Formula 1 Istanbul, May 9-11

5th leg of 2008 Formula 1 race will be held at Istanbul Park race circuit in Istanbul between May 9th - 11th, 2008. Alonso, Raikonen, Massa and many other pilots will be competing for the checker flag. 110 thousand spectators are expected on stage, and about 3 billion people will be seeing it on TV around the world. Don't miss this great international motor sports event.

Salvador Dali's works in Istanbul until 2009

Sabanci University - Sakip Sabanci Museum (SSM) will be hosting oil paintings of the great Spanish painter Salvador Dali in Istanbul. Besides 270 of his works, his photographs and hand writings will be exhibited as well. The exhibitions will be on display from 19th of September 2008 until 19th January of 2009.

Tulip Festival in Istanbul, April 5-13

3rd edition of the International Istanbul Tulip Festival will be held in various parks of Istanbul with millions of tulips poping up around between April 5th - 13th, 2008. Especially the Emirgan Park will be the center of the festivities.

For those who doesn't know, Tulips are originated from Turkey, not from Holland !!

Astoria Shopping Mall opened

Another luxury shopping mall has opened in Istanbul: Astoria. It's located at Esentepe neighborhood. There are several luxury shops and famous brand names, food courts, restaurants, and a huge movie theater.

With the existence of many modern shopping malls, Istanbul is the right place to shop.

New shopping malls

Istanbul has several ultra modern shopping malls that don't exist even in Europe. These are modern shopping centers containing many international and local brand names, movie theaters, food courts and other facilities.

Istinye Park shopping center was opened in September 2007 with around 300 shops. Another big mall, Capacity, is opened in December in Bakirkoy district. Another opening in December 2007 is The City's in Nisantasi neighborhood.

So, you can not only find history and culture in Istanbul, but lots of shopping opportunities as well.

Istanbul Boat Show

27th edition of International Istanbul Boat Show will be open between 8-16 December 2007 at Istanbul Fair Center in Yesilkoy district.

New Cultural Center - Santralistanbul

The Silahtaraga Power Plant was the first power station built in Istanbul during the late Ottoman period in 1911. Today, it has been renovated by Bilgi University and opened as a culture and arts center near the Golden Horn.

International Istanbul Biennial, Sep 8 - Nov 4

The 10th International Istanbul Biennial, organized by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSEV), will be open in the city from September 8th until November 4th, 2007. This years Biennial will be under the curatorship of Hou Hanru, currently Director of Exhibitions and Public Programs at San Francisco Art Institute.

The title of The 10th International Istanbul Biennial is “Not Only Possible, But Also Necessary - Optimism in the age of global war”. The venues of the Biennial will be Antrepo 3 in Karakoy, IMC (Istanbul Textile Traders' Market) in Unkapani near the Golden Horn, AKM (Ataturk Cultural Center) in Taksim Square, and Santralistanbul in Sutluce - Eyup.

Cow Parade in Istanbul until October 31st

190 cow sculptures, designed by artists under sponsorship of Turkish dairy company SUTAS, were introduced at the "CowParade Istanbul" festival, organized by Sisli Municipality.

Many Turkish celebrities have designed cow sculptures for the CowParade, the 55th of which will be held in Istanbul. Earlier the event took place in several cities including Paris, New York and Monaco. The sculptures will be on display at Ataturk Airport, and in several neighborhoods as Ortakoy, Bebek and Sultanahmet till October 31st, 2007.

After the exhibition is over, the cow sculptures will be auctioned and the income will be donated to Mother Child Education Foundation (ACEV), and Turkish Foundation for Combating Soil Erosion, for Reforestation and the Protection of Natural Habitats (TEMA).

Istanbul is Europe's 3rd best city

According to U.S. Travel & Leisure review, Istanbul is ranked the third best city of Europe. The review has carried out a survey in its last issue about the best cities and hotels in the world and Europe, and Florence was chosen as the best city of Europe, than Rome the second, and Istanbul the 3rd in the poll. Istanbul has also been chosen as the 8th among the best cities of the world, and it also obtained the most exotic city title among world's best 10 cities as well.

According to the same survey, Four Seasons Hotel at Istanbul's old Sultanahmet neighborhood was chosen as the best hotel in Europe. The hotel was converted from an old prison into a luxurious hotel right in the heart of the old city.