cafebabel.com

Alcohol ban? Istanbul cafes versus Turkish authorities

('Alice Ravenscroft',) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 17:00:00 -0000

This summer a new broom was sweeping clean the streets of Istanbul – as well as the country’s football and armed forces. Who’s wielding the broom? What ‘rubbish’ are they trying to get rid of? ‘Turkey eats dirt’ is cafebabel.com’s response to the summer ‘dust up’ by the Turkish authorities. The final in our three-part series: Turkey cracks down on those famously dangerous things, street cafes

Fenerbahce, Besiktas, Trabzonspor: playtime over for Turkey's big football clubs

('Culturissima',) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 18:02:06 -0000

For more than a month now a new broom has been sweeping clean the streets of Istanbul – as well as the country's football and armed forces. But who’s wielding the broom? What ‘rubbish’ are they trying to get rid of? ‘Turkey eats dirt’ is cafebabel.com's response to the summer ‘dust up’ by the Turkish authorities. Read the first of three articles in a series on the shake-up of the nation’s football

Easter in Istanbul with Turks and Turkish Armenians

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 10:15:00 -0000

When Turkish Armenian soldier Sevak Shahin Balikci was accidentally shot dead by an army colleague on 24 April, both Turks and Armenians came together to pay their respects. 24 April also marks the fact that easter coincides with the commemorations for the Ottoman-era genocides of Turkey's Armenian minority for the first time. There are positive signs that relations may be improving in Istanbul, especially since assassinated Turkish Armenian journalist Hrant Dink's killer was sentenced on 25 July

Huzun, bourgeois, opposites: what is Orhan Pamuk’s Turkey?

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 11:49:05 -0000

Negotiations over Turkey’s accession to the European union began in 2006 but Europeans remain on their guard; the fear of the unknown is well known. The nobel literature prizewinner is one of Turkey’s main figureheads though he was accused of insulting Turkish identity. View from Poland

Sorry, we’re women: inside Istanbul’s modern-traditional Blue Mosque

('Caroline Prosser',) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 18:22:50 -0000

Guards make sure that everyone picks up a carrier bag and takes their shoes off before placing even a toe onto the carpeted steps of the Blue Mosque. We’re three German, British and Polish tourists who have come prepared with headscarves, but inside we see lots of bare-headed female tourists

Gay culture in Istanbul: ‘We have the balls to say it out loud’

('Federico Iarlori',) — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 12:37:51 -0000

Together with his partner, Sakir Yilmaz claims to be the owner of the first ‘openly’ gay bar-restaurant, Frappe Istanbul, in the famous party neighborhood of Beyoğlu. Interview

Islam for beginners: first stop Istanbul

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 15:45:00 -0000

Hanging out on the streets of Turkey’s European capital can be an exotic experience for those who haven’t had too much contact with islamic culture. University lecturer and islamic history expert Anas Eryarsoy takes us though everything we wanted to know, but were too afraid to ask

Turkey-Israel: credibility and question of anti-semitism

('Karis Eaglestone',) — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 11:18:48 -0000

Since heavy criticism from the Turkish side after the Israeli attack on a Gaza aid ship on 31 May, relations between the two states have entered a further ice age. There has been rising concern in Europe that Turkey is increasingly turning away from the west. A babelian political theorist explains the problems inherent to the Turkish response

Europe feels Turkey is moving away from the west

('euro topics',) — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 10:00:00 -0000

When Turkey harshly criticised Israel for its military assault on a flotilla carrying international aid in the Mediterranean, the European press accused them of double standards. The Lithuanian, Italian and Spanish media fear that the country is turning away from Europe and the west

A brief history: döner kebab, fair ambassador to Turkey?

('Suna Ekmekcioglu',) — Wed, 26 May 2010 14:53:26 -0000

One of the most popular late night snacks in Europe is the flag bearer of Turkish cuisine outside of Turkey. Is this a source of pride or sorrow for the Turks? Plus, a recipe for green beans in olive oil

Turkey and the Dervish’s Islam

('Media Consulta',) — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 14:41:45 -0000

A tale of experiences and impressions from Anatolia - a place where there are not just Arabs, and finding a symbol of the EU