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Anadolu Ajansı: Researchers Retrace Ice Age Human Activity In Southern Turkiye
Evidence of human activity dating back to the Ice Age has been uncovered in Gaziantep.
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Turkish Music: Ajda Pekkan – 1960s
“Superstar” is her nickname… Ajda Pekkan has continued to contribute to the Turkish music scene without interruption from the early 1960s to the present day. This month, I’d like to do something a little different and dedicate the entire month to this remarkable artist. In the first week, I’ll be…
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YouTube Videos Recap March 2026
In March, I shared a total of five YouTube Shorts. Here is the recap.
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Azerbaijan’s Palace Carpets from 17th and 18th Century
The exhibition “Azerbaijan’s 17th and 18th-Century Palace Carpets”, held in March 2026, summarises how the art of carpet-making—one of the Turks’ most ancient arts—took shape on Azerbaijani soil.
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Turkish Music: Sufle
Sufle is a Turkish rock and pop music band founded in 2012 by Göksu Taşçeviren and guitarist Mustafa Atik. The band gained fame through social media and remains popular among young people today.
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Business Insider: How a 162-year-old Turkish Delight Shop Became a Global Dessert Empire
A video produced by Business Insider captures the production processes of Turkish delights and the behind-the-scenes action in the kitchen.
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Turkish Music: Pinhânî
Founded in 2004, Pinhânî is a Turkish alternative rock band that gained nationwide recognition with their first album, ‘İnandığın Masallar’ (The Fairy Tales You Believe In), released in 2006.
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Deutsche Welle: Istanbul Aglow With Its Centuries‑Old Ramadan Traditions
“The letters must be placed precisely, the symmetry must be perfect. It takes math and some geometry, strength and skill,” said Kahraman Yıldız, one of the last masters of the art of mahya.
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Turkish Music: Suzidil Saz Semaisi
“Suzidil Saz Semaisi” by Fahri Kopuz and Sedad Öztoprak is one of my favourite instrumental Turkish music pieces. This week, I wanted to explore how the same piece can sound different when played on three different instruments.
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eKathimerini: Nobel Novelist Orhan Pamuk Finally Gets The Netflix Series He Wanted
The Orhan Pamuk interview, first published in The New York Times and later in full in the eKathimerini newssite, contains interesting details about his novel, his Netflix series, and his museum. I highly recommend reading this interview before your visit to the Museum of Innocence.
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Turkish Music: Arif Sami Toker
Born in 1926, Arif Sami Toker took music lessons from Sadettin Kaynak and Hafız Kemal Batanay, who were prominent composers, at a young age. After completing his education at the Istanbul Conservatory, he began performing at Tepebaşı Gazinosu, one of the famous venues of the time. In 1950, his fame…
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BBC: Iznik – The Ottoman Art That Captivated Europe
BBC’s video content reveals some of the secrets of İznik tiles.
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Turkish Music: Kani Karaca
One common characteristic shared by great musicians such as Jose Feliciano, Ray Charles, and Stevie Wonder is that they are blind. There are blind musicians around the world who have achieved remarkable success. Kâni Karaca is one of them.
Karaca demonstrated a level of mastery that was difficult to approach,…
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Turkish Music: Nükhet Duru
Nükhet Duru began her musical career as a soloist in 1971 and quickly became one of Turkiye’s most recognised and beloved singers thanks to her powerful voice. She was one of the leading figures in the Turkish music world, particularly from the 1970s to the mid-1990s.
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Turkish Music: Yıldırım Gürses
One of the most notable characteristics of Yıldırım Gürses, who contributed to Turkish Art Music from various perspectives, is that he composed approximately 400 pieces throughout his life. Another characteristic is that he founded the “Turkiye Music Copyright Society”, which protects artists’ rights.
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Turkish Music: Alpay
Alpay, a musician who excels at weaving his emotions into his music, has composed many timeless songs. His beautiful voice and memorable lyrics have secured the 90-year-old artist a place among the unforgettable figures of Turkish music.
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Turkish Music: Kıraç
Kıraç, who began to gain recognition in the Turkish music world in the 2000s, has produced songs that many people enjoy with his Anatolian rock style music.
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Turkish Music: Hicazkâr Makamı
In Turkish and Arabic music, the fundamental characteristic of compositions is referred to as the “makam”. Although some of the hundreds of maqams are no longer used, the Hicazkâr maqam is still widely employed. In this blog post, we will present examples of pieces composed in the Hicazkâr maqam.
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Turkish Music: Edip Akbayram
Edip Akbayram was one of the leading figures of the Anatolian Rock music genre, which remained popular throughout the 1970s and 1980s. He also produced works that could be classified as psychedelic rock and progressive rock. His powerful voice played a significant role in his musical success.
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Turkish Music: Modern Folk Üçlüsü Children’s Songs
This week I will talk about the children’s songs sung by the Modern Folk Trio.
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Turkish Music: Modern Folk Üçlüsü
Founded in 1969, the Modern Folk Üçlüsü (Modern Folk Trio) gained prominence for their contemporary interpretations of Turkish folk music pieces.
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Turkish Music: İnci Çayırlı
Born in Istanbul in 1935, İnci Çayırlı enrolled at the Istanbul Municipal Conservatory in 1953 and joined TRT Istanbul Radio in 1954. Between 1977 and 1985, she directed the Istanbul Technical University Turkish Music Choir, and between 1990 and 1995, she directed the Ministry of Culture Bursa State Turkish Art…
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Turkish Music: Nida Tüfekçi
Nida Tüfekçi, who passed away in 1993, made significant contributions to Turkish music as a folk music artist and scholar, choir conductor, educator, and bağlama player.
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Turkish Music: Oya – Bora
The music group ‘Oya-Bora’, which has been active in the music scene since the late 1980s, consists of Oya Küçümen and Bora Ebeoğlu. Oya-Bora, with their heartfelt renditions of songs in various styles such as pop, disco, dance, and R&B, are among my favourite music groups to listen to.
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Turkish Music: Ahmet Özhan
Ahmet Özhan holds the title of State Artist of the Republic of Turkey. In his youth, he performed so called “Turkish Art Music” pieces. The artist later turned to religious music. This post features the popular Turkish Art Music pieces he sang in his youth.
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YouTube Videos Recap November 2025
In November, I shared a total of four YouTube Shorts and one YouTube video. Here is the recap.
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Turkish Music: Ali Rıza Gündoğdu
Turkish folk music artist Ali Rıza Gündoğdu was born in the Ulubey district of Ordu, a beautiful city on the Black Sea coast. At the age of 20, he joined the roster of vocal artists at TRT.
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On YouTube: A Quick Look: Bursa – Iznik Top Five Sights To Visit
Known historically as Nicaea, the town of Iznik is a charming place with important Christian pilgrimage sites, impressive Roman-era theatres, city walls and ruins, and one of the most significant early Turkish settlements in Anatolia. With Pope Leo 14th visit in November 2025 in order to commemorate the 1700th anniversary…
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Turkish Music: Yeşim Salkım
Yeşim Salkım, who is currently known for her acting roles in various television series, gained a significant following thanks to the hit songs on her first two albums, released in 1994 and 1995.
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Turkish Music: Harun Kolçak
Harun Kolcak, who remained active in the music world until 2013, is remembered for his songs from the 1990s.
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