One of Turkey’s most exceptional women passed away ten years ago today, 18 May 2009. Türkan Saylan was a doctor, educator and civil society activist, made famous first for her fight to eradicate leprosy and later for establishing Çağdaş Yaşamı Destekleme Derneği, ÇYDD (Association for the Support of...
Today millions of Muslims around the world have started to fast during daylight hours. This period of abstinence will last for one month. Known as Ramazan in Turkish, or Ramadan, this month is regarded as the holiest in the Muslim calendar as it is believed this was when the Ku’ran was first reve...
On 24 April, 2004, Turkish Cypriots voted in favour of uniting the island of Cyprus in historic referendums on what was dubbed the ‘Annan Plan’. But the United Nations blueprint for a federal solution remained just that after Greek Cypriots overwhelmingly rejected it – and were rewarded with Europea...
This weekend, from 20 to 21 April 2019, the second edition of Istanbul Modest Fashion Week will take place in its glorious home city. Launching to much anticipation from the media, influencers and the public alike, Istanbul Modest Fashion Week (IMFW) is going to be bigger than ever, with a host of t...
It is very difficult to write an obituary if the person was very dear to you and held a special place in your life. You try to put the words together, but after a while the blank paper in front of you remains just the same as you had started, completely blank. This happened to me when I tried to wri...
Fifty five years ago today, the United Nations (UN) Security Council passed a resolution, the ramifications of which continues to be felt decades later. Three years after the independence of Cyprus from British rule, leaders of the Greek Cypriot community initiated their notorious Akritas Plan, whi...
We’ve again evidenced the rollercoaster of life these past twelve months, experiencing individual and collective highs and lows, as well as drama, wonder and tragedy. Turks in their various cultural, religious, political, and professional shades continue to make their mark in Britain as elsewhere...
Turkey’s largest humanitarian organisation, the Turkish Red Crescent, or Kızılay, has been celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. Established on 11 June 1868, it has been a core part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Headquartered in the Turkish capital Ankara, Kızıl...
“Kardeş kardeşi satmaz,” Rukiye Turdush, a Canada-based advocate for the persecuted Uyghur minority in China said, switching from her local Turkic dialect spoken in China’s western Xinjiang region to the Anatolian dialect spoken in Turkey. A brother does not sell out his brother. “Uyghurs never...
Sunday 11 November marks the centenary of the Armistice which brought an end to the hostilities of the First World War in which millions perished. The anniversary will be a chance to pay tribute to the fallen, with thousands of remembrance services taking place in the UK, France and around the world...
