CULTURE

The long-debated origin of cağ kebab, claimed by both Erzurum and Artvin, has been traced back a thousand years to the Kipchak Turks, according to new research. Artvin Çoruh University professor Hüdayi Ercoşkun stated that both cities…

Thailand celebrated its traditional Loy Krathong, or Floating Lantern Festival, with dazzling colors and lights on November 5. Locals gathered by rivers and lakes to release handmade lanterns, or “krathongs,” into the water with…

The 23rd Turkish Festival in Washington, D.C., drew large crowds of Americans and Turkish citizens, showcasing Turkish cuisine, art, and folk performances. Visitors enjoyed dishes like döner, baklava, and Turkish coffee while folk dance…

In Hebron, a city in the Israeli-occupied West Bank known as the “World City of Handicrafts” since 2016, artisans are fighting to preserve their centuries-old crafts amid war, blockades, and collapsing tourism. Once bustling with…

Hungarian novelist László Krasznahorkai has been awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature for his “compelling and visionary oeuvre that, in the midst of apocalyptic terror, reaffirms the power of art,” the Swedish Academy announced. The…

In a 76-year-old workshop in Lefkoşa, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, 66-year-old craftsman Özkan Öke keeps the nearly forgotten art of wicker chair making alive. Having inherited the shop from his father, who opened it in…

Efe Işıldaksoy, a painter from Kaş, Antalya, has been leaving his artworks beside trash cans for 11 years, reaching 2,175 paintings across various countries. “Art should strengthen respect and love in society. I have no commercial purpose,…

The Yunus Emre Institute’s “My Choice is Turkish Project” has expanded in Romania for the 2025-2026 school year, making Turkish a compulsory elective course in public schools. Türkiye’s Ambassador to Bucharest, Özgür Kıvanç Altan,…

The exhibition “America in Türkiye: 1910–1970” opened at the Turkish House (Turkevi Center) in New York, showcasing archival materials on the history of Türkiye–US relations. Curated by Dr. Özgenur Reyhan Güler and based on the…

Kazakh cellist Bagjan Oktyabr, known as his country’s cultural ambassador, enchanted audiences in Istanbul during his “Ruh Terapisi” world tour. Performing at the Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu Open Air Theater, he received a standing ovation for…