Istanbul Music Festivel, June 2012

40th edition of Istanbul Music Festival will be held at various venues between 31 May - 29 June, 2012, with the participation of more than 750 local and foreign artists such as Fazil Say, Helene Grimaud, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Milos, Gidon Kremer, and many others.

Istanbul Fashion Week 2012

Istanbul Fashion Week will be on show between 8-11 February 2012, aiming to gain recognition for Turkish designers and brands in national and international tribunes and to make a contribution to Turkish economy while increasing the design power in the fashion industry.

400 years of Turkish-Dutch relations at Pera Museum

Turkish-Dutch relations are on exhibit at the Pera Museum in Istanbul. Commemorating 400 years of cultural, diplomatic and trade relations between Turkey and the Netherlands, the Pera Museum is presenting an exhibition titled “Sultans, Merchants, Painters: The Early Years of Turkish-Dutch Relations.” The exhibition includes over 80 works comprised of oil paintings, watercolors, engravings and books, and will continue until April 1st, 2012.

New York Times article on Istanbul excavations

The New York Times has published an article regarding the excavations and new findings at the Kucukcekmece Lake of Istanbul, revealing interesting facts and artifacts of this early settlement of ancient Constantinople.

You can read the full article at http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/24/science/istanbul-yields-a-treasure-trove-in-ancient-bathonea.html?_r=2&ref=science

Cihangir is one of the "Five best places in the world"

The Guardian newspaper named the "Five best places to live in the world", and Istanbul's Cihangir neighbourhood is one of them.

You can read the full article at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2012/jan/20/five-best-places-to-live-in-world

New exhibitions at the Borusan Contemporary Art museum

Borusan Contemporary Art museum, housed in the "Haunted Mansion" (Perili Kosk) in Rumelihisari neighbourhood along the Bosphorus in Istanbul, is housing the "River of History" exhibition by artist Kathleen Forde and also the "Segment #1A" exhibition by artist Dr. Necmi Sonmez until 15th of April 2012.

New Aquarium in Istanbul

Istanbul is now hosting another aquarium as of June 2011, after the Turquazoo aquarium. The Istanbul Aquarium claims to be the largest thematic aquarium in the world !! It's located at Florya neighbourhood, near Ataturk airport.

According to the officials there will be about 1,500 species of fish and sea creatures inside its 64 water tanks, covering a huge area (there will be a big shopping mall too next year), with several 5D theaters (besides the 3D you will experience rain, water, fog etc for all your senses). So, this will be another attraction for all kids and adults.

Istanbul was the Top Place to Go in 2010

According to New York Times Travel, a poll amongst its readers showed that Istanbul was the top place to go in 2010. This great city is highly recommend by many readers as the Top Destination.

Body Worlds exhibition

Body Worlds, a strange exhibition of "dead real human bodies", will be on display in Istanbul between June 11th - December 17th, 2010. The site for this exhibition will be Antrepo 3, near Istanbul Modern museum at Salipazari pier.

The bodies are preserved using a tecnique called Plastination and the show goes on since many years especially in North America.

Sultanahmet Square closed to traffic

Sultanahmet Square in Istanbul, the old city center, is closed to all vehicle traffic as of 7th of June 2010. Now, the old center is a pedestrian-only area.