Sultanahmet Square (Sultanahmet Meydanı) had been the center of three different emperor periods. Sultanahmet Square’s name was “Hippodrome” (Hipodrom) during the Byzantine and Roman Empires and it was called “Horse Square” (At Meydanı) during the Ottoman Empire. In this region, the most magnificent structures, like Serpentine Column, and Obelisk, were built by these empires thanks to this feature. Hippodrome was …
Istanbul has a history of about 3,000 years. Throughout history, this city has been known by different names: Byzantium, Constantinople, and Istanbul. In 638 BC, the King Byzas came to the Sarayburnu region. The migrating Greek colony had settled here. The founder of the city, Byzas, gave it the name Byzantium. During the time of the Roman Empire (324 AD), …
The two historic cities of Venice and Istanbul are often mentioned together, especially regarding the Middle Ages, although the distance between them is 1719 kilometers. These two old cities become an inseparable whole when the relations between the Ottoman and Venetian are examined. This relationship is almost like love which unites great friendships as well as great enmity. Many similarities …
It is estimated that the settlement in Istanbul dates back to 3000 years with the recent excavations. The city was engraved in the memory of world history with the name of Constantinople during the prehistoric times and the period of foundation. The city was also home to the Eastern Roman Empire. Istanbul was raided many times throughout its history, and …
There are great routes that can take you away from the rat race and crowds of Istanbul for a day. At most, 3 hours of travel will be enough for these sightseeing routes around Istanbul.
The food culture of a city actually includes both food and beverage. That’s why the more varied and complex settlement pockets there are in a city, the more ethnic varieties in food and beverages that one can find there. Istanbul has many different street foods a visitor can try and feel the culture.
For millions of viewers across Turkey, the films of Kemal Sunal are less a body of cinema than a shared memory – broadcast and rebroadcast so many times that whole generations can recite the punchlines before they land. Yet behind the slapstick and the famously guileless grin lies a recurring social argument, one that becomes clearest in how these films portray …
For centuries, one of the most feared words a person could hear was the name of a disease that slowly numbed the nerves, scarred the skin, and reshaped the face and hands. In the Turkish-Islamic world that disease was called cüzzam – leprosy. Yet the way the Ottomans dealt with it tells a surprisingly humane story, one preserved today mostly in …
Hıdırellez falls on May 5-6, 2026 – the night when, according to centuries-old Anatolian tradition, the prophets Hızır and İlyas meet on Earth and the world tips from winter into summer. It’s one of Turkey’s oldest and most quietly magical celebrations, and you don’t need to be religious – or even Turkish – to take part. This guide covers what Hıdırellez is, where the …
In the late 1950s, the world stood unknowingly on the edge of one of the greatest medical disasters in modern history. A small white pill -marketed as safe, gentle, even suitable for pregnant women- was about to permanently alter thousands of lives. Its name was thalidomide. What followed would reshape global pharmaceutical regulation forever. And in Türkiye, a largely forgotten …