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So, one of the most frequent questions I get asked as a tour guide is “what’s going on with Turkey’s tulips? Tulips are everywhere!”.  It’s true, tulips have a very special place in Turkey, and given that the official tulip season is just around the...

For Turkish families, no week is complete without a trip to our local bazaar (pazar) to stock up on our fresh fruit and vegetables for the week ahead.  We’ve been doing this since Ottoman times, and our bazaars stock so much more than food – cleaning products,...

It’s true that Ebru (the art of marbling) and Oil Wrestling don’t have much in common, however, they are both listed by UNESCO as cultural traditions requiring protection. When you think about the UNESCO World Heritage list, you generally think about places (and...

Well here we are, on another New Year’s Eve, and it seems that 2015 has flown by. New Year’s Eve in Turkey is a big deal – tonight the streets and restaurants will be full of people celebrating, and families will also gather in their homes to celebrate together...

If you have ever been to a Turkish wedding you will know that they are a lively affair, and that even modern Turkish weddings have a traditional vibe and have a heap of customs and superstitions attached to them.  A Turkish wedding can span over anywhere from three days to just...

1. Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling Festival – this festival is held in July every year in Edirne and draws crowds of thousands.  The wrestlers (known as pehlivan in Turkish) wear traditional trousers made from cowhide (called kisbet) and wrestle, covered in olive oil.  This event...

You’ll see them hung outside and inside homes, in cars, in shops, on bracelets, worn as earrings, on animals, and babies often wear one attached to a small safety pin – it’s the Nazar Boncuğu, which translates to the Evil Eye Bead, and often (incorrectly) called...

Discovery of an Ephesus gladiator graveyard has rocked the archaeological world.  We all know gladiators right? They were the sporting heroes of the ancient world who battled condemned criminals, animals or each other for the amusement of the masses. The graveyard,...

Camel wrestling is a long-standing tradition in the Aegean region of Turkey, although it can be found in some other parts of the country. The Selcuk Camel Wrestling Festival is held on the 3rd Sunday of January each year in an ancient stadium in Selcuk, and generally features...

Every country has its traditional customs around engagement and marriage, and engagement in Turkey is no different.  Although times are rapidly changing, today as you drive through some small rural villages, you may see glass bottles placed on the roof of the house. This is a...

Once discovered by the Ottomans, Turkish coffee became such an important feature of palace life, that a position of Chief Coffee Maker (kahvecibasi) was created by the palace. The tradition of Turkish coffee is believed to date back to 1555 when it was introduced to the palace in...