One the quirky features I love about Istanbul are tombs dedicated to dede or senior dervishes that turn up in the most unusual places. A dervish is a member of a Muslim religious order who has taken vows of poverty and austerity. Most often associated with the Sufi religious order, there are various orders of…
Tucked away on the slopes up behind the port of Harem on the Asian side of Istanbul, almost hidden by heavy containers and giant cranes, is the little visited Haydarpasa Cemetery. Dating back to 1855 when the Turkish Government gave the site to the British Government, it contains about six thousand graves of victims of…
The complete version of “Antique Street Kadikoy” is available in the 2nd edition ofInside Out In Istanbul: Making Sense of the City. For as long as I can remember, Tellalzade Sokak in Kadikoy on the Asian side of Istanbul, has never been referred to by its registered name. Streets in Turkey are called after a…
Istanbul in summer can be very hot. We couldn’t always go away on holidays so spent our Sundays in Fenerbahce Park. Here’s how we’d typically spend the day. “… To reach the water we have to walk past tables occupied by Turkish families. Most of them turn and stare at our mixed groups of foreigners…
Come explore the Asian side of Istanbul! One day it’s business as usual at the local market, and the next day life’s a party with singing and dancing in the streets. Welcome to my neighbourhood, welcome to Goztepe Istanbul … Planning to come to Istanbul or Turkey? Here are my helpful tips for planning your…
Living in Istanbul … “Each day certain sounds can be heard echoing down my street. Early in the morning I hear the eskici come through. These buyers of old wares and junk roam the streets dragging or pushing two-wheeled, flat barrow carts, calling out “eskici, eskici”, buying old books, lamps, bric-a-brac and knickknacks. The items…
Despite the heat of summer I decided to prowl the backstreets of Rasimpasa Kadikoy. This neighbourhood sits between the popular and well known centre of Kadikoy, and the now very hipster Yeldegirmeni neighbourhood. Foundation stones like this one are living proof of one of the many minority groups that lived in Rasimpasa Kadikoy in the…