For many years now, I have dedicated my time to researching the 1,400 year Islamic history of Cyprus – a history as old as Islam itself.This passion of mine involves a lot of reading and rummaging through historical archives to uncover the lives of long forgotten historic personalities and a heritag...
British Turks have joined the huge chorus of criticism levelled at the mass of MPs who abstained or voted against a motion in Parliament calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. An amendment to the King’s Speech, tabled by the Scottish National Party (SNP), called for “all parties to agree to an immediate...
Today, 15 November 2023, marks the fortieth anniversary of the declaration of the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus (TRNC). The milestone has been marked with street parades in the TRNC and goodwill messages from allies, including Azerbaijan and Türkiye. The Republic of Türkiye’s Vice-President Cevd...
Sunday, 29 October 2023 marks exactly one hundred years since the Republic of Türkiye was proclaimed. The centenary will see celebrations not only across Turkiye, but also by Turks living all around the world. This momentous anniversary is the perfect opportunity to reflect on what has been the Rep...
Sunday, 29 October 2023 marks exactly one hundred years since the Republic of Türkiye was proclaimed. The centenary will be marked by celebrations not only across Turkiye, but also by Turks living all around the world. This momentous anniversary is the perfect opportunity to reflect on what has bee...
The term ‘musical legend’ is overused, but in the case of Erkin Koray it is entirely justified. The free-spirited, guitar-playing singer-songwriter is one Turkiye’s most significant artists of the past 60 years; a pioneer of Anatolian and psychedelic rock, the composer of some of Turkiye’s most memo...
The magnificent new Ercan Airport is but the latest reflection of the major development underway in the TRNC, reinforcing the Turkish Cypriot state’s existence to the rest of the world and its ability to offer facilities on a par with any of the recognised states in its region. Eight years in the m...
Monday marked the centenary of the Treaty of Lausanne, a vital international agreement that not only determined the borders of modern-day Turkiye, but also had far-reaching implications for neighbouring states and nations. As the name of suggests, the Treaty of Lausanne was signed at the Palace of...
Turkiye has a long history of male entertainers dressed as women. Under Ottoman times, they were known as köçek. More recently the country has had renowned drag artists such as the iconic Seyfi Dursunoğlu, better known by his stage name and drag character Huysuz Virjin (The Grumpy Virgin). Two young...
Two far-right politicians, Sinan Oğan and Ümit Özdağ, started the Presidential Election as allies. Now, they turn Kingmaker, but each one is backing a different side. The first round of the Turkish Presidential Elections on 14 May ended with unexpected results. The political surveys proved accurate...
