Turkish government bans April 24 commemoration of start of Armenian genocide outside of Sureyya Opera House, designed by Armenian architect Kegham Kavafyan. Held for 10 years, vigil was prohibited during Covid-19 lockdown & hasn't been allowed since bianet.org/haber/kadikoy-…

Imagine a nation uniting around one project and fighting for it for 30 years, sacrificing thousands of lives. What happens, then, when it ends in a total defeat? Tim Whewell and I travelled to Armenia to find out. On @BBCsounds & all podcast platforms bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3c…

Almanya Cumhurbaşkanı Steinmeier’in Türkiye ziyaretinin Sirkeci Garı’nda başlaması, garın mimarının Alman olmasının ötesinde bir anlama sahip. Burası tam 62 yıl önce, 55 kişilik ilk işçi kafilesinin yola çıktığı istasyon. İlk görüşmesinin Ekrem İmamoğlu ile olmasına gelince…

Well intentioned but ill advised. Pure Orientalism. Might have made sense had we celebrated the 10th anniversary of Turkish workers leaving to work in Germany. Very 70s gesture. Now it is the 60th anniversary. Doner is not it. Sorry.

On May Day next week, I’ll be giving a talk for Keyman Modern Turkish Studies Program on protest music and psychedelic rock in Turkey! I’ll be close reading songs by Fikret Kızılok, Selda Bağcan, and Cem Karaca between the global counterculture and militant politics. This time you can also join by Zoom!

No foreign journalists have been allowed unfettered access to #Gaza since Oct 7 - whilst many of those inside (the Committee for the Protection of Journalists say) have been targeted by the Israeli military CPJ MENA Jodie Ginsberg

The very special EnigmaVista at Bosfor in Istanbul closes April 20. Curated by Gökşen Buğra & designed by Umut Durmuş, it raises bar for gallery shows, transforming white cube into a maze & compelling viewers to interact with art in a wholly different way galeribosfor.com/en/enigmavista

you know inflation is bad when Duolingo triples the make-believe gems you have to spend to compete in its imaginary league

The Ottoman traveler Evliya Çelebi's story about eating honey in a Circassian village is the most insane thing you'll read today

I’m running @marathonizmir next Sunday in aid of MSF International - who are doing life-saving work in #Gaza & other conflict/disaster zones. I know things are tight for many people financially at the moment so donations might be tough - I’d be so grateful for even sharing of the link.

We

A 'calendar' of all the hearings this week alone in trials of Turkey's journalists & academics.

Türkiye’li değil, Türkiyeli.

Do not miss our traditional almanac- bringing together a large range of intl issues w a women’s perspective! All voluntary and contributions, celebrating #womeninforeignpolicy womeninfp.org/en/almanak

The imperial Armor of Sultan Mustafa III of the Great Ottoman Empire

A fire in Istanbul's Balat neighbourhood that began at a bathhouse has spread to at least one house, located on Istanbul's historic peninsula. Firefighters are fighting the blaze #yangin #balat #itfaiye İBB Miras
⁦İBB Çözüm Merkezi⁩

Turkish football these days makes int'l headlines for all the wrong reasons but ignore it at your peril. For background on latest drama (Fenerbahce walks out of Super Cup final after 1m of play) read Nazlan Ertan's nice tale of the annus horribilis ICYMI ankahaber.net/AnkaReview/Col…

In a surprising turn of events, the leader of the CHP, Turkey's main opposition party, graced the front page of Sabah newspaper, a publication known for its reluctance to provide positive coverage or even basic acknowledgment of opposition parties unless in criticism. This

While plenty in Europe (and the US) are handwringing over a second Trump presidency, several leaders believe they have much to gain asli aydintasbas writes. For Turkey's Erdogan, it could bring greater international clout & more leverage from Syria to Gaza
brookings.edu/articles/why-d…