The Shock of the Real: Two Films that Show History in the RawIs it the Netflixation of history? We’ve become increasingly accustomed to viewing historical or even recent events through the prism of…Oct 18, 2021Oct 18, 2021
Beyond Tarkovsky: 10 Great Soviet FilmsQuite often the appreciation of foreign literature, cinema or art is exemplified by a near obsessive focus on a handful of big names to…Mar 29, 2021Mar 29, 2021
Kropotkinskaya — a Love Letter to a Moscow Metro StationFor many, their favourite place in Moscow could be a world famous heritage landmark — Red Square, the Bolshoi Theatre or St Basil’s…Sep 29, 2020Sep 29, 2020
Romania’s Saxons: A Tale of Survival in TransylvaniaTransylvania. The associations are clear but often misguided. This mountainous, thickly-forested and culturally-rich area in the heart of…Sep 26, 2019Sep 26, 2019
Dawn Running in Istanbul — When the City is YoursIt is 4:45 am in the morning and the abusive scream of the alarm clock wrenches me out of my sleep. I dreamily contemplate the snooze…May 30, 2019May 30, 2019
Exploring Istanbul, from My WindowDuring five years living in Turkey, I crossed the country in search of new experiences and insights along this extraordinary nation that…Apr 24, 2019Apr 24, 2019
Maria Palaiologina, Istanbul’s first symbol of globalisationIstanbul’s Kariye Museum, the former Church of St Saviour in Chora, is after the Hagia Sophia, the greatest surviving example of Byzantine…Apr 10, 2019Apr 10, 2019
Voyages in Turkey, told through 10 birdsI have never, sadly, been on any special bird-watching trip to Turkey. I don’t own an amazing camera and even often forget to take my…Feb 27, 2019Feb 27, 2019
Ani: mediaeval Armenian capital on Turkey’s eastern edgeOn the afternoon of July 15, 2016, the world heritage committee of the UN’s cultural arm UNESCO made a remarkable decision. It approved…Feb 18, 20191Feb 18, 20191
Constantinople-Paris: The triumph and tragedy of the Camondo familyTwo flights of stairs, seemingly unrelated.Jan 22, 2019Jan 22, 2019
