AIOUSINAN: Diffusion des cultures Turques et du Moyen-Orient

vendredi 20 février 2015

Istanbul snowfall breaks 28-year record

ISTANBUL - Doğan News Agency / DHA Photo

The heavy snowfall that has been paralyzing Istanbul over the past three days has broken a 28-year record in the city, according to the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.

On Feb. 19, the snow reached heights of 75 cm in the Çatalca district, in the westernmost region of greater Istanbul. In more central neighborhoods, such as Beşiktaş, Şişli and Kadıköy, the snow depth was measured at 20-32 cm.

In March 1987, 63 cm of snow was measured in Istanbul, marking a winter that many of the city’s residents still remember.

The record snowfall has paralyzed many areas of the city, and many locals took to social media to complain that the 1987 snow storm did not wreck Istanbul to the same extent, despite the fact that it had hit the city for a longer period of time.

The municipality has stressed that it is on “alert” with 4,815 personnel and 1,028 vehicles to keep to the roads open.

“Our teams used 18,543 tons of salt and 926 tons of [chemical] solution to keep the roads open,” a municipality statement said, adding that 437 homeless people have been taken into shelters to be provided with food and hot drinks. The shelters are also used by citizens stuck on the roads during the storm.

Scores of traffic accidents have occurred throughout the city, with one tram derailing in the Topkapı neighborhood and a broken power line halting traffic for hours in Avcılar on Feb. 19.

Some 189 trees have been upended in several neighborhoods over the past two days, the municipality also stated.

February/19/2015

mardi 17 février 2015

un documentaire sur la vie quotidienne des KEJÂN du Karacadağ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6lTFTK1TSw

lundi 16 février 2015

Hugh Jackman says he is ‘grandson of an Ottoman, a Turk’

Savaş Özbey - hürriyet daily newsISTANBUL

World-renown Australian actor Hugh Jackman has said his grandfather was

an Ottoman and he might “call myself a Turk.”

In an interview with daily Hürriyet, Jackman said his grandfather did

not immigrate to Australia from Greece, but he did so from the Ottoman lands.......

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/hugh-jackman-says-he-is-grandson-of-an-ottoman-a-turk.aspx?pageID=238&nID=78365&NewsCatID=381

jeudi 12 février 2015

Journeys into the vanishing religions of the Middle East

William Armstrong - william.armstrong@hdn.com.tr

'Heirs to Forgotten Kingdoms: Journeys into the Disappearing Religions of the Middle East’ by Gerard Russell (Basic Books, 352 pages, $29)

Twenty years ago, writer and historian William Dalrymple went on a journey among the imperiled Christian communities of the Middle East, chronicled in his classic book “From the Holy Mountain." Violent religious intolerance in the region has only accelerated in the years since, particularly after the catastrophic invasion of Iraq in 2003. The horrific advance of the so-called Islamic State and the dire consequences for tiny religious communities like the Yezidis has commanded Western headlines recently, but it is just the latest, grimmest expression of a process that has been ongoing for decades....

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/journeys-into-the-vanishing-religions-of-the-middle-east.aspx?pageID=238&nID=77892&NewsCatID=474

Underground ceramic museum in Avanos

The Cappadocia Underground Ceramic Museum (Güray Museum) is considered the world’s first rock-carved underground ceramic museum and is a highly popular spot in the Avanos district in the central Anatolian province of Nevşehir.

Established after five years of work by the Güray ceramic factory, one of the oldest ceramic factories in the region, the museum has been displaying nearly 500 pieces since April last year. The museum is located on an area of 1,500 square meters and is 15 meters underground. It also serves for meetings and cultural organizations.

HDN

The owner of the museum, Güray Tüysüz, said he had a dream 20 years ago to open the museum and realized his dream after collecting ceramic pieces throughout the years. He said his family has been producing ceramics and pots for five generations in Avanos.

“The museum project had been a dream of 20 years. I could hardly gather the pieces. In the last five years of the project, we carved the rock under our factory and finished the building. This is a first in the world, as an underground rock-carved museum. We show what has been done in Anatolia for ceramic production since the early ages,” he said.

The museum consists of three sections. The first section displays historical artifacts from the first age. The second section displays pieces from more recent centuries under the name “modern age.” The life and works of Turkey’s world famous ceramic artists, some of whom are still alive, are on display in this section. The third section includes a hall, where artists can organize exhibitions, a café and a library.

Güray said they opened the museum to visitors last April and the official opening would take place this year.

“Our museum will be a private one, affiliated with the Culture and Tourism Ministry. It will be visited as a museum in the morning hours and will host meetings, seminars, music concerts and private dinners in the evening hours. Artists will be able to open exhibitions here,” he said.

The Cappadocia Underground Ceramic Museum displays nearly 500 pieces that have been gathered in 20 years.