In Turkiye and Turkish culture, we have a tradition of countryside people spending summertime on mountains which is called YAYLA with their cows and sheep etc. Usually, these tablelands are on high altitude (our Yayla is 2700 metre high) very cold and covered with snow most of the year. Some Yayla places have trees which […]
TRNC (Turkish Republic of North Cyprus) – Meds best kept secret
Turkish North Cyprus is one the best-kept secrets of the Mediterranean. It has the best local weather, food, people and a wonderfully relaxed atmosphere. Although culturally in many ways it is part of the middle east, visitors feel at home no matter which country they come from. It is the only country I know where […]
The Art of John Kingerlee
I met John (Mu’adh) and his wife Mo (Iman) during a recent visit to Ireland when we were thrilled to be guest in their home. Some mutual friends from the Norwich Muslim community had introduced them to us, so we called them before our arrival in Ireland and they both insisted that we should visit and […]
Hala Sultan (Umm Harâm bint Milhân) Tekke (Mosque) and Shrine
Cyprus has been ruled and visited by many people throughout history including the Persians, Romans, Venetians, Lusignans, Ancient Greeks, Ottomans and more recently the British – who leased Cyprus from the Ottoman Turks in the 1870s until Cyprus gained its independence in 1960. Each of these civilizations has in turn left behind unique traces on the island […]
A visit to The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul
Istanbul is a timeless city; a bridge between east and west and world class cultural and historical centre. Whenever I visit Turkiye I make sure to include time in Istanbul to see friends and family. The only problem I face is usually having too little time when there is such a wealth of cultural attractions […]
Trabzon, The Beautiful City of North East Turkiye.
I try to visit my home town Trabzon as often as possible. In my last visit (end of May, beginning of June) it was cross between spring to summer time. The most beautiful time for countryside, sea side and mountains. At this time of the year, everything in nature becomes alive again, many shades of […]