A few weeks ago, I sent an exhausted artist friend visiting from New York to the Turkish bath down the street from my flat, in Istanbul's Karaköy district. Kılıç Ali Pasa Hamami (www.kilicalipasahamami.com; about US$60 [Dh220] for the total hammam ritual) was designed by Mimar Sinan, Turkey's great 16th-century architect, as part of a larger complex that includes a tomb and a madrassa, plus a mosque that he modelled on Hagia Sophia, the iconic, Byzantine church, built in 537, across the Golden Horn. The hammam had fallen to near-ruin before a painstaking rehabilitation and its 2012 reopening.
Today, visitors enter a gorgeously minimalist reception area, all rough-edged tan stone and blond wood under one of Sinan’s largest single domes, then bask on a sea of grey marble, lathered, soaked and kneaded, as streaks of sunlight filter through star-shaped skylights. “I feel brand new,” my friend said when she emerged two hours later. “So luxurious, and in one of the most beautiful interior spaces I’ve ever seen.”
Awoken from its long post-Ottoman slumber, Istanbul may be the reigning Casanova of cities, seducing visitors with an intoxicating blend of freshness and aged urbanity. The Bosphorus Strait bisects the city’s European and Asian sides, prompting many foreigners to wax geopolitical about a bridge between East and West. But the more telling juxtaposition is that between old and new. LCD screens offer prices in Japanese at the 17th-century Spice Bazaar. The white-walled office of my dentist has a television display embedded in the bathroom mirror. And Kılıç Ali Pasa Hamami is a 21st-century update on the Turkish bath, tucked behind a 16th-century mosque that’s modelled on a 6th-century church.
Despite simmering social and political unrest, Turkey remains economically and politically stable, particularly in light of the upheaval of its neighbours. Ankara is the capital, but Istanbul is the economic engine, representing 20 per cent of the population and 40 per cent of tax revenues. The national air carrier Turkish Airlines is forecasting a near 25 per cent increase in passengers this year, and the city is one of the world’s top destinations for 2014.
If this year is Istanbul’s modern-day coming-out party, Karaköy may be the belle of the ball. A port since at least the 13th century, it was once one of Europe’s busiest harbours. Its ageing docks still welcome cruise ships headed to Black Sea ports such as Odessa or Mediterranean stops such as Athens and Rome. In Ottoman times, leading banks set up shop on Bankalar Caddesi (Avenue of Banks). Foreigners dominated finance, and Karaköy teemed with Italians, Greeks, Armenians and Jews. When banking declined at the end of the Ottoman era, many locals turned to industry.
By the end of the 20th century, derelict warehouses, dusty tea shops and gritty electricians' and mechanics' shops dominated. Then the Istanbul Modern Art Museum (www.istanbulmodern.org/en) laid anchor along the Bosporus in late 2004, bringing more than 8,000 square metres of exhibition space and a dash of style to the area.
On a sunny recent summer afternoon, the museum's whitewashed walls and dull, grey floors directs visitors' attention to the art. The permanent exhibit highlights aggressive, oversized works that contradict Turkey's orientalist image, such a lively untitled piece from Haluk Akakçe that's redolent of Ren & Stimpy.
In the rotating exhibition space is Plurivocality, a show that runs until November 27, highlighting the relationship between visual arts and sound, in connection with the museum's 10th anniversary. It could also be called Sound and the City. Nevin Aladag's six-minute video Session unleashes instruments on various areas of Sharjah – a drum played by water drops from a park sprinkler, a tambourine rolling across the desert, bells swaying from the branches of a palm tree.
In Fikret Atay's mesmerising Tinica, a lone young man, using a grey bucket, two tin canisters and a piece of tin scrap as his drum set, bangs out a moving rhythm from a plateau overlooking the city of Batman, in eastern Turkey.
Now and then, the setting overwhelms the art. Strolling the main gallery, I catch an arresting glimpse, through floor-to-ceiling windows, of sunlight shimmering on the Bosporus, as a massive container ship chugs past. Many Istanbulites come here not for the art, but for the delicious views from the terrace of the museum cafe.
The Istanbul Modern blazed a trail; others followed. Next door is Antrepo 3, a vast former warehouse that’s home to the Istanbul Biennial and Istanbul Fashion Week. Just up the street is the Tophane-i-Amire Culture and Arts Center, a refashioned, 15th-century Ottoman foundry that recently hosted a Joan Miró retrospective.
It’s also where, in April 2009, Barack Obama made one of his first speeches outside the United States as president. He spoke, as so many foreigners do, of the divide between East and West; Christianity and Islam. “We can’t afford to talk past one another and focus only on our differences,” Obama told students from Mimar Sinan University, which manages the building.
There is also Salt Galata (www.saltonline.org/en/42/salt-galata), in the massive former headquarters of the Ottoman Bank, plus Ellipsis, Egeran Galeri, Mixer, the multipurpose Sumahan complex and a handful of others. All those gallery goers need a place to eat – and, living in the neighbourhood, I seem to stumble upon a new hot spot every week.
The latest is Colonie, a sleek, Meatpacking District-like bistro. Well-groomed, middle-aged men in dark blazers and open-collared shirts light cigars across from almond-eyed twentysomethings nibbling on burrata and smoked salmon. Later, servers clear away tables and a DJ entices diners to the dance floor with Macklemore and Michael Jackson.
Karaköy has emerged as an edgier nightlife alternative to the chic clubs of Ortaköy, where stilettos, miniskirts and cascading curls dominate, a few miles up the Bosporus.
Fosil complements great views with a crowded dance floor bouncing to rock and funk. Gaspar and Bej are for a slightly older crowd that still likes to cut loose.
Before Colonie, the hot spot was Naif, or Nar, or maybe it was Baltazar (www.baltazarkarakoy.com), where grass-fed beef sourced from a Thracian farm is aged four weeks and cooked on a charcoal grill. The result is burger bliss. Just across the alley is Muhit. Shaded by sprawling grapevines, its patio is one of the city's more relaxing outdoor spaces.
Despite its emergence, Karaköy remains something of a throwback and a little rough around the edges. During a late, alfresco dinner at Unter (www.unter.com.tr), a chic neighbourhood favourite, a slim man with a wooden cart trudges past hawking melons, a few sliced open to reveal enticing green flesh. Minutes later, another man walks past carrying a tray of almonds, shelled and ice-chilled.
Pedestrians rarely need to dodge cars or flocks of tourists as they often must on the narrow, crowded streets of Istiklal, Galata and Cihangir. Yet graffiti abounds, the grating sounds of industry are rarely far away and many alleys are strewn with bits of trash.
But the days of hip, scruffy Karaköy may be numbered. The area surrounding the Istanbul Modern will soon be remade into a $700 million (Dh2.57 billion) cruise-ship terminal called Galataport, complete with hotels, shopping and a 2,500-seat concert hall. Many Istanbulites lament such projects, pointing to the proliferation of malls and skyscrapers, higher rents, greater congestion and lost heritage. In millennia-old Istanbul, balancing preservation and gentrification can be particularly difficult.
Plans for a makeover of the city’s central square, Taksim, sparked the Gezi Park protests that spread like wildfire in 2013.
Gregers Tang Thomsen, the Danish half of the Danish-Turkish husband-and-wife architecture firm Superpool, says that Karaköy hasn’t changed all that much since his firm moved here in 2006. “There are still a bunch of older guys sitting around drinking tea, and still a lot of small shops doing manufacturing,” he says. “But because of the different projects coming up, like the Galataport, three years from now all of the locals and hipsters will be gone and it will be all cruise tourists.”
At least for now, Karaköy can be as modern as London or New York, yet a visitor can still appreciate why Giovanni Galeni, a 16th-century sailor from Italy’s Adriatic coast who converted to Islam and became the Ottoman naval commander Kılıç Ali Pasa, chose to build his mosque and hammam here – and be thankful that he did.
Every Saturday afternoon, Art Walk Istanbul (www.artwalkistanbul.com) leads guests on one of four different strolls, including one that stops at 10 galleries in Tophane and Karaköy. The walks cost 75 Turkish lira (Dh128) per person, in Turkish and English.
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Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
MATCH INFO
Real Madrid 2
Vinicius Junior (71') Mariano (90 2')
Barcelona 0
On racial profiling at airports
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
HAJJAN
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Abu%20Bakr%20Shawky%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cbr%3EStarring%3A%20Omar%20Alatawi%2C%20Tulin%20Essam%2C%20Ibrahim%20Al-Hasawi%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Breaking News: The Remaking of Journalism and Why It Matters Now
Alan Rushbridger, Canongate
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Earth under attack: Cosmic impacts throughout history
- 4.5 billion years ago: Mars-sized object smashes into the newly-formed Earth, creating debris that coalesces to form the Moon
- 66 million years ago: 10km-wide asteroid crashes into the Gulf of Mexico, wiping out over 70 per cent of living species – including the dinosaurs.
- 50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater
- 1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.
- 1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.
- 1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.
-2013: 10,000-tonne meteor burns up over the southern Urals region of Russia, releasing a pressure blast and flash that left over 1600 people injured.
BACK%20TO%20ALEXANDRIA
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETamer%20Ruggli%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENadine%20Labaki%2C%20Fanny%20Ardant%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Day 3 stumps
New Zealand 153 & 249
Pakistan 227 & 37-0 (target 176)
Pakistan require another 139 runs with 10 wickets remaining
The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable
Amitav Ghosh, University of Chicago Press
Winners
Best Men's Player of the Year: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
Maradona Award for Best Goal Scorer of the Year: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
TikTok Fans’ Player of the Year: Robert Lewandowski
Top Goal Scorer of All Time: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Best Women's Player of the Year: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)
Best Men's Club of the Year: Chelsea
Best Women's Club of the Year: Barcelona
Best Defender of the Year: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus/Italy)
Best Goalkeeper of the Year: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Italy)
Best Coach of the Year: Roberto Mancini (Italy)
Best National Team of the Year: Italy
Best Agent of the Year: Federico Pastorello
Best Sporting Director of the Year: Txiki Begiristain (Manchester City)
Player Career Award: Ronaldinho
INDIA'S%20TOP%20INFLUENCERS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBhuvan%20Bam%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fbhuvan.bam22%2F%3Fhl%3Den%22%20target%3D%22_self%22%3EInstagram%3C%2Fa%3E%20followers%3A%2016.1%20million%3Cbr%3EBhuvan%20Bam%20is%20a%2029-year-old%20comedian%20and%20actor%20from%20Delhi%2C%20who%20started%20out%20with%20YouTube%20channel%2C%20%E2%80%9CBB%20Ki%20Vines%E2%80%9D%20in%202015%2C%20which%20propelled%20the%20social%20media%20star%20into%20the%20limelight%20and%20made%20him%20sought-after%20among%20brands.%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EKusha%20Kapila%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fkushakapila%2F%3Fhl%3Den%22%20target%3D%22_self%22%3EInstagram%3C%2Fa%3E%20followers%3A%203.1%20million%3Cbr%3EKusha%20Kapila%20is%20a%20fashion%20editor%20and%20actress%2C%20who%20has%20collaborated%20with%20brands%20including%20Google.%20She%20focuses%20on%20sharing%20light-hearted%20content%20and%20insights%20into%20her%20life%20as%20a%20rising%20celebrity.%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EDiipa%20Khosla%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fdiipakhosla%2F%3Fhl%3Den%22%20target%3D%22_self%22%3EInstagram%3C%2Fa%3E%20followers%3A%201.8%20million%3Cbr%3EDiipa%20Khosla%20started%20out%20as%20a%20social%20media%20manager%20before%20branching%20out%20to%20become%20one%20of%20India's%20biggest%20fashion%20influencers%2C%20with%20collaborations%20including%20MAC%20Cosmetics.%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EKomal%20Pandey%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fkomalpandeyofficial%2F%3Fhl%3Den%22%20target%3D%22_self%22%3EInstagram%3C%2Fa%3E%20followers%3A%201.8%20million%3Cbr%3EKomal%20Pandey%20is%20a%20fashion%20influencer%20who%20has%20partnered%20with%20more%20than%20100%20brands%2C%20including%20Olay%20and%20smartphone%20brand%20Vivo%20India.%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENikhil%20Sharma%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fnikkkhil%2F%3Fhl%3Den%22%20target%3D%22_self%22%3EInstagram%3C%2Fa%3E%20followers%3A%201.4%20million%3Cbr%3ENikhil%20Sharma%20from%20Mumbai%20began%20his%20online%20career%20through%20vlogs%20about%20his%20motorcycle%20trips.%20He%20has%20become%20a%20lifestyle%20influencer%20and%20has%20created%20his%20own%20clothing%20line.%3Cbr%3E%3Cem%3ESource%3A%20Hireinfluence%2C%20various%3C%2Fem%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Episode list:
Ep1: A recovery like no other- the unevenness of the economic recovery
Ep2: PCR and jobs - the future of work - new trends and challenges
Ep3: The recovery and global trade disruptions - globalisation post-pandemic
Ep4: Inflation- services and goods - debt risks
Ep5: Travel and tourism
MATCH INFO
Sheffield United 2 Bournemouth 1
United: Sharp (45 2'), Lundstram (84')
Bournemouth: C Wilson (13')
Man of the Match: Jack O’Connell (Sheffield United)
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
Expo details
Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia
The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.
It is expected to attract 25 million visits
Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.
More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020
The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area
It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre, twin-turbocharged V8
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 630bhp
Torque: 900Nm
Price: Dh810,000
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
