Istanbul

The Süleymaniye Mosque is an Ottoman imperial mosque located on the Third Hill of Istanbul, Turkey. It is the second largest mosque in the... city, and one of the best-known sights of Istanbul. The Süleymaniye Mosque was built on the order of Sultan Süleyman "was fortunate to be able to draw on the talents of the architectural genius of Sinan Pasha" . The construction work began in 1550 and the mosque was finished in 1558. This "vast religious complex called the Süleymaniyeblended Islamic and Byzantine architectural elements. It combines tall, slender minarets with large domed buildings supported by half domes in the style of the Byzantine church Hagia Sophia " . The design of the Süleymaniye also plays on Suleyman's self-conscious representation of himself as a 'second Solomon.
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Dolmabahçe Palace located in the Beşiktaş district of Istanbul, Turkey, on the European coastline of the Bosphorus strait, served as... the main administrative center of the Ottoman Empire from 1856 to 1922, apart from a 22-year interval in which Yıldız Palace was used. Dolmabahçe Palace was ordered by the Empire's 31st Sultan, Abdülmecid I, and built between the years 1843 and 1856. Hacı Said Ağa was responsible for the construction works, while the project was realized by architects Garabet Balyan, his son Nikoghayos Balyan and Evanis Kalfa. The construction cost five million Ottoman mecidiye gold coins, the equivalent of 35 tonnes of gold. Fourteen tonnes of gold in the form of gold leaf were used to gild the ceilings of the 45,000 square metre monoblock palace, which stands on an area of 110,000 m². The design contains eclectic elements from the Baroque, Rococo and Neoclassical styles, blended with traditional Ottoman architecture to create a new synthesis. The palace layout and décor reflect the increasing influence of European styles and standards on Ottoman culture and art during the Tanzimat period.
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The Basilica Cistern , is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city of Istanbul , Turkey. The cistern, located 500... feet southwest of the Hagia Sophia on the historical peninsula of Sarayburnu, was built in the 6th century during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I. The name of this subterranean structure derives from a large public square on the First Hill of Constantinople, the Stoa Basilica, beneath which it was originally constructed. Before being converted to a cistern, a great Basilica stood in its place, built between the 3rd and 4th centuries during the Early Roman Age as a commercial, legal and artistic centre. The basilica was reconstructed by Ilius after a fire in 476. Ancient texts indicated that the basilica contained gardens, surrounded by a colonnade and facing the Church of Hagia Sophia According to ancient historians, Emperor Constantine built a structure that was later rebuilt and enlarged by Emperor Justinian after the Nika riots of 532, which devastated the city.
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The Rüstem Pasha Mosque is an Ottoman mosque located in Hasırcılar Çarşısı in the Tahtakale neighborhood, of the... Eminönü district of Istanbul, Turkey. The Rüstem Pasha Mosque was designed by Ottoman imperial architect Mimar Sinan for Grand Vizier Damat Rüstem Pasha . Rüstem Pasha died in July 1561 and the mosque was built after his death from around 1561 until 1563. The mosque was built on a high terrace over a complex of vaulted shops, whose rents were intended to financially support the mosque complex. Narrow, twisting interior flights of steps in the corners give access to a spacious courtyard. The mosque has a double porch with five domed bays, from which projects a deep and low roof supported by a row of columns. The Rüstem Pasha Mosque is famous for its large quantities of exquisite İznik tiles, set in a very wide variety of beautiful floral and geometric designs, which cover not only the façade of the porch but also the mihrab, minbar, walls, columns and on the façade of the porch outside.
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İstanbul Modern, aka Istanbul Museum of Modern Art, is a museum of contemporary art in the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul, Turkey,... inaugurated on December 11, 2004, prominently featuring the work of Turkish artists. Chief curator of the museum is Levent Calikoglu, the chair of the board of directors is Oya Eczacıbaşı. The museum, located on the Bosphorus in a converted warehouse in the Tophane neighborhood, was re-purposed by Tabanlioglu Architects. The Modern features exhibition space on two floors: work from the museum's permanent collection, as well as a shop and restaurant, are located on the top floor, while temporary exhibitions are located on the lower floor, along with a cinema and arts library.
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The Istanbul Archaeology Museums is a group of three archeological museums located in the Eminönü district of Istanbul, Turkey, near... Gülhane Park and Topkapı Palace. The Istanbul Archaeology Museums consists of three museums. It houses over one million objects that represent almost all of the eras and civilizations in world history. In the 19th century efforts were in place to modernize the Ottoman Empire, as many of the leading statesmen were exposed to Westernizing ideas through education and travel. The proposal to have an imperial museum came about because of the familiarity of several key players in the Ottoman political scene with the Louvre in Paris. The decision to establish an imperial museum under the Education Ministry came in 1869 with the appointment of a new director, but the idea of a museum was dropped with his resignation and because of budget restraints. As education minister in 1872, Ahmet Vefik Paşa set up a museum directorship for the second time and hired the German historian, archaeologist, epigraphist and painter, Dr. Phillip Anton Dethier.
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Küçüksu Palace or Küçüksu Pavilion, aka Göksu Pavilion, is a summer palace in Istanbul, Turkey, situated in the... Küçüksu neighborhood of Beykoz district on the Asian shore of the Bosphorus between Anadoluhisarı and the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge. The tiny palace was used by Ottoman sultans for short stays during country excursions and hunting. The palace was commissioned by Sultan Abd-ul-Mejid I , and designed by the architects Garabet Amira Balyan and his son Nigoğayos Balyan in the neo-baroque style. Completed in 1857, the structure took the place of a two storey timber palace built during the reign of Mahmud I by his Grand Vizier Divittar Mehmed Pasha, then successively used by Selim III and Mahmud II . The building consists of two main stories and a basement on a footprint of 15 x 27 m. Unlike other palace gardens with high walls; its garden is surrounded by cast iron railings with one gate at each of the four sides. The basement was appointed with kitchen, larder, and servant's quarters, with the floors above reflecting the design of a traditional Turkish house - four corner rooms surrounding a central hall.
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Elia Kazan was an American director, producer, writer and actor, described by the New York Times as "one of the most honored and influential... directors in Broadway and Hollywood history". He was born in Istanbul, Ottoman Empire, to Greek parents. After studying acting at Yale, he acted professionally for eight years, later joining the Group Theater in 1932, and co-founded the Actors Studio in 1947. With Lee Strasberg, he introduced Method acting to the American stage and cinema as a new form of self-expression and psychological "realism". Kazan acted in only a few films, including City for Conquest . Kazan introduced a new generation of unknown young actors to the movie audiences, including Marlon Brando and James Dean. Noted for drawing out the best dramatic performances from his actors, he directed 21 actors to Oscar nominations, resulting in nine wins. He became "one of the consummate filmmakers of the 20th century" after directing a string of successful films, including, A Streetcar Named Desire , On the Waterfront , and East of Eden .
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Sertab Erener is a Turkish pop music singer and also a cross-over soprano with a vocal range that extends to high F. She is one of the most... successful female Turkish pop singers in her homeland, and is considered one of the divas of Turkish pop music. In Europe, she is best known for winning the Eurovision Song Contest 2003 with her hit song "Every Way That I Can", although she has had many other achievements outside Turkey. A native of Istanbul, Erener studied history of music in a university in the city before beginning her musical career working with Turkish music icon Sezen Aksu. She released her first album, Sakin Ol, in 1992, and followed it with four more Turkish-language albums over the next decade. Her album Lâ'l was included by Sony Music in its "Soundtrack For A Century" collection. After competing unsuccessfully in two national Eurovision Song Contest finals in 1989 and 1990, she was internally selected in 2003 and won the Eurovision Song Contest 2003, representing Turkey with the song "Every Way That I Can", co-written by Demir Demirkan. The song went on to top charts in countries all over Europe, including Sweden and Greece.
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Gülben Ergen is a Turkish singer and occasional actress. She was born in Kadıköy, Istanbul, Turkey, and has acted in films and on... television. Her most famous role is probably that of Melek in Dadı, the Turkish version of The Nanny. She was named Miss Cinema 1987 and later by the help of her famous friends such as Seren Serengil and Ibrahim Tatlises she started her singing career . During her career, Ergen has released six successful albums and became a top singer. Throughout her career, many of her songs have hit number one on the record charts, including "Abayı Yaktım", "Sade ve Sadece", "Arka Sokaklar", "Uçacaksın", "Kandıramazsın Beni", "Küt Küt", "Yalnızlık", "Lay La Lay Lalay", "Sürpriz" and "Giden Günlerim Oldu". Her nicknames include the "Queen of Arabesque-pop music". She married Mustafa Erdoğan, the founder of Fire of Anatolia dance group, on September 5, 2004, and has had a son named Atlas Erdoğan, on January 18, 2007. She then had twin boys named Ares and Güney in 2009. Since marriage, she sometimes goes by Gülben Ergen Erdoğan. She is one of the Turkish celebrities who is part of the social networking site Twitter.
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Arif Mardin was a Turkish-American music producer, who worked with hundreds of artists across many different styles of music, including jazz, rock,... soul, disco, and country. He worked at Atlantic Records for over 30 years, as both an assistant, producer, arranger, studio manager, and vice president, before moving to EMI and serving as vice president and general manager of Manhattan Records. His collaborations include working with Queen, The Bee Gees, Anita Baker, Aretha Franklin, Bette Midler, Laura Branigan, Chaka Khan, Scritti Politti, Phil Collins, Daniel Rodriguez, Norah Jones, Richard Marx, Culture Club and Jewel. Mardin was awarded 11 Grammy Awards. Arif Mardin was born in Istanbul into a renowned family that included statesmen, diplomats and leaders in the civic, military and business sectors of the Ottoman Empire and the Turkish Republic. His father was co-owner in a petroleum gas station chain. Mardin grew up listening to the likes of Bing Crosby and Glenn Miller. Through his sister he met jazz critic Cuneyt Sermet, who turned him onto this music and eventually became his mentor.
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Nuri Bilge Ceylan is a Turkish photographer and film director. He is married to the filmmaker, photographer, and actress Ebru Ceylan, his co-star in... İklimler . Ceylan learned photography at age 15, and developed an interest in film at 22. While Ceylan study at Bogazici University, he participated cinema and photography clubs and he took passport-style photos to make pocket money. After graduating from university with a BSC degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering,he went to London and Kathmandu to decide what he should do in life. Then he went to Ankara back to do military service. When he was in the army, he found out how to give shape to the rest of his life 'cinema'. Ceylan's first short film Koza was screened in the 1995 Cannes Film Festival. He received many awards with his debut feature Kasaba . His third feature Uzak received many awards including the Grand Jury Prize and the Best Actor Prize at Cannes, and was praised internationally.
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Semiha Berksoy was one of the first Turkish opera singers, the prima donna of the Turkish opera, a painter, and an internationally acclaimed artist.... She was born in Çengelköy, Istanbul, Turkey in 1910. She studied painting at the Istanbul Academy of Fine Arts. She studied singing at the Istanbul Municipal Conservatory. Berksoy started her acting career the role of Semiha in the first Turkish sound movie İstanbul Sokaklarında directed by Muhsin Ertuğrul in 1931. She was cast in operettas in Istanbul theaters early in her career. She sang in the first Turkish opera Özsoy in 1934 . She was honoured as the First Turkish Opera Singer and awarded with the opportunity to go to Berlin Music Academy for further training. She started her international singing career in 1934, performing in Turkey, Germany and Portugal, becoming known as a Wagnerian soprano. In 1939, for the 75th birthday of Richard Strauss in Berlin, she sang the role of Ariadne in Ariadne auf Naxos, becoming the first Turkish prima donna to perform on stage in Europe.
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Elia Kazan was an American director, producer, writer and actor, described by the New York Times as "one of the most honored and influential... directors in Broadway and Hollywood history". He was born in Istanbul, Ottoman Empire, to Greek parents. After studying acting at Yale, he acted professionally for eight years, later joining the Group Theater in 1932, and co-founded the Actors Studio in 1947. With Lee Strasberg, he introduced Method acting to the American stage and cinema as a new form of self-expression and psychological "realism". Kazan acted in only a few films, including City for Conquest . Kazan introduced a new generation of unknown young actors to the movie audiences, including Marlon Brando and James Dean. Noted for drawing out the best dramatic performances from his actors, he directed 21 actors to Oscar nominations, resulting in nine wins. He became "one of the consummate filmmakers of the 20th century" after directing a string of successful films, including, A Streetcar Named Desire , On the Waterfront , and East of Eden .
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Sertab Erener is a Turkish pop music singer and also a cross-over soprano with a vocal range that extends to high F. She is one of the most... successful female Turkish pop singers in her homeland, and is considered one of the divas of Turkish pop music. In Europe, she is best known for winning the Eurovision Song Contest 2003 with her hit song "Every Way That I Can", although she has had many other achievements outside Turkey. A native of Istanbul, Erener studied history of music in a university in the city before beginning her musical career working with Turkish music icon Sezen Aksu. She released her first album, Sakin Ol, in 1992, and followed it with four more Turkish-language albums over the next decade. Her album Lâ'l was included by Sony Music in its "Soundtrack For A Century" collection. After competing unsuccessfully in two national Eurovision Song Contest finals in 1989 and 1990, she was internally selected in 2003 and won the Eurovision Song Contest 2003, representing Turkey with the song "Every Way That I Can", co-written by Demir Demirkan. The song went on to top charts in countries all over Europe, including Sweden and Greece.
more

Arif Mardin was a Turkish-American music producer, who worked with hundreds of artists across many different styles of music, including jazz, rock,... soul, disco, and country. He worked at Atlantic Records for over 30 years, as both an assistant, producer, arranger, studio manager, and vice president, before moving to EMI and serving as vice president and general manager of Manhattan Records. His collaborations include working with Queen, The Bee Gees, Anita Baker, Aretha Franklin, Bette Midler, Laura Branigan, Chaka Khan, Scritti Politti, Phil Collins, Daniel Rodriguez, Norah Jones, Richard Marx, Culture Club and Jewel. Mardin was awarded 11 Grammy Awards. Arif Mardin was born in Istanbul into a renowned family that included statesmen, diplomats and leaders in the civic, military and business sectors of the Ottoman Empire and the Turkish Republic. His father was co-owner in a petroleum gas station chain. Mardin grew up listening to the likes of Bing Crosby and Glenn Miller. Through his sister he met jazz critic Cuneyt Sermet, who turned him onto this music and eventually became his mentor.
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Nuri Bilge Ceylan is a Turkish photographer and film director. He is married to the filmmaker, photographer, and actress Ebru Ceylan, his co-star in... İklimler . Ceylan learned photography at age 15, and developed an interest in film at 22. While Ceylan study at Bogazici University, he participated cinema and photography clubs and he took passport-style photos to make pocket money. After graduating from university with a BSC degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering,he went to London and Kathmandu to decide what he should do in life. Then he went to Ankara back to do military service. When he was in the army, he found out how to give shape to the rest of his life 'cinema'. Ceylan's first short film Koza was screened in the 1995 Cannes Film Festival. He received many awards with his debut feature Kasaba . His third feature Uzak received many awards including the Grand Jury Prize and the Best Actor Prize at Cannes, and was praised internationally.
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Bülent Ersoy is a transgender Turkish celebrity and popular singer of Ottoman classical music. Over the years, Ersoy has become a symbol for... the increased tolerance for LGBT figures in Turkish media. She is known as one of the greatest singers of Turkish music, fans called her as Diva. She has very famous hits such as "Geceler" , "Beddua" , "Maazallah" , "Biz Ayrılamayız" , "Sefam Olsun" , "Bir Tanrıyı Bir de Beni Sakın Unutma" . Bülent Ersoy was born Bülent Erkoç on 9 June 1952 in Istanbul. Bülent began her career as a male singer, in the genre of Turkish classical music, and became an actor early on. Already one of Turkey's most popular male singers and actors, Bülent Ersoy gained international notoriety in 1981 after having sex reassignment surgery in London by a British plastic surgeon. Ersoy kept the name "Bülent" even though it is a male name. After the operation, Bülent found herself in opposition to the regime of Kenan Evren.
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Tchéky Karyo is a Turkish-born French actor and musician. Karyo was born in Istanbul and raised in Paris, France. He studied drama at the... Cyrano Theatre and later became a member of the Daniel Sorano Company, playing many classical roles. After that, he joined the National Theatre of Strasbourg, starring in both contemporary and classical plays. Karyo found success in French films during the 1980s, first as a character actor. He later appeared in leading roles in several notable films such as The Bear, in which he played one of the hunters, and Nikita, in which he played the heroine's spy mentor. He has participated in many Hollywood movies, often portraying a French character, in the same fashion as Jean Reno. He has acted in prominent roles in major successful historic war films. Laudable performances include his performance as a vengeful French officer alongside Mel Gibson in The Patriot and his role as Jean de Dunois in The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc. In the DVD edition of The Patriot, Karyo overdubbed his own lines on the French language track.
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