Friday 31 July 2015

Interiors: brighten up your dining room

STUFF / HOME

Whether it’s only used for special guests or in action on a daily basis, a Turkish family dining room needs to look good and be functional.

We may not all have stunning views on to the Bosphorus in Istanbul, but you can create an equally light and bright feeling with the choice of wall colours and lighter hues for your furnishings. Working with FurnitureRoad.co.uk, we’ve located some choice items: the stunning dining table, chairs and sideboard pictured opposite, all available from Enza Home / Yataş Bedding now available in the UK. See below for some alternative ideas, all capable of adding a fresh and stylish touch to any quality dining experience.


Elena sideboard by Enza Home


Sideboards by Enza Home 
Retro-style piece made of Caucasian oak with sleek, stylish finish that boasts plenty of storage room.
Elena Console with Mirror, £599
LSA carafe & wine glasses





Piero dining room by Enza Home
(main picture at top)
Extendable dining table, £549
Dining chair, £179
Console (sideboard), £1,049




Glassware from John Lewis
Place quality and timeless elegance on the table with this carafe and set of wine glasses.
LSA International Uno Carafe & Four Wine Glasses, £28




 
Pure dining chair by Doğtaş





Stylish chairs by Doğtaş Exclusive UK
This modern, comfortable fabric and wood chair is ideal for those long dinners.
Pure Dining Chair, £249




Pied a Terre Peacock dinner set










Crockery from House of Fraser
Impress guests with this stunning porcelain
range with real gold detailing.
Handwash only.
Pied a Terre Peacock 16 Piece Dinner Set, £61





Arthur Price Vision cutlery


Cutlery from Milly's Kitchen Store
Simple well-crafted contemporary stainless steel cutlery for 8.
Arthur Price Cutlery Vision 76-Piece Boxed Set for 8, £114.94




T-VINE Interiors sponsored by Furniture Road 



Wednesday 29 July 2015

‘Passed by Censor’: final few days to see free London exhibition about WWI prisoners of war in Ottoman Turkey

CULTURE / EXHIBITION

Londoners have just two days to see a unique exhibition about life on the front line, as told by prisoners of war (PoW) from both sides that were captured during the Dardanelles campaign a century ago. Part of the Yunus Emre Institute’s 100 Years of Peace theme, it features correspondence from soldiers which had been approved by their captors’ censors.

Curated by Fahri Aral, and designed by Sadik Karamustafa and Ayse Karamustafa, this free exhibition at the Institute’s central London cultural centre depicts life inside prison camps in and after the Great War. 

The exhibition's title, Passed by Censor, is from wording on the stamp that sealed letters and envelopes from PoWs confirming that an item had been seen and censored by an official. Alongside letters, postcards, and original photographs, there are also archived documents selected from the private collection of Kemal Giray, a renowned World War I historian.

One the most devastating events in world history, this human perspective includes demands by English prisoners for hockey balls, a poster announcing a theatre performance by Ottoman PoWs, a photograph showing an Ottoman PoW arm-in-arm with his Austrian friend following their escape from a camp, various sports activities inside camps, and an escape plan sent to a PoW hidden in bananas.

'Passed by Censor' display at the Houses of Parliament earlier this month. Photo: Yunus Emre Institute
Passed by Censor was first shown at the Houses of Parliament. Hosted by Enfield Southgate MP David Burrowes, among the attendees at the opening ceremony on Monday 13th July 2015 were the Rt Hon John Whittingdale MP, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, and Zac Goldsmith MP.

Run extended until : Friday 14 August 2015
Centre opening times: Monday – Friday: 10:30– 20:00, Saturday: 10:30– 18:00, closed Sunday.
Venue address:  Yunus Emre Institute, 10 Maple Street, London W1T 5HA
Admission: Free
More info: Telephone: 0207 387 3036 / Email: londra@yee.org.tr



Ask Yonca abla: Is she too young to holiday alone?

PEOPLE / ASK YOUR ABLA

Dear Yonca abla,

I’ve been having furious arguments with my youngest. She is 18-years-old and if she passes her exams, could be starting life at university in September. I thought I was being progressive letting her go away from home to study, but now, as if that wasn’t enough, she wants to go on holiday with her school friends. Talk about giving them an inch, they want to take a mile!!

Now, I wasn’t born yesterday and I know the kinds of things these young people’s holidays are all about: drink, drugs and sex will be a big part. However much I know her mother and I have done a good job raising our kids, these temptations are not easy to resist when all your friends are at it.

She is my princess and I know I can’t keep her in cotton wool all her life, but for me at 18 she is still too young for these types of holidays and while she lives under my roof and I’m paying for her keep, my rules are what matters. As far as she’s concerned, I’ve become the worst dad ever for not allowing her to go on this holiday. Am I being unreasonable?

Hakan B.
  

My dearest Hakan,

You really are one paranoid father. Were you not young once?

It is worrying that you will let your daughter go away to study, yet feel she is not adult enough to go on a vacation with her friends. What were you doing at 18 that’s left you so traumatised? Does the age 18 not hold good memories for you? Let me stop you in your tracks right there!

Firstly, girls are usually far more mature at 18 than boys. Secondly helping your child to grow up also means cutting the cords so she can find out about life for herself: how else will she learn to set sensible limits and which friends to trust? While there are no guarantees in life, the fact you trust her enough to allow her to study away from home suggests she is more than capable of looking after herself for a few weeks with her friends. She may even surprise you and not enjoy it after all.

You won't know until you let her go, but preventing her means you do put yourself in the doghouse. My advice: trust you have done a good job as a parent and let her have some fun. I’m sure you will be positively surprised with the end result.

Yonca abla x




Got a problem? Email Yonca@t-vine.com and she will try to answer.


RELATED ARTICLES



Monday 27 July 2015

Propa Turkish: #HellimProblems

By Eray & Koray

There's nothing worse than when you are flying back from the motherland and a distant cousin or auntie turns up the morning you are leaving and hands you 10 packs of hellim. 

They know the laws against bringing cheese back, as well as the weight restrictions, but they still make you feel bad if you say no. Then you have your nene giving you the “don’t let the family down” look.

As soon as you say “yes”, they also hand you a giant bag full of molihiya. However, to make you feel better, they show you how light the molihiya is by packing it in your suitcase for you.

So what happens? Well, you’re stuck at the airport with the fear of being caught smuggling contraband hellim through customs.

When you land back home you then face the worst decision of your life: “nothing to declare” or “goods to declare”?


RELATED ARTICLES:

Propa Turkish: Kebab Kings, 01 November 2014

Propa Turkish: Turkish Weddings, 10 June 2014

Sunday 26 July 2015

See award-winning film Mommo the Bogeyman for free at the Yunus Emre Institute, London

Elif Bülbül, Mehmet Bülbül in Atalay Taşdiken's award-winning movie Mommo
CULTURE / FILM

Continuing its Turkish Movie Evenings, this week the Yunus Emre Institute is screening 2009 award-winning drama Mommo Kız Kardeşim (Mommo the Bogeyman).

Written, produced and directed by Atalay Taşdiken, this poignant story set in rural Anatolia is about two children who lose their mother and are then rejected by their stepmother.

For Ayşe, her brother Ahmet is not just her big brother, but also her father and mother; in her eyes he is afraid of nothing. But in truth Ahmet, aged nine, is still just a child with plenty of his own fears.

After the death of their mother, their father Kazim has gone off to marry another woman and abandoned the two children to their fate with Hasan, their elderly and half-crippled grandfather. When Hasan can no longer cope, Ayşe and Ahmet risk being split up. In spite of everything, the brother and sister never seem to lose hope.

The film picked up multiple awards when it was released six years ago, including Best Film at the Nuremberg Film Festival (2009), Würzburg International Filmweekend (2010), the International Children Film Festival in Yarevan, Armenia, Dadas Film Festival, Erzurum and 10th Du Grain Film Festival in France, and the UNICEF Best Film Award at the 12th Olympia Children and Youth Film Festival in Greece. The director Atalay Tasdiken and his young cast also received numerous awards and nominations for their performance in this heartfelt drama that is based on a true story.

See the trailer here

Directed & Produced & Screenplay by: Atalay Tasdiken
Cast:  Elif Bülbül, Mehmet Bülbül, Mete Dönmezer


Date: Thursday 30 July 2015
Start time: 7pm
Duration: 90 minutes
Language: Turkish with English subtitles
Venue address:  Yunus Emre Institute, 10 Maple Street, London W1T 5HA
Admission: Free
More info: Telephone: 0207 387 30 36 / Email: londra@yee.org.tr

Terror attacks claim 39 lives as tensions rise in Turkey

People carry the coffins of Suruç bombing victims through Gaziantep. Photo: Bülent Kılıç /AFP
NEWS / TURKEY

39 people have been killed in Turkey during the past week as a result of attacks by Daesh (ISIL) and the PKK, including 32 murdered by a suicide bomber in Suruç.

The bloody developments have resulted in mass arrests, with some 590 suspected terrorists taken into custody since Thursday. It’s also prompted the Turkish government to change tact in Syria. Since Friday, Turkish jets have been bombing the two terror groups’ strongholds in Iraq and Syria, while the Americans have been given the green light to use the İncirlik airbase for their air strikes. 

Suruç activists planning to build a playground & day centre when bomber struck, killing 32 & wounding 104

On Monday 20 July, 32 people were killed and 104 wounded when a Daesh operative detonated his bombs in the Amara Cultural Centre in Suruç where political activists were holding a press briefing. The town is next to the Syrian border in southeast Turkey and had become home to hundreds of Syrian refugees from neighbouring Kobane.

The victims of the blast, mainly university-aged who were members of Turkey’s Federation of Socialist Youth Associations, had come together from different parts of the country with the intention of crossing the border from Suruç to Kobane to help rebuild the town recently liberated from Daesh by Kurdish forces. Their first project was to be a children’s playground and day centre with a library.
30 of the 32 Suruç victims, most were university students
Among the victims was Hatice Ezgi Saadet, a History of Arts student at Mimar Sinan University. 18-year-old Okan Pirinç, Süleyman Aksu, an English teacher from Yüksekova, 22-year Van University student Yunus Emre Şen, 65-year-old HDP activist Cemil Yıldız, Ferdane Kılıç, who was on HDP’s Executive Committee, and her son Nartan Kılıç, and Ismet Şeker whose son Mustafa Can Şeker had been killed fighting against Daesh forces in Kobane.

The full list of Suruç victims can be seen here 

Both Suruç & Diyarbakır bombers from Adıyaman

The Turkish authorities identified the Suruç suicide bomber as Şeyh Abdurrahman Alagöz, a 20-year-old student from the neighbouring southeast province of Adıyaman. The university student, an ethnic Kurd, was reported missing by his family last year who feared he was being groomed by Daesh militants.

Şeyh Abdurrahman disappeared along with his older brother Yusuf, who had run a tea shop in their home town where it is believed Daesh sympathisers regularly met. The Turkish security forces tracked the brothers down to Syria in January 2015. According to news reports in Turkish daily Hürriyet, they had joined Daesh forces there where they underwent training in bomb-making before illegally crossing back into Turkey.

The pair are believed to be from the same group as Orhan Gönder, who was arrested last month on suspicion of planting two bombs at HDP’s big Diyarbakır pre-election rally on 5th June, which killed four people and wounded 404 people. 20-year-old Gönder is also from Adıyaman and ethnically Kurdish, although his family are practicing Alevis, so his joining Daesh, whose members follow an extreme and distorted form of Sunni Islam, is surprising.
Daesh militant Orhan Gönder arrested for bombing HDP’s Diyarbakır rally in June that killed 4 & wounded over 400
Following the Suruç bombing, the Turkish government has stepped up border security with Syria. On Thursday, Turkish troops exchanged fire with Daesh in Kilis during which Sergeant Mehmet Yalçın Nane was shot dead, while two Turkish soldiers were injured. 

Turkish government criticised

The events on Monday have shocked Turkey and many, including the main opposition party, CHP, have criticised the Turkish government for not declaring a national day of mourning. The fact that the government had announced three days of mourning when Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah died in January, while ignoring the mass loss of live of its own citizens has incensed many.

They are also angry at the government’s seeming indifference to the growing threat posed by Daesh in Turkey, where young people are being recruited with ease by the jihadists.

A day before the Suruç bombing, on the final day of Ramazan Bayramı, Turkish media reported that around 1,000 Turkish supporters of the radical Islamist group had gathered at a picnic site in Ömerli, a neighbourhood in Istanbul, to perform prayers. The event was led by Halis Bayancuk, also known as Abu Hanzala, who is believed to run the Al Qaeda network Turkey. After prayers, he allegedly called on supporters to engage in war to bring about Sharia Law in Turkey.

Bayancuk was arrested last year following wiretapped conversations where he was heard to say after Syria’s fall to Daesh, Istanbul would be next’, but he was released without charge.

Halis Bayancuk one of 590 people arrested following crackdown by authorities on militant groups

Some commentators have gone further, accusing the Turkish authorities of not only failing to check Daesh in Turkey, but also of actively supporting them as part of Turkey’s foreign policy to topple Syria’s Bashar al-Assad. Global public opinion demands the elimination of Daesh following the release of harrowing videos and eye-witness accounts detailing their barbarism. Yet in the eyes of the Turkish government, Assad remains the primary force of evil in the region.

In January 2014, Turkish gendarmeries stopped trucks operated by Turkey’s intelligence services MİT in Adana, near the Syrian border. While MİT had claimed the convoy was carrying aid to Turkmen refugees, the gendarmeries uncovered weapons which they suspected were being sent to opposition groups in Syria, including al-Qaeda-affiliated groups. The government immediately imposed a media blackout on the discovery and removed the prosecutor overseeing the investigation, while blocking any further efforts to investigate the incident. 

Kobane the source of tensions in Turkey since 2014

The events in Kobane are offered as further “proof” by critics of the Turkish government’s supposed pro-Daesh, anti-Kurdish agenda. The border town has been the scene of fierce fighting since 2014, as Kurdish guerrilla forces tried to save Syrian Kurds from the onslaught of the blood-lusting Islamists.

In a single fortnight last October, some 150,000 Syrian civilians made their way to refugee camps Turkey in to escape Daesh’s deadly advances in Kobane. Many shared graphic details about the brutal killings and rape inflicted on them. While the world watched and the international community pressed Ankara to act, the Turkish authorities refused to engage in military combat with Daesh or to create a safe corridor to enable Turkish Kurds to join their Syrian brethren in the desperate battle to keep the jihadist forces at bay.

Both the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu vehemently refute all accusations about them being pro-Daesh and anti-Kurdish.

Following Monday’s bombing, Davutoğlu told reporters in Suruç that, "Turkey and AK Party governments have never had any direct or indirect links with any terrorist group and have never showed tolerance to any terrorist group."

PM Ahmet Davutoğlu criticised for his handling of the growing threat from Daesh

The reassurances by the government have not been enough to appease the tensions between AKP loyalists and those furious over the government’s policies in Syria. Last year, some 40 people were killed as nationalist Kurds clashed with Sunni Kurds in 35 provinces. There are fears that the Suruç bombing and the new spate of killings by the PKK this week could spawn new bloody clashes between the opposing groups. 

PKK resumes armed campaign in Turkey, killing 6 in a week

On 12 July, the armed wing of the PKK, the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, announced that their ceasefire was over. Following a call from its jailed leader Abdullah Öcalan, the PKK had put down their arms at the end of 2012 to help with the peace process that was under way between the government and nationalist Kurdish MPs in the Turkish Parliament.

With the peace process now stalled and the Turkish government reverting to a more nationalist position in the run-up to June’s General Election, coupled with the events in Kobane, the ending of the ceasefire was anticipated.

PKK victim Corporal Müsellim Ünal, gunned down in Adıyaman
A week after its announcement, the PKK claimed its first victim when it gunned down Corporal Müsellim Ünal in Adıyaman.

Two days later, the PKK admitted to killing two Turkish police officers, Okan Acar and Feyyaz Yumuşak, who were both shot in their head at the apartment they shared in Ceylanpınar, in Şanlıurfa province. The PKK accused the officers of collaborating with Daesh.

The following day police officer Tansu Aydın was shot by the PKK while performing traffic duties in Diyarbakır.

On Thursday, a local police station in Bismil, Diyarbakır, was fire-bombed, injuring seven officers. Separately two officers patrolling in a water cannon vehicle in the Karşıyaka neighbourhood of Şemdinli, in Hakkari, were hit by a rocket injuring both, one seriously.

Late last night, a car bomb struck a military vehicle in Lice, in Diyarbakır province, killing two soldiers and wounding four others in an attack the authorities have blamed on Kurdish rebels. 

HDP accused of double standards over terror attacks

While the HDP has condemned the deaths of the soldiers and police officers, they have shied away from criticising the PKK, even though the terror group has publicly claimed responsibility for the deaths. As a result, the party has been slammed by the government and opposition parties for its double standards over terror attacks.

Many commentators believe the party is now at a critical crossroad. Its recent electoral success had seen HDP attract votes beyond its traditional nationalist Kurdish supporters, helping to carry it into the Turkish Parliament. They now have to choose to denounce all violence and pursue a path of peaceful negotiations, which will garner them greater support inside and outside of Turkey. Or they may prefer to stay loyal to their Kurdish nationalist roots and the PKK and risk reducing their political influence and electoral support base.

Selahattin Demirtaş & his party HDP under pressure to denounce PKK violence



Turkey’s resolve against terrorist attacks grows

While HDP deliberate, the government has been fast and firm in its response to the growing security risks at home and across the border. The Turkish authorities have arrested members of Daesh and the PKK, along with those belonging to the radical Marxist-Leninist group DHKP-C.

The have also changed strategy along the Syrian border, with security stepped up. There are also discussions about building a 500-mile long wall to try to limit the easy access terrorists currently enjoy along the porous border. More significantly, since Friday Turkish jets have been pounding both PKK and Daesh strongholds in Syria and northern Iraq.

Turkey allows USA to use Incirlik Air Base for air strikes against Daesh. Photo: Vadim Ghirda / Associated Press
In his regular column for Daily Sabah, AKP’s senior advisor İbrahim Kalın said, “The immediate goal is to clear Turkish-Syrian border from ISIS and other security threats. Securing the border is critical for both Turkey and for the moderate Syrian opposition including the FSA. It will also help the Syrian refugees fleeing ISIS's barbarism and the barrel bombs and the militia violence of the Assad regime.”

He also counters claims that Turkey is not doing enough to combat Daesh, asserting that the Turkish authorities have a good track record in stopping the flow of foreign terrorists into Syria. He states that in the past seven months, Turkey has detained more than 500 Turkish citizens and expelled some 1,600 foreigners suspected of pro-Daesh activities, while preventing a further 15,000 foreign supporters of Daesh from entering Turkey.  

Monday 20 July 2015

Dawn Watch, record underwater mission and spectacular air show all part of TRNC's 41st Peace & Freedom Day

The Turkish Stars wow audiences with their aerobatics display in Girne on Sunday
NEWS / TRNC
 
North Cyprus’ commemorations of Turkey’s vital 1974 intervention got underway with its annual Dawn Watch (Şafak Nöbeti). Thousands of people of all ages turned up at Yavuz Çıkarma Plajı in Girne – the beach where Turkish troops first landed in the early hours of 20 July 1974 – to remember the bravery of those troops who sacrificed their lives to bring peace to Cyprus.

As in previous years, the event started with a roadside concert to celebrate Peace and Freedom Day, with Turkish singer Zerrin Özer headlining. At 00.30, the public, many carrying torches and TRNC and Turkish flags, made their way down to the beach to wait for dawn. During the early hours of the morning, dervishes performed the spiritual sema dance accompanied by ney. At first light the ezan (Muslim call to prayer) started, with the imams then leading the public in a mass prayer remembering those who had fallen or were injured in the 1974 War.


Thousands of people waiting for dawn at last night's moving Şafak Nöbeti. Photo: DHA
 ‘Aquarium Man’ Cem Karabey plays tavla underwater in Girne as he aims to break world record

While thousands gathered on land, located in the sea just off Yavuz Çıkarma Plajı was Cem Karabay. Known as Aquarium Man for his record-breaking underwater feats, Karabay had entered the sea at 08.50 on Friday 17 July aiming to remain there until Monday 20 July. Should he succeed with his 72-hour mission, he will smash Egyptian diver Walaa Hafez’s current world record of 51 hours and 24 minutes non-stop under water.  

Televised live, Karabey has been seen passing the time with a variety of activities including playing tavla (backgammon) against Turkey’s former sports minister Kürşad Tüzmen. The two communicated via hand gestures, including sharing a joke when Tüzmen claimed Karabey was hiding dice. Karabey’s world record attempt is being sponsored by Merit Hotels, the Dizayn Group, Kibris Turkcell and the TRNC Government.

Cem Karabay takes on Kürşad Tüzmen in game of underwater tavla. Photo: DHA
The special feat follows last year’s marathon swim from Mersin to Girne by businessman Vakkas Altınbaş, chairman of Altınbaş Holding – one of Cyprus’ largest corporations. The 55-year-old had set off from Anamur in Mersin, Turkey, on 18 July 2014, completing the 86km (53.4 miles) swim to reach Cyprus’ northern shores on Peace and Freedom Day.
 

Turkish President Erdoğan jetting in for TRNC Peace & Freedom Day

The Turkish military again play a major part in the Peace and Freedom Day festivities. Between 10am and 6pm today, the public will be able to board and tour three battleships from the Turkish Naval Forces. The TCG Gökçeada Frigate has dropped anchor off the coast of Girne, the TCG İnönü Submarine is in Girne Tourism Harbour, while the TCG Bora Assault Boat is docked in Gazimağusa Harbour.

Military bands will entertain the public with two concerts. The first starts at 4.30pm, with the Cyprus Turkish Peace Forces Band performing in front of the Atatürk Monument in Girne. They are followed by the Cyprus Turkish Security Forces Band, which will give a concert on Dereboyu, Lefkoşa, at 7.30pm this evening.

Last night, the Turkish Stars – the Turkish Air Force’s aerobatic display team – wowed audiences with a spectacular show over Girne.

Later today, the land forces will be on show during the annual main parade down the main Dr Fazıl Küçük Boulevard in Lefkoşa. The event starts at 4pm at the Atatürk Monument. Flags will be raised, the Turkish national anthem sung and a minute’s silence held, while flags from Yavuz Çıkarma Plajı will be presented to TRNC President Mustafa Akıncı. Following the commemoration ceremony the parade will commence at 5pm.

Leading this year’s international dignitaries present for the Peace and Freedom Day Parade is Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who is flying in to the TRNC for the occasion. He is expected to hold talks with the TRNC President on the latest developments in the Cyprus Negotiations while he is here.   

 

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Friday 17 July 2015

Sweet, fun things in London this Bayram

Baklava - a treat during the 3-day Bayram celebrations
CULTURE / MUSIC + FOOD

Today marks the end of the annual 30-day fast, which is celebrated with a 3-day public holiday in Turkey, North Cyprus and across the rest of the Muslim world. Those here in London can join in the festivities too.
 
Traditionally known as Şeker Bayramı (Sweet Eid), the festival is a time to thank God for having the spiritual and physical strength to carry out the month-long fast, which in the summer months is particularly tough as you cannot drink or eat during the long, hot hours of sunrise to sunset. Once Ramazan is over, people eat sweet pastries and confectionery, which they usually refrain from during fasting.
 
The first day of Bayram starts with a special prayer at the mosque early in the morning. It’s also customary for Turks to remember those who have passed away by visiting the graves of their loved ones. During the day, families and friends will visit each other, and be treated to sweet things. In the evening, loved ones gather to celebrate over a large dinner, while others will go out and have fun.

Sweet Turkish pastries in London

Many people like to bake their own sweet pastries, such as kurabiye or kadeyif. For those pushed for time in the capital, it’s just as each to buy them at their local Turkish patisserie or supermarket. Among the best are Antepliler on Green Lanes, which has a wide range of freshly-baked baklava. Or Yaşar Hallim (Harringay & Palmers Green) whose onsite bakery delivers daily a wide range of pastries, including bastiç and şambalı. Or you can order bespoke Bayram cakes from Partycake in Tottenham – master baker Özgür Aydın is  renowned for his fancy creations.
 
Those south of the river can find a great selection in the patisserie counter in any TFC Supermarket, while Mr Kofte in Peckham makes sweet pastries such as sütlü börek to order and delivers to your door (some orders require minimum 24 hours’ notice & a minimum spend).
 
Bayram parties

Many of London’s top Turkish nightspots also put on special programmes over Bayram and advance booking is highly recommended.
 
Cyprus Meze Bar in Leyton, East London, leads tonight with a special concert by Turkish Classic Music singer, songwriter and composer Suat Sancar (pictured). The award-winning artist’s career has seen him collaborate with famous Jazz and ethno-classical musicians, as well as pen songs for the likes of Zeki Müren (Elveda). In 2011, he released his debut album Gönülden Üsküdar (Emotions of Uskudar) to critical acclaim. His set tonight will be a mixture of original and cover songs, supported by the venue’s house band and resident singer Popçu Ali. Entry with fixed menu meal all for £25.
 
On Saturday night, Cyprus Meze Bar reverts to its usual Saturday night programme with Babutsa’s Soner and showman Kadir Ateş leading the fun.
 
Over in Chingford, Cyprus Garden also has two Bayram specials. Friday night entertainment comes courtesy of Peri Aziz and Doğan Akın İmparator. Fixed menu dinner and show price is just £20. The special Bayram £20 rate continues for Saturday 18th July with the venue promising a packed line-up, which will include surprise guests alongside their usual house band and singers.