Turkey “strongly condemned” a decision by an American court to grant early release to the convicted killer of a Turkish diplomat, who was shot dead in Los Angeles in 1982. Los Angeles County Superior Court approved the parole of Hampig ‘Harry’ Sassounian, one of two American citizens of Armenian heritage who assassinated Kemal Arıkan, the […]
Celebrities have waded in to the Azerbaijan-Armenian conflict by publicly siding with one of the two warring factions. Mesut Özil, his ex-Arsenal teammate Henrikh Mkhitaryan and reality TV star Kim Kardashian West have all issued statements on the dispute, which centres on Azerbaijan’s fight to liberate part of its territory. Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognised as […]
The Eastern Express rail service (or Doğu Ekspresi in Turkish) between the city of Kars on Turkey’s North Eastern border and the capital Ankara has grown increasingly popular among domestic tourists recently. Over the past year, young Turks have become enamoured by the overnight train, leaving it difficult to get a ticket at times. Once […]
Next Friday, London based Nefes will be taking guests on a musical journey across Anatolia and the Balkans, playing a selection of contemporary and centuries-old folk songs from the region. The music is inspired by both Sufi and secular cultures of love. ‘Nefes’ in Turkish means breath. It is the essence of the self […]
For centuries Armenians and Turks lived side-by-side. But horrific events in the Ottoman Empire particularly during the First World War had a catastrophic impact that turned kindred spirits into bitter enemies. Today, a friendship between Armenian duduk player Vardan Hovanissian and his musical soulmate, Turkish saz player Emre Gültekin seeks to overcome a multitude […]
Turkey commemorated two devastating legacies of World War One in back-to-back events in April. On the 24th, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan hosted Prince Charles and 21 heads of state in Çanakkale to mark the centenary of the Gallipoli landings, which claimed 140,000 lives. It was a day of reconciliation between former foes, mixed with patriotic […]
