Turkey
All countries-
Gaziantep Academy of Culinary Arts
Baklava, but not for beginners
Gaziantep in south-eastern Turkey boasts a rich culinary history. Keen to preserve ancestral recipes for posterity, local chef Ugur Acioglu has founded an academy for the culinary arts. Rainer Hermann reports
-
Album review: "Anadolu Ejderi" by Gaye Su Akyol
Letting the dragon roar!
"Anadolu Ejderi" (Anatolian Dragon) is the latest release from Turkish musician Gaye Su Akyol. She has never lacked a spirit of adventure when it comes to her music – an intriguing mix of traditional Turkish music and everything from psychedelic to American surf. However with Akyol, it's impossible to know what she'll throw a listener's way, and this album is no exception. By Richard Marcus
-
Turkey
A 100-year-old democracy with ups and downs
Turkey will mark the centenary of the proclamation of the Turkish republic in October. But 2023 will be an important year in another respect too: Turks will go to the polls in June to elect their next president – an election that could usher in a new era in its history. By Burak Ünveren
-
Marking the anniversary of Rumi's death in Konya
From traditional to lifestyle Sufism
In 1925, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk had the Sufi orders shut down. In modern-day Konya, the city council uses whirling dervishes in its marketing campaigns. Marian Brehmer on Islamic mysticism in Turkey
-
Best of Qantara.de 2022
Our readers' favourite articles this year
At the end of every year, the team at Qantara.de gives you a run-down of the ten most-read articles on the site over the past 12 months. Here is a quick overview of the stories that attracted the most attention in 2022. Happy New Year to all our readers!
-
Protests in Iran
Rethinking Sharia and democracy
According to a recent survey, half of all Iranians say that they have left Islam as a religion, while two-thirds believe Islamic law should be excluded from their legal system. In the following essay, Ahmet T. Kuru explores the implications
-
Istanbul's migrant culture
Turkey's megacity is no melting pot
Istanbulites take pride in being the world’s melting pot and its natural outcome: having a bustling abundance of international cuisine. Visiting restaurants opened by recent migrants is often, however, a step too far. Ayse Karabat reports
-
Turkey
AKP under scrutiny for ties to ultraconservative Islamic community
The ultraconservative Ismail Aga community has close links to Turkey's ruling AKP. Some are now questioning the community's influence after news reports of the forced marriage of a six-year-old girl within the group. By Burak Ünveren
-
Migrating to Germany
Turks up sticks as prospects worsen at home
Inflation, poverty, and no freedom of expression: as the political and economic situation in Turkey worsens under Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s increasingly autocratic government, more and more Turks are fleeing to Germany. Elmas Topcu reports
-
Our German fairytale
Reality, crueller than fiction
Award-winning poet Dincer Gucyeter’s debut novel is a tour de force through the German reality he experienced as an artist and son of Turkish immigrants, written with an unsparing eye and literary ambition. Gerrit Wustmann read the book
-
Integration versus racism
I don't see myself as a victim
Canan Topcu came from Turkey to Germany as a child. In her essay, she describes how bothered she was by the racism she encountered in her country of origin when she travelled there recently. She describes her very personal take on identity, racism and exclusion
-
Turkey, Iran – and Iraq's Kurds
Days of reckoning
The Kurds are under attack from two sides: from Turkey, and from Iran. The situation in their territories in northern Iraq is becoming increasingly desperate. Birgit Svensson reports from Erbil