What to do, what to see in December in Istanbul? While it is not customary to celebrate Christmas in Turkey, the streets of Istanbul, like other big cities of Turkey, display magical windows for the holidays, and the joyful atmosphere of the new year is felt through the various events organized to close the year. This month of December in Istanbul heralds a favourable period for many events despite a pandemic that has seriously affected the cultural, artistic and sporting environments. Our cultural and sports calendar offers you numerous concerts of local artists but also artists who will trav ..read more

Coronavirus: new measures as of April 29, 2021 The Turkish authorities have announced a further tightening of the COVID-19 Pandemic Control Measures effective April 29, 2021, at 7:00 p.m. These new measures are in addition to those already in place. The curfew measures do not apply to foreign tourists passing through Turkey. Find also in this article all the conditions for entering Turkey before your trip. How to travel to Turkey PCR test: Travelers must have a negative PCR test taken 72 hours before arrival in Turkey. Some countries, such as France, also require a negative PCR test on the ret ..read more

Coronavirus and end of the year: what are the new measures? As the world continues to deal with the global Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Turkey has taken further action since December 1, after slowly recovering from June 1, 2020. But then, can we travel to Turkey? With what restrictions? Since 1 December, new measures have been taken by the Turkish authorities to deal with the increase in the number of cases. These measures apply across the country until further notice. In addition, Christmas and New Year’s Eve events have been canceled. New measures taken by Turkey Weeknight curfew from 9 ..read more

Our small travel guide Turkey in summary Turkey is a destination with all kinds of landscapes for everyone’s pleasure. This country is located on two continents, mainly in Asia and 3% in Europe with a population of over 83 million inhabitants in 2020. It has borders with Greece, Bulgaria, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, and Syria. The Republic of Turkey was founded in 1923 by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. This young country offers a rich history thanks to the ancient Greek, Persian, Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman empires which allows you to travel through time through its land steeped in his ..read more

Our small travel guide Turkey in summary Turkey is a destination with all kinds of landscapes for everyone’s pleasure. This country is located on two continents, mainly in Asia and 3% in Europe with a population of over 83 million inhabitants in 2020. It has borders with Greece, Bulgaria, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, and Syria. The Republic of Turkey was founded in 1923 by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. This young country offers a rich history thanks to the ancient Greek, Persian, Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman empires which allows you to travel through time through its land steeped in his ..read more

The Nazar Boncuk (Nazar Boncuğu) – The blue evil eye in Turkey From your first moments in Turkey, you will certainly notice these blue pendants, eye-shaped, hanging everywhere, and sold in every souvenir shop. This object, handcrafted from glass paste, is called the “Nazar Boncuk”. The word “Nazar” comes from the Arabic language, and it means “look”; “Boncuk” means “pearl”, so literally “pearl of the look”. In English, it is unfairly called “the evil eye”, which makes it terrifying when it should be the opposite. The Nazar Boncuk used as a logo by Fly Air. The Nazar Boncuk is an ancient tal ..read more

Istanbul and the women: getting rid of the clichés I am often surprised (and sometimes amused) about the remarks of my entourage when I remind them of my expatriation in Istanbul. If certain remarks and questions are really fanciful such as “Do you have to wear the veil now?”. Others may be justified by their ignorance of Turkey: “Is it not dangerous to go home alone at night?”; “Is it provoking to drink alcohol wearing a dress in a bar?”; and many more. I had never set foot in Turkey before my expatriation started a year ago, and to be honest, I asked myself the same questions when I consider ..read more

A little history about the wine in Turkey… The land in Turkey is among the oldest cultivated lands in the world according to archaeological excavations, and the discovery of grape seeds are dating from the first civilizations. Indeed, viticulture has been present in the territory for at least 7,000 years according to the glasses and jugs found during excavations. Among these discoveries, archaeologists found representations of the Hittite kings who offered wine to the gods. The Hittites, one of the oldest known Indo-European peoples from the east, settled in Asia Minor in the third millen ..read more

Turkish films: a bit of history and our selection The History of Turkish Cinema The history of Turkish cinema began at the Ottoman court in 1896 with the projections of the Lumières films, followed by two short documentaries, Panorama of the Golden Horn (click here for the link) and Panorama of the banks of the Bosphorus (click here for the link), directed by Alexandre Promio, the forerunner of the tracking shot; a movement of the camera during the shooting. Other documentary films were also made between 1910 and 1920 by Turkish director Fuat Uzkınay. After the proclamation of the Republic of ..read more

From Dubai to Athens via Pakistan, the Middle East, South America and the Balkan countries, everyone is getting crazy for Turkish television series. You are also starting to find them more and more on platforms like Netflix in the West, with for example “The Protector of Istanbul” or “The Gift”. Currently, Turkey is the second largest exporter of TV series in the world after the United States, followed by Great Britain, France and Germany. They are more than 650 million viewers in more than 140 countries! In addition, South Korean companies like CJ Entertainment have also been investing more a ..read more