Fall in Istanbul

The colds have suddenly arrived in Istanbul. It sure gets chilly in the city now. However, there are many places to be seen, secrets to be discovered, and many events to be visited. For instance, you can catch the last few days of Filmekimi. For details click here.

Another great event is the Biennial. Exhibitions that address the theme "Mom, am I a barbarian?" take place in many different venues and spaces throughout the city. You can click here for more information.

No, the rain is not an excuse to stay in. What are your umbrellas, rain boots, raincoats for? Go on; go out on to the streets of Istanbul...









For instance, you can go visit Kalliopi Lemos' exhibiton which is a parallel event to the Biennal. The exhibitiontakes place in Yoakimion Greek High School for Girls that was founded in 1879 but shut down in the late 1980's. The school stands as it was, and takes the visitors to an Istanbul from a previous era.

You can find more information about visiting this event by clicking here, but beware: the visiting hours on the website are incorrect, the event is open for visitation at 11 am.

Lemos'exibition will end on November 10th. Below a little mark of us on the blackboard.












Another event that shouldn't be missed is the Second Hand Book Sellers Festival. It's quite possible to lose yourself with the smell of old books. The event takes place in Tepebasi and you can find old magazines, pictures, postcards and vinyl records as well as books there.

Finally, the last place we want to mention is hidden away...

When in Belgrad Forest, if you take the horse touring route behind the Falih Rıfkı Atay Recreation Space's diner, and follow the path about 300 meters, you'll run into these ruins.

When Suleiman the Magnificent was returning from his campaign to Serbia, his army brought along slaves and settled them in the forest. The settlement stood there until mid 1800s when they got resettled in different locations, since the settlement polluted the water sources within the forest. This building is said to be the Church of Saint Georges.


Don't just look at these pictures; go and see these places and events yourself. And don't forget to take your Istanbul Diary to write down your experiances.

Until next time,

Tracer of Istanbul