Ottoman Without Empire
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Şu an sultan olmak için yapmam gereken tek şey önümdeki 16 adamı öldürmek
Yarı İngiliz, yarı Türk komedyen Naz Osmanoğlu’nun stand-up gösterisindeki favori cümlesi bu. İroniyle söylese de teknik olarak gerçeklik payı var zira Osmanlı Hanedanı’ndan geliyor. Onunla bu akşam İstanbul’da sahneleyeceği şovu öncesinde telefonla konuştuk: “Benim için dede evi, onlar için Dolmabahçe Sarayı... Ziyarete gittim, girmek için para ödedim. Yalnız, iyi hayat yaşamış bizimkiler...”
#Naz Osmanoğlu
US, Turkey discuss Karabakh issue
Washington - The normalization talks between Turkey and Armenia and efforts to solve the Karabakh conflict are the focus of a telephone conversation between the presidents of Turkey and the US. Ankara and Washington will continue to work together on common problems, the White House says.
Atıl Kutoğlu - Fashion designer extraordinaire Keeping residents of city chic
ISTANBUL - Atıl Kutoğlu went to Vienna to study business administration and has found himself atop the world of fashion design. Blending art, culture and a range of textiles, Kutoğlu has made a name for himself and his flagship Istanbul store.
Hande Bozdoğan - training tomorrow’s top chefs
ISTANBUL - Turkish cuisine is one of the richest cuisines in the world. It owes this to the large geography of the Ottoman Empire and the different ethnic identities within it. Also, we live in a very lucky climate with four seasons and many delicious ingredients. Given all of this, there is so much to do and to improve.
Traveling along the southern side of historical Golden Horn
ISTANBUL - The estuary of two small rivers that come from the Belgrade Forest, the Golden Horn historically provided a great basin before it flowed into the Sea of Marmara. In the 19th century, the Ottoman Empire’s attempts to imitate the West and industrialize led to factories being built along the Golden Horn. Ongoing efforts starting in the 1980s have helped clean the water and today people can enjoy the parks that extend most of the length of the Golden Horn’s southern side.
State TV readies to air Armenian
ANKARA - The signal remains strong for reconciliation between Turkey and Armenia as the Turkish state broadcaster’s head of radio reveals plans to begin TV broadcasts in the Armenian-language within a year. ’I sincerely am working for the common future of the two peoples,’ says a member of the broadcasting team.
Mother of all problems
From time to time I have been stressing in this column that because of various factors including its geopolitical location, size, a diverse population of over 70 million people, and of course not so good governance, Turkey has a huge list of serious problems. The most pressing and indeed important one of these problems is obviously education.
Turkish-Armenian deal on course, Clinton says
WASHINGTON - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says in a press conference that the process between Turkey and Armenia aiming to normalize their ties continues positively. Although there have been no concrete steps taken by either state since late April, Clinton says Washington strongly supports the process including a road map.
An affordable Anatolian meal in historic Süleymaniye
ISTANBUL - The busy Tarihi Süleymaniyeli Kurufasulyeci Erzincanlı Ali Baba restaurant across from the Süleymaniye Mosque has been serving up affordable and surprisingly tasty food since 1924. Owner Adnan Güzel and his crew focus on what they have done best for many generations: traditional haricot beans and rice cooked over charcoal in copper containers.
After Nazım Hikmet’s footsteps in Boris Park
SOFIA - During Nazım Hikmet’s years in exile, the most bitter moments are spent close to home on visits to Bulgaria. The similarities of the place drive him crazy: the smells, the food, the Turkish spoken by the minority. On the 46th anniversary of his death, one cannot help but salute his poetry.
You’ve got mail, Your Excellency! (II)
Last week, this column was host to an expatriate reader’s widely "optimistic" comments on Turkey’s new (or, rather, newly formalized) foreign policy czar. Today, there is another expatriate guest, with rather more "cautious" comments on Ahmet Davutoğlu as our new foreign minister.
’Gül and Erdoğan differ on Armenia’
WASHINGTON - Gül and Erdoğan differ on their opinions on the opening of the Turkey-Armenia border, says a US expert. The politicians defend their views, with Gül saying normalizations would continue ’without preconditions’ and PM asking Armenia to first end its occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh
A peace-instilling Ottoman yard returns: the Valide-i Atik Complex
ISTANBUL - The Valide-i Atik Complex is one of the last works of Mimar Sinan, the renowned chief architect of the Ottoman Empire during the period when it was at its height. Valide-i Atik means ’the old mother of a sultan’ and refers to one of the more famous - or, perhaps, infamous - mothers to ever inhabit the imperial harem, Nurbanu Sultan
Spain making its amends after 500 years
ANKARA - Spain amends its civil code to grant citizenship to members of Turkey’s Sephardi Jewish community, whose ancestors were expelled from that country more than 500 years ago. Some have utilized the opportunity, not to settle in Spain, but to enjoy benefits of the EU.
Transition
The other night, on the Al Jazeera International channel, there was a debate on the place of military in Turkish society, relations between the military and civilian administration, how Turkey will balance out secular and Islamist fundamentalism, and establish cohesive democratic, secular governance adhering to the principle of supremacy of law.
A piece of Poland in Istanbul
ISTANBUL -In the most difficult times for Poles, they were given a chance to cultivate their traditions in a peaceful settlement near Istanbul, which is Polonezköy or Adampol. After the first generation of Polish settlers, the story of Polonezköy continued in the 20th century
Implicit 'genocide' threat lies behind Turkey-Armenia breakthrough
ISTANBUL - The threat of a word is behind the breakthrough after years of diplomatic strife between Turkey and Armenia. President Obama’s insistence about the alleged genocide convinced Turkey to sign on to the road map declared just before the annual April 24 address, sources say
’Erdoğan didn’t explain events of 1915 properly’
ANKARA - Leaders of the opposition parties lay the blame for what they see as Barack Obama’s one-sided and damaging statement on the events of 1915 on Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and President Abdullah Gül’s failure to explain the Turkish side of events properly. They also criticize the government’s foreign policy initiatives
’No preconditions to succeed in talks’
YEREVAN - The former foreign minister of Armenia, between 1991 and 1992 right after the country’s independence under the leadership of Levan Ter-Petrosyan, says that success in the reconciliation talks between Turkey and Armenia requires both sides to withdraw their preconditions
National sovereignty
Many countries have "national sovereignty" celebrations in various forms. Some mark it as "constitution day," while some celebrate it as a "national day" marking the end of the occupation, or some as the start of their independence campaign. It is a very important term, of course, for those who can understand or who are aware of how painful the absence of national sovereignty might be.
Right-leaning party wins in northern Cyprus elections
ANKARA - Turkish Cypriot voters sweep out the ruling party in elections even though there has been much progress in negotiations toward reunification of the divided island of Cyprus. The opposition UBP now holds the majority in parliament. Experts cite economic dissatisfaction as a main reason behind the results.
Identities forged on battleground
ISTANBUL - While April 25 will see thousands of Australians and New Zealanders once more descend on Gallipoli to be present at this year’s Anzac Day ceremony, the real memory of this horrific campaign lies forever silently entrenched along the ridges and shores of this significant peninsula.
The never ending story of Halki Theological Seminary reopening
ISTANBUL - Since 1971 there have been attempts to reopen the Halki Theological Seminary on Istanbul’s Heybeliada and while the appeals have not fallen on deaf ears, various reasons have been put forward as to why it should not be reopened. Successive Turkish governments have argued that reopening Halki would lead the way to applications for Muslim universities, even though Muslim seminaries were never opened before. However, the current education minister has said he can see no reason why it cannot be reopened
Grand city keeps enchanting
ISTANBUL - Istanbul’s historic peninsula has hundreds of fascinating places to visit above ground and underground. On top of everything, the city is constantly changing, especially as 2010 approaches and Istanbul will be crowned one of the European Capitals of Culture. However, this magnificent city with an extremely rich and enchanting history, home to three civilizations, is also home to many places that have changed very little over time