Istanbul Live

U2, the legendary rock band, will perform in Turkey for the first time, as part of its 360° Tour. U2 will be on stage at Istanbul Atatürk Stadium on September 6, 2010 as part  of the Istanbul 2010 European Capital Culture events. The concert is organized by LiveNation in  collaboration with IKSV (Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts) and Pozitif. The tickets can be purchased through Biletix.

The July/August 2010 issue of The Guide Istanbul is available at major newsstands, and selected bookstores throughout Turkey . To read the Publisher’s note please click.

Sakıp Sabancı Museum (SSM) is hosting “Legendary Istanbul: From Byzantion to Istanbul: 8000 Years of A Capital” exhibition between June 5 and September 26, 2010.

Sadberk Hanim Museum celebrates its 30th anniversary with an exhibition entitled “Women’s Costume of the Late Ottoman Era”. The exhibition will run until November 7, 2010.

The summer schedule of IDO ferries, which provide 85% of sea transportation in Istanbul  is effective as of  June 21 . Please visit for the new timetable.

The Istanbul 2010 web carnival is a webfeature expat+HAREM is hosting all year. Each month each month they will be curating links about Istanbul from around the web and around the world -- and welcome contributions from fans of Istanbul. Fore more information and subscription please click.

Tünel (Tunnel) is the easiest way to get from Karaköy to Beyoğlu, instead of climbing the steep streets. The timetable for Tünel (Tunnel) has changed. It is open everyday on 07:00-22:45 (Sundays 07:30-22:45)

Şişli Municipality Science Center continues to attract the attention of children to science with the recently established Yeşil Istasyon (Green Station).

Rezan Has Museum, Cibali brings together "The Silent Witnesses" of past civilizations and the present day. The process of civilization of mankind that began approximately ten thousand years ago, with their daily life, beliefs, social and commercial relations, struggles against nature and even the wherewithal they developed to resist death, are all on display.

Istanbul’s first public stationary planetarium “Discovery Sphere” has been opened at the Rahmi M. Koç Museum on the grounds of Lengerhane.

Do you enjoy singing? Do you like classical music? Then you can join Istanbul European Choir it is open to everyone and the season begins in September. Singers in the choir are from different nationalities and professions.

The use of tobacco products in public places was partially banned in May 2008, based on the changes made to the law that regulates tobacco and the consumption of tobacco products. As of July 19, 2009 smoking ban was widened including restaurants, bars, cafes, village coffeehouses and nargile (water pipe) cafes. Smoking is also prohibited under umbrellas installed in gardens, it is allowed only when four sides of an area are open and the sky is visible. Smoking is not banned in prisons, nursing and rehabilitation centers for seniors, mental hospitals, hotels, and on the decks of ships sailing overseas as long as  specific  areas are assigned for smoking. In addition smoking at open-air sports centers such as stadiums and open-air theaters is not banned if there are “smoking rooms” reserved for smokers. The establishments that violate the law will pay a fine between 560 and 5600 TL. Smokers violating the law will be fined 69 TL.

Readings for Expats
Birdsong and Flame: a book of poetry about Istanbul and Turkey.  This has been written by James Andrew who has taught at Darussafaka Lisesi and Uskudar American Academy in Istanbul. It deals with a period of about four years when he was living and working in Istanbul.  The poems he wrote at that time have been grouped loosely into a sort of diary in poetry.   The themes are the city of Istanbul and his reaction to it; teaching in Istanbul;   visits to Antalya, Cappadocia, and Ephesus; the last big earthquake in Istanbul; partings and meetings; various cats he has known in Turkey; and his reactions on his return to his home in Scotland: Balnakeil in the far north west of the country.  Various bookshops in Istanbul have information on how to acquire the book if you wish to order it from them:  Robinson Crusoe, Homer Kitabevi, and Pandora’s Box on the Istiklal Caddesi in Taksim;  the Greenhouse Cafe in Kadikoy; Remzi Kitabevi in Akmerkez.  

Tales from the Expat Harem: Foreign Women in Modern Turkey, a nonfiction anthology edited by Anastasia M. Ashman and Jennifer Eaton Gökmen, debuted at the opening meeting of the IWI this week in a special pre-sales event. Excited expatriates kept the book's editors and a number of fellow contributors busy dedicating and autographing throughout the morning. Published by Dogan Kitap, the English version of Expat Harem is now available in Turkey's bookstores together with the Turkish edition. Already garnering interest locally, Expat Harem's Turkish edition (entitled Türkçe Sevmek: Türkiye'de Yaşayan Yabancı Kadınların Gözüyle Türkler) is framed by a powerfully sentimental foreword penned by Turkey's foremost female author Elif Şafak.

“Osman's Dream. The Story of the Ottoman Empire, 1300-1923” is the latest book of Caroline Finkel. It is a narrative history of the Ottoman Empire from its earliest beginnings to its final destruction on the battlefields of the First World War. “Osman's Dream” is aimed at the general reader, and is now available from reputable bookstores in Turkey.

Hughette Eyüboğlu who is among the first foreign brides in Turkey, published her memories in Turkish last year and attracted attention. The English and French versions of the said book “Living Under the Shadow of Two Cultures” and “Du Clocher au Minaret” respectively are at the bookstores as of June.
 

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