reading Lonelyplanet is not enough...
by angelochka
if you are planning to visit Istanbul i would advise to read at least one book by turkish writer Orhan Pamuk, it could be "My name is red", "The Black Book" (Kara Kitap) or better his last book "Istanbul-memories of a City" (2005), his work has been translated into more than forty languages and it wont be difficult to find it. there are many things to say about that great author and his work, i want to say just one thing..after reading it..you will feel this city much more deeply
Ritual
by Lalique
It doesn't matter whether it's hot outside as in hell, rains or snows, or cold freezez to the bone marrow, these guys are always on Galata Bridge.....
It's a way of life, an everyday ritual which could hardly be broke, it's like the change of guards near Queen's residence :))) an eternal Swiss watch, which never stops and never fails....
It's true: Turks are very hospitable
by muratkorman
You may find it strange. Why should someone who never saw you before treat you like an old friend or someone from the family? It is, however, the essence of Turkish culture. You will feel it almost everywhere you visit and it is unconditional. Turks don't expect something from you while they behave like this and that should surprise you more. Enjoy your stay and hospitality of Turks.
Tophane : smoke hubble-buble (NARGILE) play TAVLA
by o_z_l_e_m
Tophane is a small place between the Karakoy and Besiktas. (and very close to Taksim.)
You should smoke hubble-bubble here. :) there are a lot of types of hubble-bubble here... it s like a cigarette but more light than cigarette. dont panic, its safe and legal to smoke it.
Sometimes it called hookah or hubble-bubble and sheesha in the Arab world, the nargile was very popular during the Ottoman Empire from the 17th to the 19th centuries.
And you can learn playing TAVLA here.
Ottoman Archives
by traveloturc
As an imperial centralised state, the bureaucracy of the Ottoman Empire produced a vast amount of state documents, most of which are now located in the Ottoman Archives. The first state documents was moved to the Imperial Treasury and the Inner Court of the Topkapý Palace. It was not until 1845 that any attempt was made to establish what we consider in the modern sense s state archive, when he cataloguing of these documents was begun;
The Hazine-i Evrak, "treasury of papers" was set up to organise and catalogue these state documents, and a separate building was built to house them. During the Republican period, the Hazine-i Evrak, the Ottoman Archives, was put under the administration of the Prime Minister's office under the direct supervision of the director of the General State Archives. The process of cataloguing this immense collection of state documents continues today by a large number of professionally trained staff of experts. The catalogued documents are accessible to modern scholars, foreign and domestic.
Yenikapi Ferry Terminal
Ancient watch-tower...ex-house....
Ceiling fresco depicting Last Judgement
Ortakoy/Buyuk Mecidiye Camii, Istanbul
