The family of the world’s 1st Black military pilot, born in Izmir, have called for a permanent memorial to honour his legacy. Descendants of Ottoman-era officer Ahmet Ali Celikten said they wanted future generations to know about their grandfather’s achievements. Widely regarded as history’s first Black military pilot, Celikten fought in World War I, joined…
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By Laura Bower – When people abroad think of Turkish food, the usual suspects tend to be döner kebabs, baklava and perhaps a very large Turkish breakfast. But if you’re brave enough, there’s a parallel world of extremely unusual Turkish dishes to try that will open your eyes, test your tastebuds, and (pleasantly) surprise you.…
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Vergi Dairesi – the Turkish tax office. Just hearing the words can be enough to make many foreign residents reach for their paperwork and start worrying. But if you own a holiday home in Türkiye, understanding the basics of the Turkish tax system can save you a lot of confusion – and potentially some expensive…
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If you own a home in Türkiye, you also own a tapu. It is one of the most important documents you own – but if you’ve ever looked at it and wondered what all those boxes, numbers and Turkish words actually mean, you’re not alone. The tapu is your official title deed, recording your ownership…
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Didim’s streets are lined with cafés and restaurants serving everything from pide, kebabs and pizza to burgers, steaks and chicken dishes aimed more specifically at foreign tourists, writes Laura Bower. But some of the area’s richest culinary offerings are found a little further off the beaten track, in the countryside cafés and restaurants serving köy…
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If you’ve lived in Türkiye for any length of time, you’ve probably heard someone say, “You’ll need to go to the noter.” For many foreigners, the Turkish notary system can seem confusing. In the UK, notaries are used relatively rarely, but in Türkiye they play an important role in everyday life. From buying a car…
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By A.J. Griffiths-Jones Last year Turkiye suffered 3,224 forest fires in total, with human negligence and accidents cited as the leading cause. So why are we seeing a rising number again this summer? Wildfire season is generally between June and October with heatwaves, dry winds and drought causing spikes in risk, the arid Mediterranean and…
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One of the joys of owning a home in Türkiye is spending warm evenings on the balcony and enjoying life outdoors. Unfortunately, nature occasionally decides it would quite like to move in too! From mosquitoes and ants to the occasional scorpion or even burglar, unwanted visitors can spoil your stay. Fortunately, most problems can be…
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Who isn’t familiar with that post-pub street food stalwart, the döner kebab? Also known as the “elephant leg”, the döner gets its name from its cooking method, turning continuously on a vertical spit. Döner kebabs originated in the Ottoman Empire during the 19th century, when cooks in Bursa began roasting seasoned meat on a vertical…
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Not that long ago, Türkiye had a bureaucracy paralysed by paperwork. If you had gone to school in Kars but now lived in Didim and wanted to take your driving test, you could face a two-day bus journey to collect your school report and another two-day trip back to hand it in. CofE school veterans…
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