I’m a member of a lot of Facebook travel groups and I frequently see people asking for recommendations for the best authentic, non-touristy hamam spas in Istanbul. I live in Istanbul and have been to hamam here and elsewhere in Turkey, so thought I’d share what I know. Hamam history The idea of going to…
April in Turkey sees the start of spring, and nothing says life is for living better than displays of colourful flowers. The Istanbul Tulip Festival delivers this and more, with tulips growing in a former private garden belonging to the Ottoman Sultans or cascading down the banks of the Bosphorus in a public park in…
Summers in Istanbul are hot and humid so when I have to be out and about I always try to combine errands with a bit of exploring. I was a winter baby so heat and I don’t get on. This year summer started early so when I headed to Üsküdar in the last week of…
Kurban Bayram, known as Eid el-Adha in Arabic, is the most important Islamic festival of the year in the Muslim world. It falls about seventy days after Ramazan and the start dates for each are determined by the Muslim calendar, thus changing every year. Traditionally, all Muslims are expected to mark this occasion by sacrificing…
Turkey has a long and rich history easily seen in thousands of mosques, fountains, palaces and graveyards throughout the country. Library shelves groan under the weight of academic studies and research papers while internet sites and tourist guides abound, providing large swathes of information explaining important events and grand occasions. However within those places and…
Embracing uncertainty and community in the time of Coronavirus Turkey officially announced its first recorded case of Coronavirus late, on March 10, 2020. The next day the World Health Organization declared it a pandemic. From the beginning many countries, their politicians and their media have framed the pandemic in combative terms, using the idea that…
I’m an Australian living in Istanbul and like many people here in Coronavirus Turkey, daily life is very different. I haven’t been out other than to buy food since March 14. Every day I read the contradictory medical reports about the Coronavirus on the news, see the rise in infections and deaths and like everyone,…
The word miraç in Arabic translates as ladder, to go up or rise. Muslims believe that on the night of Miraç Kandili the Prophet Muhammed was taken from the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca to the Masjid al-Aqsa in Jerusalem and from there passed into heaven via Sidretul Munteha, which even the Angel Gabriel could not…
The word regaip means wanting or desiring so Regaip Kandili is commonly referred to as the Night of Wishes. On this night believers say Allah opens up the doors of mercy. Followers seeking his forgiveness and kindness mark the occurrence with special prayers. Believers seeking to repent from their sins will also fast on this…
Mevlid Kandili is one of the five holy nights on the Muslim calendar called kandil. This night commemorates the birth of the Prophet Muhammed. In the Muslim world, the week preceding Mevlid Kandili is one of prayer, celebration and reflection. The focus is on the value of humanity and compassion, mercy and justice, patience, fortitude…