleMiraç Kandili – Muhammed Rises to Heaven
The word miraç in Arabic translates as ladder, to go up or rise. Muslims believe that on this night the Prophet Muhammed was taken from the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca to the Masjid al-Aqsa in Jerusalem...
View ArticleEmirgan Park
Nowadays Emirgan Park is known around the world for its famous tulip festival held in the grounds every April. Beds of these once priceless flowers cascade down the winding paths and slopes, blanketing...
View ArticleIstanbul New Airport – Transport Options
When Istanbul’s new airport in the district of Arnavutköy becomes fully operational in the not too distant future it’s expected to see 200 million passengers a year pass through its doors. It promises...
View ArticleAtatürk Youth and Sports Day
Anyone who follows my blog will know I’m a Kadıköy girl. It was the first district where I lived in Istanbul, and other than a brief six month foray on the other side, Kadıköy has always been my home...
View ArticleFall of Constantinople, May 29, 1453
If you’ve ever walked along the waterfront from Üsküdar to Salacak, you’re likely to have passed the number 1453 in big bright red letters. That was the year Mehmet II laid siege to Constantinople, the...
View ArticleProphet Muhammed, Cats & Istanbul
Anyone who’s ever visited Istanbul, even for the shortest time, will have seen a kedi (Turkish for cat) or two (hundred). It’s no surprise really, as the Turkish love of cats goes all the way back to...
View ArticleSirkeci Railway Museum
Tucked away in an almost overlooked corner of Sirkeci Railway Station in Istanbul, the one room Istanbul Railway Museum is a ferroequinologist’s (someone who studies trains) delight. In fact, even...
View ArticleTurkish Souvenirs – help yourself (and others) with a memento of your trip to...
The internet is full of lists of top ten, eleven best or simply must buy souvenirs from your trip to Turkey. Carpets, apple tea and nazar boncuk are high on the list, but I can’t fit any more Turkish...
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