THE GUIDE – September - October 2007 - Publisher’s Note 

Dear Readers… welcome to the September/October issue of The Guide Istanbul!

This past summer was very active in Istanbul… more than usual. Besides the increasing number of concerts and art exhibits at the major museums, several new hotels opened, with a few more openings expected in the latter part of the year.

Ramadan, one of the major holidays in the Muslim world, begins on September 13, concluding on October 12 with the beginning of the Eid al Fitr (breaking of the fast), festival called Şeker Bayramı in Turkish which last 3 days. In our section Istanbulscope you will find information on Ramadan festivities along with other happenings in the city.

As Istanbul prepares to be the European Capital of Culture in 2010, the arts & culture front is going to be very lively this Fall. Sights&Sounds includes a whole host of information on exhibitions and concerts throughout the city. The highlight of this season is the opening of the 10^th International Istanbul Biennial on September 8 and concluding on November 4. We have not only carried this event to our cover, but Nicole Pope has prepared an article which will give you an overview of the Biennial. The curator of the Istanbul Biennial is Hou Hanru and 150 art works produced by 96 artists will be on display at various venues throughout the city. Another exciting new project is the opening of a broad-ranged cultural and educational center by Bilgi University along the Golden Horn in Eyüp on a sprawling 118,000 square meters. Our article titled A Creative Powerhouse: santralistanbul takes a look at this exciting and new educational and cultural complex.

Under our section on culinary delights, The Pinnacle of Ottoman Cuisine:  “Zeytinyağlı” Vegetables will wet your “health conscious” appetite and have you whipping up typical vegetable dishes prepared with olive oil, called zeytinyağlı dishes in Turkish. Vildan’s Editor’s Choice recommendation will have you “eating and shopping” without living the premises.  Fes Café & Abdulla, located steps from the Nuruosmaniye entrance to the Grand Bazaar is a great place to stop by for coffee or a meal where you can also shop for quality home textiles to include towels, soaps and blankets from around Turkey.

In this issue, we have prepared several “travel related” articles. After the success of the annual issue of The Guide Bodrum which was published in June 2007, Vildan prepared an article titled Bodrum Revisited. If you still haven’t had a chance to visit the pearl of the Aegean, this article will give you tips on where to say, eat and shop – year round! One of Turkey’s “unofficial” ambassadors is Ömer Karacan. Our article titled Ömer Karacan: “If you’ve got the imagination, Istanbul has the infrastructure” gives you an overview of who he is and what he is doing to promote Turkey on the international level. Finally, we would first like to congratulate The Four Seasons Istanbul for being selected the best hotel in Europe and the 4^th best in the world by the readers of the US based Travel & Leisure magazine. We interviewed the hotel’s Regional Vice President and General Manager and Sevil Delin prepared an article appropriately titled, “Wow me if you can”: Marcos Bekhit on the Secret of the Four Seasons Success, which also includes details on the hotel’s expansion plans in Sultanahmet as well as information about the Four Seasons Hotel’s opening along the Bosphorus in Ortaköy at the end of the year.

We round out this issue with our sections Turkish “Delights”, News from around Turkey and Globetrotting.    

Dear readers… I hope you enjoy this issue of The Guide Istanbul and everything that Istanbul has to offer!

            Dear readers… I hope you enjoy reading the articles we prepare for you as much as we enjoy having them prepared. We are always open to suggestions and recommendations, so please feel free to contact us anytime!

 Please write us at: guide@apa.com.tr