The Meaning of “You Are God’s Guest”: Turkish Hospitality

“The mentality of Turkish hospitality is, whatever religion you are from,

whichever country you come from, whatever language you speak,

you are god’s guest.”

[su_spacer size=”50″]

When you come visiting Turkey, no matter which place in special, you will be overwhelmed by a kind of hospitality you never experienced before. The people will go out of their way to assist and help you, wherever they can. During my stay in Istanbul I experienced that hospitality, which is a cornerstone of the Turkish way of life, many times, and learned to love it as one of the best things in Turkey.

Continue reading “The Meaning of “You Are God’s Guest”: Turkish Hospitality”

An Ultimade Guide to İstanbul’s Football Clubs

Football (Americans, read: soccer) in Turkey has a detailed and interesting story which began in the cities of Thessaloniki and Smyrna during the last years of the 19th century when some Englishmen living in the country started to play this sport. At the beginning, it was forbidden for the Turks, and so only the Greek and Armenian citizens could show interest to it. However, as the time passed, the Turks’ love for football outweighed their love for the sultan. When this was the case, the sport began to develop, and became organizational in the capital city of İstanbul. The first football league – Constantinople Football League – was played in 1904. Since then, oceans of football clubs have been established within the city, and while some won the favor of İstanbulities easily, others found almost no lover in such a city of millions.

In this article we’ll mention about İstanbul’s football clubs. To keep the list at a manageable length, we’ve only included İstanbul’s historical clubs, important local clubs, and the clubs that currently play in the Super League. Overall, 16 teams – Enjoy!

Continue reading “An Ultimade Guide to İstanbul’s Football Clubs”

Foreign Doctors on Duty in Istanbul

The regulations organizing foreign healthcare professionals’ work permit in Turkey went into operation on 22 February, 2012. 

Minister of Health have been appointing foreign doctors to Family Health Centers especially in the suburban areas of Istanbul since July, 2015. Foreign doctors’ arrival to Turkey lead to various arguments in public. According to the public opinion it is not so clear whether these doctors can speak Turkish fluently. On the other hand, their professional competence is uncertain according to the Chamber of Physicians’ claim.

The Chamber of Physicians submitted a petition to the Directorate of Public Health and asked for foreign doctors’ education and diplome equivalency certificate.

References: www.medikalakademi.com.tr

Mustafa Koç Passed Away

The chairman of Koç holding, Mustafa V. Koç passed away on 21 January at the American Hospital of Vehbi Koç Foundation. Koç Holding’s chairman of the board of directors, Mustafa Koç had a heart attack during his morning exercise in his house.

The doctors of American Hospital stated in the press release about Mustafa Koç’s health condition “We have lost Mr. Mustafa Koç despite all the attempts. He passed away because of a heart attack. We present our condolences.”

Koç Holding also made a statement and expressed “We are in deep grief as our chairman of the board of directors, Mr. Mustafa V. Koç has passed away today. We express our condolences.”

 

Koç Holding and Mustafa V. Koç

Koç Holding is one of the top industrial conglomerates in Turkey. Being Turkey’s one of the wealthiest families, Koç family controls the company from its headquarters in Nakkaştepe, Istanbul.

Mustafa Vehbi Koç was the chairman of Koç holding. After his grandfather Vehbi Koç and his father Rahmi Koç, he acceded to Koç holding. Mustafa V. Koç received his high school diploma in Switzerland and graduated from George Washington University in 1984. In 2003, he became the new chairman of the board of directors after his father.

How To Make Simit At Your Home

It is probably the most famous Turkish street food. For just one Turkish Lira you can hold centuries of Turkish cuisine in your hand. At first sight it might seem like a bagel to you, but simit is more than just a bagel. Simit comes along with a wider outside diameter, so its way bigger than a bagel but also more somehow more elegant. Outside they are really crispy and side soft and fluffy. The variety of different simit types is distinctive. Each region and even city tends to have its own version.

Continue reading “How To Make Simit At Your Home”

Swine Flu is in Istanbul!

Swine flu (Influenza A H1N1) was first detected in Mexico on March 2009. Subsequently, it spread throughout the world and it was considered as a Pandemic by WHO (World Health Organization) on 11 June, 2009. The flu showed up again in Turkey in December, 2015. Now, the alarm bells are ringing for Istanbul. On 9th January, Swine flu caused a man’s death in Istanbul. The victim Sabri Ö. applied to İstanbul Dr.Lütfi Kırdar Training and Research Hospital for Upper Respiratory Tract Infection and Fever. After his death, two other people applied to hospital for almost same reasons and dead in hospital. Thereby, victims of Swine Flu reached to three, and also there’s one person whose treatment is in progress in the same hospital. Therefore, the whole Istanbul is in panic. Authorities are warning citizens against H1N1.

Continue reading “Swine Flu is in Istanbul!”

İstanbul’s Imam Opens Up Mosque’s Doors to Stray Cats During The Winter

We all know that there are lots of cats wandering around the streets of İstanbul, but now you can even pray alongside with them! At the Aziz Mahmud Hüdayi Mosque (located in Üsküdar) The Imam Mustafa Efe has decided to open up the mosque’s doors to all the stray cats and kittens that are looking for a warmer place to spend these cold winter days.

Continue reading “İstanbul’s Imam Opens Up Mosque’s Doors to Stray Cats During The Winter”

369 Flights Were Cancelled

Due to heavy snowfall, Turkish Airlines (THY) and other airlines cancelled 369 flights in 2 days.

Due to the expected snowfall, Turkish Airlines (THY) cancelled 246 domestic and international flights in total on January 18. It was reported on their official websites that Atlasglobal Airlines cancelled 11, OnurAir cancelled 10, and Pegasus Airlines cancelled 26 flights.

For January 19, THY and Atlasglobal Airlines announced the cancellation of 69 and 7 flights respectively. Thus, the number of cancelled flights has reached 369 in 2 days.

On its official website “Due to the expected heavy snowfall in İstanbul Atatürk and Sabiha Gökçen Airports some of the domestic and international flights will be cancelled. Before the trip, passengers may learn the final situation about their flights on “turkishairlines.com” or from the call center “444 0 849”, THY stated.

 

How To Make Iskender At Your Home

Winters are here and just like me I know there are others who are extremely lazy to get out of their warm and cozy beds, however guys I have the perfect warm hearty winter satisfier for you. Living in turkey I know that Iskender is something that is very difficult to resist.  Being a doner dish that is cooked vertically on a steel rod I know it would be extremely difficult for one to do that at home. No one wants to go through the hassle of rotating the piece of meat again and again and then slicing it so Ladies and gentlemen here is the solution to the difficulties we all have been facing.

Continue reading “How To Make Iskender At Your Home”

The Bloody Sunday of Istanbul

1905 Saint Petersburg, 1920 Dublin, and 1969 Istanbul: These are a few examples of bloodstained blots in the modern history provoked by social and political conflicts and resulted in civil injuries and deaths in often notable urban places of the world. Called according to the day of occurrence, the “Bloody Sunday” still keep its place in the historical memory of that states.

Continue reading “The Bloody Sunday of Istanbul”

Explosion at Sultanahmet Square

A bomb was blasted at Sultanahmet Square at 10.20 in local time. Ambulances, the police and fire brigades were dispatched the area.

Extraordinary safety measures were taken in the area and tramway services were halted. The police covered the area with security cordon, investigated the scene and conducted a bomb search. According to initial reports, the governorship of Istanbul stated 11 people were dead and 16 people were wounded.

Police specialists started an investigation to find out what caused the explosion. Police helicopters also helped the investigation.

Meanwhile, tramway services between Beyazıt-Eminönü were halted. The police closed Sultanahmet Square’s surroundings to vehicle traffic.

Introduction to Turkish Soups

Soups may not be the star of the Turkish kitchen, but they are always the starter course of a typical Turkish meal and sometimes the favourite choice for breakfast. Turkish people developed a very rich variety of soups. Each made in various ways, in different regions, and with ingredients such as meat, chicken, legumes, flour, yoghurt, noodles, fish, black cabbage and fruits.

Continue reading “Introduction to Turkish Soups”

Journey through Nostalgia: Pascal Sébah of Istanbul

[su_quote cite=”Quote, ascribed to Sultan Abdülhamid the Second.”]Her fotoğraf bir fikirdir. Bazen tek bir fotoğraf, yüzlerce sayfalar dolusu yazıdan daha fazla siyasi ve duygusal önem taşıyabilir. İşte bu nedenle yazılı belgelerden ziyade fotoğrafların yardımına başvurmayı tercih ediyorum.

(Every photograph is an idea. Sometimes a single photograph conveys more political and emotional importance than thousands of pages full of writing. For this reason I prefer to appeal more to the help of photographs than to written documents.)[/su_quote]

Continue reading “Journey through Nostalgia: Pascal Sébah of Istanbul”

New Project for Narmanlı Inn

Narmanlı Inn is on the verge of a big change. The building will be renovated as part of a new project.

Eren Can, a lawyer volunteering with Beyoğlu City Defense, demanded that the inn be turned into a place where people can spend time, and the rooms which famous Turkish poets such as Bedri Rahmi, Ahmet Hamdi lived in be converted into a museum.

Continue reading “New Project for Narmanlı Inn”

The Healing Syrup of The Turks: Pekmez

On a hot summer day in Finike, best known for its oranges, the symbol of the town, my Turkish friend and I were walking down the aisle of farmers markets where the bright colours of fresh food mingled with their delicious scents creating a fairy-tale like atmosphere that completely absorbed us. For a moment a stallholder, who was an old and cheerful man, stopped us and invited us for Turkish tea. He said that our hippie-like look had attracted his attention. In the middle of the conversation that had begun with this stallholder, I began to look at what he was selling, seeing this, the stallholder began to talk about his goods in Turkish. I was waiting for the translation of this by my Turkish friend, but they themselves were preoccupied with looking at me and laughing. In the end everything became clear; what he sold was Harnup Pekmezi and what the old man was telling my friend was what the reputation of this product was known for – heightening arousal and sexual drive.

Continue reading “The Healing Syrup of The Turks: Pekmez”

Dolmas: A Turkish Staple

If you are lucky enough to find yourself invited to a home cooked Turkish dinner, you will find among the many mezes on offer, stuffed vine leaves or Dolmas. But don’t wait too long while perusing the dishes on offer, or you may find your fellow dinner guests have eaten them all. This dinner party disaster has happened to me on several occasions and I thought it was time to address the issue, and consider the humble Dolma for the diverse and delicious dish it is.

Continue reading “Dolmas: A Turkish Staple”

A Shop Managed by Workers

“Sweaters without a boss” is the slogan of Özgür Kazova Tekstil Co-op. The manager of Kazova Textile Factory in Şişli had disappeared without paying the salaries of the workers. In response, the workers started a boycott in February, 2013.

The boycott lasted for a while. Then, the workers repaired the machines that the manager could not take away. This boycott turned into a cooperative in time. They have been producing sweaters “without a boss” since November 17, 2014.

It is stated each product that one buys contributes to the co-op and helps it develop. The co-op is managed only by workers.

The products of Kazova is sold in Beyoğlu-Muaf and in Kadıköy-Son Gemi. They also started to sell their products on a online shopping platform.

Kokoreç Ko Ko Ko Ko!

“KOKOREÇ! KO KO KO KO!” I faintly notice the praising screams as I push myself through a narrow yet crowded lane in Beşiktaş. Little did I know at this point that what the proud food shop owners were selling was one of the most popular and infamous national dishes that the Turkish cuisine offers. I would have my chance though.

Continue reading “Kokoreç Ko Ko Ko Ko!”

Exit mobile version