Practical
What (Not) to Do In a Mosque
Visiting a mosque should be on your Istanbul sightseeing list. Muslims must follow certain rules inside the mosques. But even as a non-Muslim, you are expected to respect some rules during your visit. Here is
Sugar Feast or Şeker Bayramı – the End of Ramadan
The Sugar Feast (Şeker Bayramı or Eid ul-Fitr) is the three day festival following Ramadan. Eid ul-Fitr is the Arabic name of this religious holiday. Eid meaning “festivity” and Fitr meaning “original nature.” It refers
Istanbul During Ramadan
Ramadan (Ramazan) is the holy month of Islam. In this period the holy book Kuran was sent to Muhammed. And in Kuran, those who are not sick or travelling are ordered to honor and fast
Istanbul Festivals and Events
Winter apart, Istanbul is awash with art festivals and music events, giving visitors a vast amount of choice when it comes to entertainment. The purpose of this article is not to list every single Istanbul
250 Useful Turkish Words and Expressions for Tourists
Knowing a few basic Turkish words and expressions will not only please locals, it will also come in handy during your stay. Turks will try their best to help you, but not all Turks speak
Turkish Language and Pronunciation Rules (for Tourists)
Turkish is a phonetic language. This basically means that it is spoken the way it is written, and vica versa. To accomplish that, in 1928 Atatürk introduced a phonetic variant of the Latin alphabet. The
Where (Not) to Celebrate New Year in Istanbul?
Celebrating New Year in Istanbul (Yılbaşı / Yeni Yıl) is a great idea. Turkey’s metropolitan is bustling all year round, but definitely goes the extra mile to welcome the new year. Every venue wants to
Celebrating Christmas in Istanbul — Pros and Cons
The roots of Santa Claus lay in Turkey, to be precise in Patara near Myra. Already in the 4th century A.D.E. St Nicholas dropped bags of money down the chimneys to help people. But today,
