I had some good intentions when I moved from a central Anatolian town to Istanbul at the beginning of August. In Istanbul I was going to find a gym and get some serious exercise. Of course I haven’t done this yet, because, well, it’s a fact of life that before you start getting fit there’s […]
Whether the army, the university rectors or the opposition want it or not, I don’t think the ban on wearing headscarves at university will survive much longer. The ruling AK Parti is working on a new constitution to replace the one made by the army when it ruled in the early 1980’s. Part of it […]
It looks like the Turkish mother has to be available constantly. ‘Anne’ she is called, like our ‘Mummy’. Or, more often heard, ‘Anneeeee!’ The word comes through my open window all day long in the small apartment that I rent in a somewhat shabby neighbourhood. From early in the morning till rather late at night. […]
With Ramadan about to start, I was talking with a Turkish friend about whether or not to eat in public during Ramadan. I have mixed feelings. On one hand, I want to show respect to people who fast, on the other hand, I don’t fast so why should I not eat something when I’m on […]
Three weeks ago, Festos Okey died. A man from Nigeria, asylum seeker in Turkey and shot at Beyoglu police station in Istanbul. How he died is being investigated now. The police say he was taken into custody after they found drugs on him as they checked his identity, and that Festos tried to snatch a […]
Sometimes, when I’m on a boat on the Bosphorus, I want to litterally scream. Scream because of the happiness working in this city and in this country gives me. A few days ago, I felt it again. I came back from an interview with Cetin Altan and Solmaz Kamuran, married and both writers. The interview […]
I went walking in Cappadocia. I lived in the region for seven months, but never saw it like I did these last few days. That’s because Evelien – or Elif as the locals call her – showed me the way. She’s Dutch, lives in the small village of Ortahisar and organises walking tours. During the […]
(photography by Allard de Witte, sharpness of the pictures is being worked on!) There are headscarves and headscarves. Take a look at the market in Ürgüp, a medium size village in central Turkey. Decoration Habibe Akkaya (16): “The scarf I’m wearing now is from rather slippery material, so I’m wearing a tight cloth underneath […]
Many Turks suspect the just appointed Turkish president Gül of having a hidden agenda. Gül’s task is now to prove he is not an Islamist. Finally Abdullah Gül is Turkey’s new president. Secular Turks resisted, the Turkish army threatened and manipulated, but to no avail. Yesterday president Gül made his first speech to parliament. So […]
“So”, asked a colleague in Holland yesterday after Gül was elected president, “what’s the army going to do now?” “Well, not too much”, I replied. “What can they do?” “But”, said my colleague, “they are powerful aren’t they?” Yes, but now you could also say: they were powerful. These last few months the army itself […]