All About Turkey

Turkish film wins award at Sundance

noreply@blogger.com (Burak Sansal) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 09:47:00 +0000

Turkish director Rasit Celikezer has been presented with the special jury award at the 12th Sundance Film Festival for his film “Can”. The film was selected as the Winner of the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Prize for Artistic Vision. The Sundance Film Festival is the premier showcase for independent films held each January in Park City, Utah - USA. The film previously won the Behlül Dal Jury Special Prize at the Golden Orange Film Festival organized in Antalya.

Latest population of Turkey

noreply@blogger.com (Burak Sansal) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 08:31:00 +0000

According to the Turkish Statistical Institude, as of 31 December 2011, Turkey's official population reached 74.724.269, marking an increase of 1.001.281 persons compared to the previous year.

The proportion of population living in Istanbul is 18,2% (13.624.240 persons). This province is followed by Ankara with 6,6% (4.890.893 persons), Izmir with 5,3% (3.965.232 persons), Bursa with 3,6% (2.652.126 persons) and Adana with 2,8% (2.108.805 persons), respectively. Population size of Bayburt as the least populated province in Turkey is 76.724.

Wi-Fi internet on Turkish Airlines

noreply@blogger.com (Burak Sansal) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:30:00 +0000

Turkish Airlines starts Wi-Fi internet access onboard on their Trans-Atlantic flights. Passengers are now able to access high-speed, unlimited Internet with laptops, tablets, smartphones or any other device that is WLAN-enabled. The internet service will initially be provided free of charge as an introductory offer, and then at the end of this period passengers will be able to buy the service with their credit card onboard.

Hatay is becoming a UNESCO World City of Gastronomy

noreply@blogger.com (Burak Sansal) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 11:10:00 +0000

The Mediterranean province of Hatay is now preparing to become a “World City of Gastronomy.” Hatay’s application to become a UNESCO World City of Gastronomy via its cuisine that includes 600 different dishes has been approved. A committee will come to the province in the coming days to complete formalities prior to the official designation.

There are also many sights in Turkey that are in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Selcuk Camel Wrestling matches

noreply@blogger.com (Burak Sansal) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 10:36:00 +0000

30th edition of Selcuk Camel Wrestling matches were held near Ephesus last weekend. Some 17-18 thousand spectators attended this year's show to see the matches between 116 bull camels. The winner of the Selcuk Camel Wrestling in 2012 is Çilgin Ozer (Crazy Ozer), which was the winner of the last 5 years.

As usual, this wrestling matches are pure fun with no harm to the camels.

China Culture Year in Turkey

noreply@blogger.com (Burak Sansal) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 12:14:00 +0000

2012 will be celebrated as "China Culture Year" in Turkey. During the culture year, various radio and cinema shows, educational events, acrobatic displays and puppet shows will showcase China's literature, art and cultural heritage in the Turkish cities of Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Bursa, Antalya, Mersin and Trabzon.

Hundreds of ancient Chinese artifacts will be displayed in Turkey, while Chinese orchestras will give concerts. A Chinese film week is also slated during the culture year.

In China, 2013 will be celebrated as “Turkey Culture Year.”

15 Destinations on the rise - Fethiye is #5

noreply@blogger.com (Burak Sansal) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 13:28:00 +0000

Trip Advisor has mentioned the 15 destinations around the world which are on the rise as tourist destinations and becoming very popular. One of them, at number 5, is Fethiye. You can read the full article at the original link.

Aspendos International Opera & Ballet Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Burak Sansal) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:51:00 +0000

19th edition of Aspendos International Opera & Ballet Festival will be held between 14 June - 15 September 2012. The location for the festival will be the ancient Roman theater in Aspendos, near Antalya. 2012 festival schedule will be as below:

June 14th: TURANDOT by Izmir State Opera and Ballet

June 20th RIGOLETTO by Estonian National Opera

June 25th PRINCE IGOR by Ekaterinburg Opera and Ballet Theater

June 30th LA TRAVIATA by South Korea Daegu Opera and Antalya State Opera and Ballet Orchestra and Chorus

July 4th ZORBA by Mersin - Samsun State Opera and Ballet

September 3rd MADAMA BUTTERFLY by China - Beijing Opera

September 6th LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR by Antalya State Opera and Ballet

September 10th SWAN LAKE by Directorate of State Opera and Ballet

September 15th TANNHAUSER by Ankara State Opera and Ballet

Performances will start at 21:00 in June and at 20:30 in September. Directorate General of the State Opera and Ballet can make modifications and changes in the programs without any prior notice.

Burak

International Antalya Jazz Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Burak Sansal) — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 13:58:00 +0000

The International Antalya Jazz Festival will be held between 20-24 July 2011 in Aspendos anfitheater near Antalya for the first time this year. Many jazz artists will attend the festival; Monica Molina, Lisa Ekdahl, Cesaria Evora, Macy Gray, Al di Meola World Sinfonia, Nino Katamadze, and Fahir Atakoglu.

The festival program is like this:

20 July: Mehmet ikiz trio featuring China Moses and Monica Molina
21 July: Nino Katamadze & Insight and Lisa Ekhdal
22 July: L’Orchestre de Contrebasses and Cesaria Evora
23 July: NY Gypsy All Stars and Macy Gray
24 July: Fahir Atakoğlu Trio and Al di Meola World Sinfonia

Selimiye Mosque in Edirne is in the World Heritage List

noreply@blogger.com (Burak Sansal) — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 13:09:00 +0000

The Selimiye Mosque Complex in Edirne is one of the best examples of famous architect Sinan who built it in the 16th century by the wish of Ottoman sultan Selim. In 27th of June 2011 the Mosque is acknowledged at the UNESCO's World Heritage List. With this new entry Turkey has 10 heritage sites in the List, out of 936 properties (as of June 2011). Here they are:

- Goreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia (acknowledged in 1985)
- Great (Ulu) Mosque and Hospital (Darüssifa) of Divrigi in Sivas (in 1985)
- Historic Areas of Istanbul (in 1985)
- Hattusha (Bogazkoy) - Hittite Capital (in 1986)
- Nemrut Mountain in Adiyaman (in 1987)
- Hierapolis - Pamukkale (in 1988)
- Xanthos - Letoon near Antalya (in 1988)
- City of Safranbolu (in 1994)
- Archaeological Site of Troy (in 1998)
- Selimiye Mosque Complex in Edirne (27 June 2011)

To see all heritage sites in Turkey on a map please click here.

To see the complete list of UNESCO please click here.

Four more Citta' Slow (Slow City) in Turkey

noreply@blogger.com (Burak Sansal) — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 11:31:00 +0000

In December 2009 Seferihisar town near Izmir was announced as the first Citta' Slow (Slow City) of Turkey. Now, as of June 2011, the Citta' Slow Commission has accepted four more Turkish towns as Slow City: Akyaka in the province of Mugla, Yenipazar in the province of Aydin, Gokceada Island near Canakkale, and Tarakli in the province of Sakarya.

With these last Turkish "Citta' Slow"s, Turkey is now rappresented in this commission with 5 cities/towns and thus will be hosting in Turkey the official global meeting of Citta' Slow in 2013.

"Slow City" (or Citta'slow in Italian), meaning that town has preserved its culture and heritage, its traditional buildings and locations, have less traffic (so, walking is a must), don't have junk-food (fast food), and so on. There are over 50 criteria to become a Slow City.

Bodrum Ballett Festival 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Burak Sansal) — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 15:27:00 +0000

9th edition of International Bodrum Ballett Festival will be held at Bodrum Castle between 15 August - 3 September, 2011. The program is below:

15.8.2011 Istanbul Mosaic
18.8.2011 I Don QUIXOTE
21.8.2011 Carmen
22.8.2011 Carmen
25.8.2011 ROCK & ROLL
26.8.2011 ROCK & ROLL
29.8.2011 Call of Mevlana
1.9.2011 LOS VIVANCOS 7 brothers
2.9.2011 LOS VIVANCOS 7 brothers
3.9.2011 LOS VIVANCOS 7 brothers

Erzurum is "One of the 41 places to go in 2011"

noreply@blogger.com (Burak Sansal) — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 14:15:00 +0000

The New York Times has published a list of the best places to go in 2011. These can be either some beach area, a cultural city, or a ski resort. The city of Erzurum and its ski resort Palandoken was selected as one of these 41 places to go in 2011. Here what the article says about Erzurum:

"Skiing in Turkey? A winter sports capital emerges in Anatolia.

Turkey may not be the first place people think of for skiing, but it’s got mountains — big, snowy ones. Now the government is making a push to turn Erzurum, a city of 785,000 in eastern Anatolia, into a winter sports capital in time for this month’s 2011 Winter Universiade (sort of an Olympics for university students). Two and a half miles from town lies the ski resort of Palandoken, which the Iranian skiers who come here know has the most challenging skiing in Turkey. Three lifts have been added to the bald mountain that rises nearly 3,000 feet from its base to its summit at 10,498. The number of runs is a modest 18 — but the fun skiing is off-piste, between the runs, on Palandoken’s 2,200 acres.

About 11 miles from Erzurum sits the new Konakli Ski Resort, which opened this winter with six chairlifts and 3,000 acres of skiing. A new five-star hotel is scheduled to open next season; until it does, rent a car for day trips and stay at Palandoken’s Renaissance Polat Erzurum Hotel."

Canakkale Biennial Sept 20 - Oct 10

noreply@blogger.com (Burak Sansal) — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 08:02:00 +0000

The 2nd edition of the Canakkale Biennial will be held between September 20th and October 10th, 2010.

During this cultural event there will be many exhibitions of paintings, sculptures, photography, dance shows, educational programmes, workshops etc with the participation of artists from 30 different countries.

All these cultural events will be displayed at various locations, such as The Naval Museum Art Gallery, The Yacht Club Marina, The Old Church, shopping centers, depots, old houses and open spaces.

If you happen to be in Canakkale during that period you can enjoy some cultural events besides the historic sites such as Gallipoli and Troy.

International Aegean Yacht Rally, July 18-30

noreply@blogger.com (Burak Sansal) — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 14:06:00 +0000

The 5th International Aegean Yacht Rally, organized by Setur Marinas in order to present Aegean Sea to the yachtsmen from all over the world and support yachting and sailing in Aegean waters, will set sail 18 - 30 July 2010. The race will start from Kusadasi marina, passing from Greek islands, ending at Marmaris marina.

Antalya Sand Sculptures Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Burak Sansal) — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 12:20:00 +0000

International Antalya Sand Sculptures festival will be open between April 20th - November 20th, 2010. The event is located at Lara beach in Antalya, easily accessible by pubblic transportation or taxis from Antalya center.

Aspendos International Opera & Ballet Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Burak Sansal) — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 13:51:00 +0000

XVII Aspendos International Opera and Ballet Festival will be held in Aspendos ancient theater near Antalya between June 8th - July 1st, 2010.

2010 Japan Year in Turkey

noreply@blogger.com (Burak Sansal) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 22:08:00 +0000

2010 is the "Japan Year" in Turkey. Many activities such as Japanese movies, exhibitions, events etc. will take place in several provinces of Turkey like Istanbul, Izmir, Mersin, Ankara, Safranbolu and Kaman. The "2010 Japan Year in Turkey" marks 120th anniversary of Turkish-Japanese relations.

Kremlin's treasures at Topkapi palace

noreply@blogger.com (Burak Sansal) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 20:00:00 +0000

Treasures from Moscow's Kremlin Palace will be on display at the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul between March 12th and June 7th, 2010, as a part of "Istanbul European Capital of Culture of 2010" activities. The exhibition includes works of art from the 16th and 17th centuries.

Istanbul 2010 European Culture Capital

noreply@blogger.com (Burak Sansal) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 13:48:00 +0000

In 2010, Istanbul is the European Capital of Culture together with Pecz in Hungary and Ruhr in Germany. This is an important title given by the European Union for a period of one calendar year during which the chosen city is given a chance to show its cultural life and cultural development to the rest of the world.

During 2010, many artists and cultural groups, both local and international, will be visiting Istanbul at various stages for cultural showscases, events, displays, exhibitions, concerts, arts, and so on.

Don't miss this great cultural event of the year.

New terminal at Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen airport

noreply@blogger.com (Burak Sansal) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:31:00 +0000

Sabiha Gokcen Airport (SAW), located on the Asian side of Istanbul, opened its new International Terminal complex on 31 October 2009, which will be operation starting from November 9th. It's said that the new terminal will multiply airport’s annual capacity to a 25 million passengers, and more international flights will land and depart from this airport.

The new terminal has a hotel, a big food court area and a big duty free shopping area at international standards.

U2 in Istanbul on September 6th, 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Burak Sansal) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 09:39:00 +0000

Following the success of the 2009 tour, U2 have confirmed that the 360° Tour will continue in 2010.

European fans who missed out this year will have a new opportunity to experience the 360° Tour with stops confirmed in Germany, Denmark, Finland, Russia, Austria, Greece, Turkey, France, Brussels, Spain and Portugal.

The concert in Istanbul will be held on 6th of September 2010 at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium.

Istanbul Biennial Sep-Nov 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Burak Sansal) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 10:37:00 +0000

The 11th edition of International Istanbul Biennial will be held between 12 September - 8 November 2009 in Istanbul. It will be curated by What, How & for Whom (WHW), a non-profit organization for visual culture and curators’ collective based in Zagreb, Croatia.

The Biennial is one of the most important cultural events of Istanbul which is housed in several venues around the old and new city (such as the Underground Cistern, Hagia Irene and the imperial mint inside the Topkapi Palace, Taksim-Beyoglu etc).

This is an important cultural event, and in 2010 Istanbul will be the Cultural Capital of Europe, a huge cultural event in the continent.

Istanbul Formula 1 race in 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Burak Sansal) — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 09:45:00 +0000

In 2009 Istanbul Formula 1 race will be held between June 5-7 at Istanbul Park race circuit. This is one of the most popular motor sport events around the world.

Most of the hotels in Istanbul are already fully booked for this period.

Intercontinental Istanbul Marathon, 26 Oct

noreply@blogger.com (Burak Sansal) — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 09:42:00 +0000

30th edition of the Intercontinental Istanbul Eurasia Marathon will be run on two continents on 26 October 2008, Sunday. It starts from the Asian side of Istanbul, and ends on the European side of the city.

Besides the 42km marathon, there is also a 10km public run with the participation of hundreds of thousands of people. This gives great images on the Bosphorus bridge.