Tag: Antiquities

Top 10 guide to Çukurcuma, Istanbul

Top 10 guide to Çukurcuma, Istanbul

Istanbul’s antiques district, Çukurcuma, is now home to novelist Orhan Pamuk’s new Museum of Innocence – explore its winding streets with our top 10 guide to its shops, cafes and restaurants

Know a great place in Çukurcuma? Add it to the comments below

Sarah Gilbert
guardian.co.uk

Orhan Pamuk’s Museum of Innocence in Istanbul

Museum of Innocence

This wine-red 19th-century townhouse has become part-museum, part-art installation, part-novel brought to life. Pamuk conceived the project as he was writing the novel of the same name and he’s filled 83 wooden boxes with collected and commissioned works of art relating to each chapter – items the characters would have seen, worn, or owned over the last decades of the 20th century when the novel is set. But it’s not just a study of obsession and the mementos of a doomed love affair between the novel’s protagonists. With the aid of cutting-edge technology blurring fiction and documentary, it’s a chronicle of Istanbul at a time of great cultural changed. Click through our picture gallery of the museum here.
• Çukurcuma Caddesi, Dalgiç Çikmazi 2, +90 212 252 9738, masumiyetmuzesi.org, open Tuesday-Thursday, Saturday and Sunday 10am-6pm, Friday 10am-9pm, entrance 25TL (about £8.50) for adults, £3.50 for students

The Works: Objects of Desire

As the sign says, this bric-a-brac emporium is aimed at “the slightly deranged collector seeking identifiable memories”, and it’s a sensory overload for even the most seasoned forager. With stock spilling out on to the pavement it’s clear that the owner of this extraordinary shop, A. Karaca Borar, is a consummate collector. In the house-cum-shop’s bathroom, you might find a marble Ottoman washbasin next to a mass of rubber ducks. Vintage clothes are stacked alongside collections of toys, plastic gnomes, wooden hands and other miscellany. If you can’t find it here, it probably doesn’t exist.
• Faikpaşa Caddesi 6/1, +90 212 252 2527, fleaworks.com, open daily 11am-6pm (closed 13-17 June), prices from around £3.50

A La Turca

A visit to Erkal Aksoy’s A La Turca kilim house is like wandering around a delightful ethnographic museum – with price tags. A hoarders’ heaven, this beautiful four-storey townhouse is filled with his global finds, displayed with the know-how of a skilled interior designer. There’s plenty to covet if you can afford it and it’s worth exploring even if you can’t: the colourful, tightly woven antique kilims, rolled up and stored on bookshelves, the Ottoman embroidery draped over a chair (which is also for sale) and countless decorative objects. Don’t forget to head down into the basement for stacks of green-glazed Tokat pottery.
• Faikpaşa Caddesi 4, +90 212 245 2933, alaturcahouse.com, open Monday-Saturday 10.30am-7.30pm and by appointment, prices on request

Hall Istanbul

New-Zealand born interior designer, Christopher Hall, has been living in Istanbul for the past 12 years. His eponymous shop – open since 2003 – mixes antiques with his own contemporary designs. He works in stone, iron, steel, glass, linen, cotton, wool and wood and is inspired by the wares of the neighbouring junk shops, the influence of the city and Islamic form. You’ll find some of his bronze and marble furniture in this chic showroom, along with more portable objets d’art, lighting, ceramics and textiles. Most pieces are beyond the pocket of the average visitor but a few small decorative objects start from around £30.
• Faikpaşa Caddesi, +90 212 292 9590, hallistanbul.com, open Monday 2pm-7pm, Tuesday-Saturday 10am-7pm

Leyla Seyhanli

This wardrobe-sized boutique is piled floor to ceiling with an eccentric collection of vintage clothes, hats and hat boxes, handbags, wall hangings and embroidered textiles. A good rummage will reveal Ottoman-era silk pillowcases hand sewn with gilded thread, embroidered linen towels and Anatolian velvet table cloths, ornate traditional kaftans, turn-of-the-century silk blouses and 1950s taffeta party dresses. Always the genuine article, it’s become a popular stop for collectors and Seyhanli also lends costumes and accessories to the Turkish film industry.
• Altipatlar Sokak 6, +90 212 293 7410, open Monday-Saturday 10.30am-6.30pm, prices range from around £30 to £160

Leila Butik

Virtually everything in this small, whitewashed boutique is a quirky, fun, one-off design. Different designers supply the store with everything from fascinators to ornately decorated heels, cute little prom dresses to hand-printed T-shirts, crazily patterned tights and leggings to customised straw hats. It also stocks jewellery from Anatolian-influenced crocheted necklaces to plastic brooches and, for men, vintage sunglasses and unique trilbies.
• Hayriye Caddesi 18, +90 212 245 3365, leilabutik.com, open Monday-Saturday 11am-8.30pm, prices from around £5

Holy Coffee

With its sofas, armchairs, bookshelves and art-covered walls, a Holy Coffee break is like stepping into someone’s living room. Just a year old, it’s become the cafe of choice for locals, ex-pats and visitors thanks to its relaxed vibe and its hands-on Turkish owner, Arzu, who is more than happy to offer her tips on the city. The smell of freshly baked cakes and biscuits wafts from the kitchen, and soups, sandwiches and salads are also on offer. Drink the homemade bitter lemonade alfresco on a hot day – the coffee is excellent too.
• Hacioğlu Sokak 1B, +90 212 243 6869, Holy Coffee’s facebook page, open Monday-Saturday 10am-8pm

Cukurcuma Köftecisi

Traditional Turkish fare is served at this family-run lunch venue next door to Holy Coffee, complete with wooden tables and chairs and walls adorned with kitsch art and portraits of Atatürk. It’s a paradise for carnivores, with all manner of köfte (meatballs) and şiş (skewers) sizzling on the grill, served with a carb overload of chips and Turkish pilaf rice. But there are also daily specials such as soups, stews and freshly made salads. Fridays and Saturdays are fry days, when you can sample the sublime courgette, aubergine and cauliflower fritters.
• Hacioğlu Sokak 1A, +90 212 245 0833, cukurcumakoftecisi.com, open Monday to Saturday for lunch and dinner

Münferit

Award-winning interior design duo, Seyhan Özdemir and Sefer Cağlar – better known as Autoban – gave Münferit a retro feel with marble-top tables, smoked-glass mirrors and wood panelling. But the vintage aesthetic belies a menu filled with thoroughly modern meze, such as black couscous topped with sprigs of grilled calamari, baby octopus skewers and, for dessert, the irresistible sage ice-cream with plum sauce. Wash it down with some thrice-distilled Beylerbeyi Raki, Turkey’s potent anise-flavoured spirit produced by the owner’s family, or one of the inventive martinis and mojitos. On balmy evenings, you can dine alfresco on the terrace before it’s transformed into a dance space.
• Yeni Carşi Caddesi 19, +90 212 252 5067, munferit.com.tr, open daily 7pm-2am, main courses around £14

House Hotel Galatsaray

The first hotel project from the owners of Istanbul’s trendy House Café chain has turned a dilapidated 19th-century building into a design buff’s dream with help from Autoban. Spread over four floors, the 20 rooms combine old-world charm with innovative design – lofty ceilings, ornate plasterwork and polished parquet floors, with sleek, custom-made furniture and rainforest shower cubicles in the middle of the bedroom. The top-floor lounge bar, with its open fire, large brown Chesterfields and panoramic views is the perfect place to relax post-sightseeing.
• Firuzağa Mahallesi, Bostanbaşi Caddesi 19, +90 212 252 0422, thehousehotel.com/the-house-hotel-galatasaray, from €139 for a deluxe suite on a B&B basis. If you prefer the idea of an apartment, studios with The House Apart start from €80 per night and one-bedroom apartments start from €100, including two breakfasts at The House Café on Istiklal Caddesi

June 16, 2012
Manuscript of Great Historic Importance Found in Istanbul

An important manuscript was discovered in Topkapi Palace in Istanbul. Topkapi was the residence of the Ottoman sultans for almost 400 years. The manuscript found is of significant meaning, because it consists of information regarding the years before the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, but it also describes the early years after Constantinople was turned into Istanbul and became capital of Turkey.

The document belongs to Michael Critovoulos, a Greek politician, scholar and historian, who lived between 1410 and 1470. His birth-name was Kritopoulos, but he changed it to sound more ancient Greek-like.

He experienced the Siege and Fall of Constantinople and wrote about Mehmed II the Conqueror.

The discovery sheds light on issues, such as taxation during the Fall, relationships between Greeks and Ottomans, the contention between Venetians and Genoese.

Critovoulos refers also to the construction of the Rumeli Hisari fortress, which was the knockout blow for the Byzantine Istanbul. The chronicle of destruction and looting of the city by the Ottomans, in order to make it their capital, is also mentioned.

His book, according to the Turkish website Hubermonitor.com, was printed with the contribution of the Pavlos and Alexandra Kanellopoulos Foundation. This will be a bilingual issue, having the original manuscript and the Turkish translation by Aris Tsokonas on the one page and the colourful photocopy of the text on the other.

The book will be presented at Pera Museum, located in Istanbul, on May 21.

via Manuscript of Great Historic Importance Found in Istanbul | Greek Reporter Europe.

May 17, 2012
Swedish diplomat faces charges in Turkey

ISTANBUL, Turkey, May 13 (UPI) — A Swedish diplomat caught with a small piece of marble in his suitcase as he prepared to fly home after a vacation could be imprisoned in Turkey.

Turkish authorities say the marble dates from ancient times, making it a historical artifact, The Local reported. It was about 10 centimeters or less than 4 inches in length.

The man’s wife told Expressen, a Swedish national newspaper, she and her husband were never told that pieces of stone were relics.

“This is ludicrous. We had no idea that you couldn’t take stones home as souvenirs,” she said. “We don’t know now what will happen, or how long we’ll have to wait for a decision, but this is a mistake.”

The man, who currently is based at the Foreign Ministry in Stockholm, has not yet been formally charged. He remains in custody in Turkey.

via Swedish diplomat faces charges in Turkey – UPI.com.

May 16, 2012
Tablet in Turkey contains unknown language

[Ancient tablet from Turkey]

Ancient tablet unearthed in Turkey. Credit: John MacGinnis/Cambridge University

Published: May 10, 2012 at 8:21 PM

CAMBRIDGE, England, May 10 (UPI) — Archaeologists working in Turkey say they’ve found evidence of a forgotten language dating back more than 2,500 years to the time of the Assyrian Empire.

Researchers from Cambridge University in Britain, working at the probable site of the ancient Assyrian city of Tushan, said the language may have been spoken by deportees originally from the Zagros Mountains, on the border of modern-day Iran and Iraq.

Under a policy widely practiced across the Assyrian Empire, those people may have been forcibly moved from their homeland and resettled in what is now southeast Turkey, the researchers said.

“It was an approach which helped [Assyrians] to consolidate power by breaking the control of the ruling elite in newly-conquered areas,” Cambridge researcher John MacGinnis said. “If people were deported to a new location, they were entirely dependent on the Assyrian administration for their well-being.”

The evidence for the language they spoke comes from a single clay tablet that survived the fire that destroyed a palace in Tushan, inscribed with cuneiform characters that list the names of women who were attached to the palace and the local Assyrian administration.

“Altogether around 60 names are preserved,” MacGinnis said. “One or two are actually Assyrian and a few more may belong to other known languages of the period, such as Luwian or Hurrian, but the great majority belong to a previously unidentified language.

“We know from existing texts that the Assyrians did conquer people from that region [western Iran.] Now we know that there is another language, perhaps from the same area, and maybe more evidence of its existence waiting to be discovered.”

via Tablet in Turkey contains unknown language – UPI.com.

May 11, 2012
Turkey Targeting Return of Antiquities in Cleveland Museum of Art’s Collection

Turkey Targeting Return of Antiquities in Cleveland Museum of Art’s Collection

Posted by Vince Grzegorek on Mon, Apr 2, 2012 at 4:12 PM

Antiquities can be a dirty business, especially so in recent years as countries like Italy and Greece target museums across the world in attempts to take possession of artifacts they believe were looted illegally from their soil.

The Cleveland Museum of Art was one of many museums that handed over millions of dollars worth of ancient artifacts back to those two countries in recent years after documentation surfaced proving that the items’ path to the hallowed halls passed through dishonest hands. It’s not that museums knowingly buy pieces that were stolen (well, most of the time), it’s that the origin histories of the statues or vases can be murky or blatantly forged by dealers.

The battles to reclaim these artifacts are long and arduous. Museums aren’t in the business of giving back pieces willy nilly when they’ve spent huge chunks of cash in acquiring them. And, as Scene detailed in a 2008 cover story about a fourth century B.C Praxiteles sculpture — the only one in existence — claims by “rightful” owners can be equally muddled.

Which brings us to Turkey. The L.A. Times reported that the country is targeting an unknown list of artifacts from the Met, Getty Museum, Cleveland Museum, and others.

Inspired by the success of its Mediterranean neighbors Italy and Greece, Turkey is taking a more aggressive stance toward its claims, many of which were first made decades ago.

“Turkey is not trying to start a fight,” said Murat Suslu, Turkey’s director general for cultural heritage and museums. “We are trying to develop … cooperation and we hope these museums will also understand our point of view.”

Turkey is presenting the museums with supporting evidence and has threatened to halt all loans of art to those institutions until they respond to the claims. Loans have already been denied to the Met, a Turkish official said.

Museums are notoriously tight-lipped when it comes to talks with countries demanding artifact returns, so don’t expect any response from Cleveland.

via Turkey Targeting Return of Antiquities in Cleveland Museum of Art’s Collection | Scene and Heard: Scene’s News Blog.

April 15, 2012
Looting Matters: Byzantium, Islam and Turkey

Byzantium, Islam and Turkey

© David Gill

The exhibition “Byzantium and Islam: Age of Transition” opens at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art later this month. More details can be found here, including a list of lenders.

An exhibition with a focus on Byzantium / Constantinople would expect to include material from the world-class collections in Turkey. But the press release has no mention of objects on loan from Turkey.

It now appears that Turkey has refused to make any loans (“Turkey Bans Artifact Loans to NY Metropolitan Museum”, International Business Times News March 5, 2012). Ertugrul Günay, the Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister, has made a claim on antiquities in the Met’s collection: “You have artifacts that were stolen from Turkey. We’ll cooperate once you’ve returned them to us.”

The items presumably include Byzantine silver.

via Looting Matters: Byzantium, Islam and Turkey.

March 11, 2012