A song for Hasankeyf by Aynur Doğan

Newroz

video - Kardeş Türküler Newroz

What's on - March

 on, Festival time!

A real manifestation of Istanbul’s multicultural history, the Bakla Horani Festival will be celebrated again for the second time on 7 March after a 69-year hiatus. The once 120000 strong community is down to 3000 these days but they are reviving old traditions. The originally 3-day festival of the Greek Orthodox community used to be held just before the 40-day fast preceding Easter. An important feature are the masks and of course all the music, food and drinks. The carnival procession will start from Şişli Belediyesi Emekliler Evi at 8pm and finish at Kurtuluş Spor Külübü Hall, where the festivities will continue into the night. Don’t miss this unique event and send us your report!

What's on - February

!F, the Istanbul International Independent Film Festival is being organised for the 10th time between 17-27 February. A wide range of cutting edge international and Turkish films are on the programme, most of which were produced in 2010. In order to take contemporary films to the countryside, organisers joined forces with an online cinema website and civil organisations. Screenings will be held in 23 cities in Turkey, many of which lack a cinema altogether, and also in Ramallah, Tbilisi, Gymri. Workshops (in Turkish, English and French) on film making and current trends are also organised, some with the contribution of the Sundance Film Institute and Labs. The !F Rainbow party will be held at Babylon and Nublu on 25 February.

Children singing at Beyaz su

Entertaining visitors and generating family income ...

Sunday relaxation - let your hair down Turkish-style

 

People in Turkey love picnics. They take every opportunity to go outside with family and friends, taking the samovar, all kinds of food, and maybe a small portable barbecue. They have a meal, drink endless glasses of tea, chat, might even take an instrument, and play music, but it’s very likely that they would burst into songs at one point.

Beyaz su (Ava Spî) is a very popular picnic spot in the Midyat area. It’s located at Sivrice (Dalîn) village between Midyat and Nusaybin, but people even from Mardin and Diyarbakir flock here for a relaxing day spent with chatting and music, eating freshly barbecued fish.

What to see in Istanbul in January

Istanbul may have said farewell to being the European Capital of Culture and passed the title over to Turku and Tallin but it remains the vibrant city it has always been. Istanbul has been named as the most dynamically developing city and elected as the most popular future travel destination (see here). Once you’re done with the usual must-sees, there still is a lot more on offer. Istanbul keeps its buzz, and offers cultural events showcasing everything from traditional heritage to the latest innovations and moves in arts let it be visual or music.

So, a taster of what to see and listen to in January: