English
To visit Istanbul is a unique experience. The Turkish capital is one of the best places, at present, to understand about the dynamics of a completely post-modern city, where tradition and history interact with modernity and change in a harmonious and complementary way. Turkey has been since ancient times, the essential bridge between Europe and Asia. Hence, these lands had so many wars, empires like the Roman and Egyptian controlled the lands, leaving a relevant impression in both its architecture and customs in the Turkish culture.
The current cultural scene in Istanbul is also vibrant, colorful and diverse. From concerts of all styles: jazz, electro, house, punk, rock, art galleries and museums, Istanbul also offers a lively nightlife, where you can dance, drink and party every day of the week. Definitely a city oriented in recent years towards international tourism, there are many reasons to travel to Istanbul at any time of year. It should be noted that Istanbul is a place where you can have a first approach to Muslim culture, which will take you to explore mosques, ancient temples and ancient buildings. As it is known, Muslim culture has been demonized from various angles during the past eleven years, even more after the Sept. 11 attacks in New York.
However, Istanbul will show a different face in regard to the Muslim community. While some rules or customs related to family behavior are preserved in much of society, more and more young people are willing to risk for new ways of understanding family and society. Of course, to try to distinguish or call the Western or European influence in Istanbul as a way of a more “current” or “modern” life would be a mistake. Thus, the new Turkish youth from different fields of art, whether painting, sculpture and installation as well as video and film, have been a major factor in the formation and conscious of its own conservative Muslim culture. Which is quite appropriate to the extent that artists are the same Turks who caused problems in their environments and how they generated public debate.
All you have to do in Istanbul is take a walk through its streets and see that art is very much alive in various graffiti, stickers on poles, flyers on the walls, there is no better sign of freedom of expression that the appropriation of the streets by new art. Similarly, the International Film Festival in Istanbul is an open window to see the newest and the best films made in Turkey, along new generations of filmmakers from the world. For more information, visit the official festival website here: http://film.iksv.org/en
Get apartments in Istanbul and enjoy this important festival. Istanbul is a city with a vibrant culture and awesome nightlife. Undoubtedly one of your destinations the next time you decide to leave home.
