The TCF 2017 Annual Report is now available online.

Last year, TCF allocated a total of $373,289 to grants, operational and program disbursements to pursue its mission.

TCF continued to be a leading private grantmaker in the area of Turkish cultural preservation and promotion. In 2017, TCF provided a total of $52,724.81 in grants and fellowships to organizations and individuals.

The TCF Fellowship programs help build artistic, cultural and scholarly exchanges across the globe. In 2017, TCF awarded six fellowships, bringing the total to 204 awards awards since we began the programs.

In 2017, TCF continued to research, document, preserve and promote Turkey’s textile heritage through the work of the TCF Cultural Heritage Preservation and Natural Dyes Project. Under this Project, TCF helps cultural institutions conserve and restore historical artifacts. As part of this effort, in 2017, TCF provided pro bono analytical services to two institutions and two museums in Turkey.

In 2017, TCF organized three lectures on Turkish culture, art and cuisine. Videos of these and past TCF lectures are made available on the TCF Video Gallery, and were viewed over 6,580 times last year by visitors from all over the world.

The TCF Portals, gateways to learn more about Turkish culture, music and cuisine, were visited by over 4.15 million people from 238 countries and regions in 2017, spreading knowledge about Turkey’s cultural heritage. The TCF Education Portal continued to be a resource on Turkey for the educational community. The portal lists over 100 free lesson plans on Turkey, which have been downloaded nearly 6,250 times by teachers in the United States and other countries.

We thank everyone who helped advance our mission to strengthen the bonds of friendship among people through art and culture, as well as to preserve and promote Turkey, past, present, and future.

Turkish Cultural Foundation (TCF) is delighted to announce the completion of a project with the Chester Beatty Library in Ireland to conserve one of the earliest printed books in Turkish.

The Cihan-nüma (Mirror of the World, 1732) was written by the Ottoman Turkish scholar Katip Çelebi, and printed by İbrahim Müteferrika. Published in İstanbul, the Chester Beatty’s rare and complete copy of the Cihan-nüma has survived with all of its original 13 astronomical and 26 geographical maps intact. The ambitious text summarised Ottoman geographical knowledge of the time and is one of the earliest books printed in Turkey in Turkish.

Due to the importance of Cihan-nüma, the Chester Beatty approached TCF for support in late 2017. Deeming the project in line with its mission to preserve Turkey’s cultural heritage, TCF provided a grant for the conservation of the book.

Fionnuala Croke, Director, Chester Beatty said: “We are delighted to have the opportunity to partner with the Turkish Cultural Foundation on this project. This is one of the most impressive early printed books in the collection and the TCF’s support of the conservation treatment has enabled us to put the Cihan-nüma on display, playing an important role in deepening the understanding and appreciation of Turkish cultural heritage in Ireland.”

Dr. Yalçın Ayaslı, founder and Chairman of the Turkish Cultural Foundation stated: “We are pleased to see the results of the project by the Chester Beatty Library to conserve this valuable publication. The conservation of the book will now allow visitors from all across the world to view it at the Chester Beatty. Moreover, researchers will now be able handle the book without damaging it.”

As a result of the conservation project which took over a year, the damaged pages were treated and carefully re-sown into a new binding that will allow the volume to be safely handled for generations to come.

Kitab-ı Cihan-nüma is now on exhibition at the Chester Beatty Library’s Arts of the Book Gallery. Visitors can view this magnificent volume and the exquisite detail of the Map of the Indian Ocean and China Sea.

The Chester Beatty Library is a museum and library that houses the world-class collection of Islamic, East Asian and European art assembled by the American philanthropist and collector Sir Alfred Chester Beatty (1875-1968).

Dr. Yalçın Ayaslı ve Dr. Serpil Ayaslı tarafından kurulmuş olan Turkish Cultural Foundation-TCF desteğiyle Irlanda’nın başkenti Dublin’deki Chester Beatty Kütüphanesi koleksiyonunda bulunan ve Osmanlı İmparatorluğu’nda basılan ilk kitaplar arasında yer alan Kitab-ı Cihannüma eseri konservasyona tabi tutulup sergilenmeye başlandı.

Osmanlı İmparatorluğu’nun en ünlü tarihçi ve coğrafya bilimcileri arasında yer alan Katip Çelebi  tarafından yazılmış olan Cihannüma, 1732 yılında Osmanlı’nın ilk matbaasını kuran İbrahim Müteferrika tarafından basılmıştır. Chester Beatty koleksiyonundaki Cihannüma, sınırlı sayıda basılan eserin orijinalinde bulunan 13 astronomik ve 26 coğrafi haritası ile nadide tamam nüshalarından biridir.

Müze, en değerli eserleri arasında kabul ettiği kitabın konservasyonu için geliştirdiği projenin finansmanı için Turkish Cultural Foundation’dan 2017 yılında destek almıştı.

Bir yıl süren projenin tamamlanması ve eserin sergiye alınması sebebiyle bir açıklama yapan Chester Beatty Kütüphanesi Direktörü Fionnuala Croke, ”Turkish Cultural Foundation ile bu projede işbirliği yapmaktan büyük mutluluk duyuyoruz. Koleksiyonumuzdaki en eski ve etkileyici baskı eserler arasında yer alan kitabın TCF desteğiyle konservasyona tabi tutulması Cihannüma’yı sergilememize imkan sağladı. Bu eserin sergilenmesi Türk kültür mirasının İrlanda’da daha iyi anlaşılmasında ve değerinin bilinmesinde önemli bir rol oynayacaktır,” dedi.

Bu projenin sponsorluğunu üstlenen Turkish Cultural Foundation kurucusu ve başkanı Dr. Yalçın Ayaslı, ”Kitabın konservasyonunu Vakfımızın, Türk kültür mirasını korumak ve dünyada tanıtmak misyonu çerçevesinde desteklemekten mutluluk duyduk. Avrupa’nın önde gelen müze ve kütüphaneleri arasında yer alan Chester Beatty’ye gelen ziyaretçiler kitabın sergilenebilecek duruma gelmesi sayesinde bu önemli eserle Osmanlı ve Türk sanat ve bilim dünyası hakkında bilgi alabileceklerdir. Bunun ötesinde, konservasyon projesi sayesinde araştırmacılar da, kitaba zarar vermeden, eseri inceleme imkanı bulacaklardır,” dedi.

Bir yılı aşkın zaman süren konservasyon projesi sayesinde yüzyıllar içinde hasara uğrayan yapraklar işleme tabi tutulmuş ve ardından tüm sayfalar yeniden tek tek dikilerek ciltlenmiştir.

Ardından Kitab-ı Cihannüma Chester Beatty Kütüphanesi’nin Kitap Sanatları Galerisi’nde ziyarete sunulmuştur.

Broad Horizons, a documentary produced and directed by Orhan Ayaslı, about the TCF Spotlight on Turkey program and the TCF Teacher Study Tours, will be screened as part of the 13th Annual Documentary and Short Film Competition during the 23th Boston Turkish Festival on November 2 – 10. The screening will take place at Boston University, GSU Auditorium on November 6, 2018 at 7:00pm.

Broad Horizons is an entertaining and informative documentary that showcases the ancient civilizations of Anatolia, modern Turkey and its people in a visually and aurally exciting way, while following a human story of growth. The film follows the journey of a group of American teachers to Turkey in the summer of 2010. It captures their aspirations as they prepare to go on the trip, travels with them as they go beyond their textbooks and get a first-hand look at Turkey and examines the impact that exploring a foreign culture can have on the minds of educators and their students.

Orhan Ayaslı graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a BS in Computer Science in 2007 and the University of Southern California with an MFA in Cinema-Televison Production in 2010. As a student he produced the award winning documentary "Where We Live" about the difficult yet hopeful situation of Iraqi refugees living in the USA.  For a Trailer of "Broad Horizons," please visit the TCF website.

2000 yılından bu yana türk kültürünü ve kültürel mirasını korumak yaşatmak ve tanıtmak amacıyla hizmet veren Türk Kültür Vakfı toplum yararına çalışan kar amacı gütmeyen bir kuruluş, vakfın ana misyonu Türkiye'nin somut ve somut olmayan kültürel mirasıyla anadolunun dünya kültürüne ve insanlığa katkıları hakkında ki bilgi düzeyini artırmak ve insanlar arasında kültürel köprüler kurmaktır, vakfın kurucusu Dr. Yalçın Ayaslı vakfın çalışmalarını Amerikanın Sesi Türkçe yayın bölümüne anlattı.

detaylı bilgi için

The Turkish Cultural Foundation (TCF) is pleased to invite applications for the 2018 edition of the UNESCO King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa Prize for the use of Information and Communication Technologies in Education (ICT in Education).

Funded by the Kingdom of Bahrain and established in 2005, the ICT in Education Prize rewards projects that use new technologies to enhance teaching, learning and overall education performance. The theme of 2018 Prize is “The use of innovative information and communication technologies to ensure education for the most vulnerable groups.” 
Two awards will be granted, and each recipient will receive a monetary award of USD 25,000 during the Award Ceremony at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris.

In order to be eligible to apply for the prize, each applicant must receive a supporting letter or statement from an NGO in official relations with UNESCO or an UNESCO National Commission. Interested parties from Turkey and the United States who wish to apply for the prize may apply to TCF for a statement of support by sending an e-mail to TCF_UNESCO@turkishculture.org. Please review the UNESCO website for eligibility criteria, submission and nomination process prior to applying to TCF.

All applications must include a letter or statement in support and must be submitted via the UNESCO online platform by October 31, 2018 (midnight, Paris time). TCF will review all applications for a support letter received by October 5, 2018, and reserves its right to accept or decline an application for support.

For further information or clarification regarding the nomination process, please contact the Secretariat of the Prize at Tel: +33 1 45 68 05 44; e-mail: ictprize@unesco.org.

Koç Üniversitesi Vehbi Koç Ankara Araştırmaları Uygulama ve Araştırma Merkezi (VEKAM), Rahmi M. Koç Müzesi Ankara işbirliğiyle 12 Mayıs – 16 Eylül tarihlerinde “Tarihi Dokumak: Bir Kentin Gizemi “ sergisini Ankaralılarla buluşturacak. Ankara keçisinin tiftiğinden eğrilen iplikle dokunan tarihi Ankara sof kumaşını odağına alan sergiyle, Ankara’nın tarihinde çok önemli bir yere sahip bu ticari ürün ve tarihçesi ilgilileriyle buluşmuş olacak. Sergide, T.C. Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı’na bağlı Ankara Etnografya Müzesi, Sadberk Hanım Müzesi ve Topkapı Sarayı Müzesi koleksiyonlarında bulunan sof kumaşlar ve tiftikten üretilmiş çeşitli eserlere yer verilecek. Ankara’nın 18. Yüzyıla tarihlenen, en önemli temsillerinden biri sayılan, Hollanda Rijksmuseum’daki “Ankara Manzarası” adlı tablonun orijinalinin de Türkiye’de ilk kez izleyicisiyle buluşturulması planlanıyor.

detaylı bilgi için

Turkish Cultural Foundation Nominates Limak Foundation and Sabancı University for UNESCO Prize for Girls' and Women's Education

The Turkish Cultural Foundation (TCF) is pleased to announce that it has nominated Limak Foundation and Sabancı University Gender and Women’s Studies Center for the UNESCO Prize for Girls' and Women's Education (GWE).

"We are pleased to nominate two prestigious Turkish institutions for the UNESCO Prize for Girl's and Women's Education. The programs undertaken by the two nominees help to enhance opportunities for girls and women in Turkey, while strengthening gender sensitivity and equality. We hope that they will be found worthy of the prize and wish them the best of success in their efforts," stated TCF Chairman Dr. Yalçın Ayaslı. 

TCF nominated Limak Foundation for its leadership and efforts in raising awareness on gender equality and women empowerment in Turkey through the Foundation's  Engineer Girls of Turkey (Türkiye'nin Mühendis Kızları-TMK) flagship program. The program aims to target the disproportionate representation of women in engineering at both the academic and professional levels in Turkey. Under the program, scholarships are provided to 106 students from 36 different state universities, in addition to internships, employment opportunities, mentoring support by volunteer women engineers, online English language training and social engineering certificate programs. A similar project, Kuwait's Engineer Girls, was initiated in 2017.

TCF nominated Sabancı University Gender and Women's Studies Center of Excellence for its Purple Certificate Program-PCP (Mor Sertifika Programı), a consciousness raising program which aims to introduce gender-mainstreaming into the Turkish high school system and curricula. The program is funded by the Hacı Ömer Sabancı Foundation. Between 2007-2016, PCP offered intensive two-day workshops in 17 cities, and a one-week certificate program to qualified applicants. Since 2016, PCP has evolved to include  a variety of programs: The Gender Equality Certificate program for students of schools of Education and NGO workers who work with disadvantaged groups in education; the creation of gender sensitive education materials in  STEM; a program that  familiarizes primary and secondary school students with elementary concepts of gender through two specialized board games; and complementary gender awareness programs in two other major cities in Turkey.

The UNESCO GWE Prize is supported by the Government of the People's Republic of China and consists of two annual awards of 50,000 USD for each laureate to support their work to advance education for girls and women.

Awarded for the first time in 2016, it is the first UNESCO Prize of this nature and is unique in showcasing successful projects that improve and promote the educational prospects of girls and women and in turn, the quality of their lives.

Supported by the Turkish Cultural Foundation (TFC), the Vehbi Koç Ankara Studies Research Center (VEKAM) is hosting an exhibition that explores the history of Ankara sof fabric. The exhibition will open on May 12 at the Rahmi M. Koç Museum in Ankaraand will remain on display until Sept. 16.

Curated by VEKAM Director Filiz Yenişehirlioğlu and Gözde Çerçioğlu Yücel, the exhibition will present sof and mohair textiles from the collections of the Ankara Ethnographical Museum, Sadberk Hanim Museum and Topkapi Palace Museum.

It will also host an original painting on loan from the Rijksmuseum in Holland titled "Ankara Landscape." The painting is considered one of the leading depictions of Ankara dating to the 18th century and will be on exhibit for the first time in Turkey.

Woven with yarn spun from the mohair of the Ankara goat, sof fabric once held an important commercial and social place in the cultural heritage of Ankara, but has largely been forgotten.

The exhibition will showcase the trade's history dating back to the 16th century when it grew into a hallmark of Ankara's textile production and international commerce and was traded in Europe's leading countries of the time, including the Republic of Venice, Holland, Great Britain and Poland.

Vanishing into oblivion in the 19th century, efforts are underway to bring the textile tradition back to Ankara. The exhibition will also explore these efforts.

The TCF Cultural Heritage Preservation and Natural Dyes Laboratory (DATU) also contributed to the exhibition by providing valuable knowledge about natural dyes and the mohair dyeing process. The DATU provided mohair dyed with 10 different natural dyes to the exhibition and prepared a video presenting the dyeing process. Samples from the DATU Natural Dyes Collection will also be on display in the exhibition.

The exhibition is further supported by the Culture and Tourism Ministry, the Ankara Chamber of Commerce, the embassy of the Netherlands, Ströer Kentvizyon, Türk Traktör and UNESCO.

Source

The Turkish Cultural Foundation (TCF) is deeply saddened by the passing of Ambassador Baki Ilkin, who was Turkey’s Ambassador to the United States between 1998-2001 and Representative of the Turkish Republic to the United Nations between 2004-2009.

Ambassador Ilkin had a distinguished career at the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and served as the Ambassador to the Netherlands (1996-98), Denmark (1990-93), and Pakistan (1987-90). During his tenure at the United Nations, Turkey returned to the U.N. Security Council as a non-permanent member. Under Ambassador Ilkin's leadership, the Washington Turkish House was purchased.

Ambassador Ilkin was a very good friend of TCF and its sister organization, the Turkish Coalition of America (TCA).

TCF’s deepest condolences go out to Ambassador Ilkin's family during this difficult time. 

TCF is pleased to support an exhibition by the Vehbi Koc Ankara Studies Research Center (Koç Üniversitesi Vehbi Koç Ankara Araştırmaları Uygulama ve Araştırma Merkezi) that explores the history of the Ankara Sof fabric. The exhibition will open on May 12 at the Rahmi M.Koc Museum in Ankara and remain on view until September 16.

Curated by VEKAM Director Filiz Yenişehirlioğlu and Gözde Çerçioğlu Yücel, the exhibition will feature sof and mohair textiles from the collections of the Ankara Ethnographical Museum, Sadberk Hanim Museum and Topkapi Palace Museum. The exhibition will also showcase for the first time in Turkey an original painting titled “Ankara Landscape” on loan from the Rijksmuseum in Holland, considered as one of the leading depictions of Ankara dating to the 18th century.

Woven with yarn spun from mohair of the Ankara goat, Sof fabric held an important commercial and social place in the cultural heritage of Ankara which has been largely forgotten. The exhibition will showcase the trade’s history dating back to the 16th century when it grew into a hallmark of Ankara’s textile production and international commerce and traded in Europe’s leading countries at the time like Venice, Holland, Great Britain and Poland. Vanishing into oblivion in the 19th century due to a variety of reasons, efforts are underway to bring back this textile tradition to Ankara. The exhibition will also explore these efforts.

The TCF Cultural Heritage Preservation and Natural Dyes Laboratory (DATU) contributed to the exhibition through its know-how on natural dyes and the mohair dyeing process. DATU provided mohair dyed with 10 different natural dyes to the exhibition and prepared a video presenting the dyeing process. Samples from the DATU Natural Dyes Collection will also be showcased during the exhibition.
The exhibition is further supported by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Turkey, the Ankara Chamber of Commerce, the Embassy of the Netherlands, Ströer Kentvizyon, Türk Traktör and UNESCO.

The Turkish Cultural Foundation is pleased to invite applications for nominations for the UNESCO Prize for Girls' and Women's Education (GWE).
As a non-governmental organization in official relations with UNESCO, TCF is eligible to nominate up to three candidates for this award.

The UNESCO GWE Prize is supported by the Government of the People's Republic of China and consists of two annual awards of 50,000 USD for each laureate to support their work to advance education for girls and women.
Awarded for the first time in 2016, it is the first UNESCO Prize of this nature and is unique in showcasing successful projects that improve and promote the educational prospects of girls and women and in turn, the quality of their lives.

TCF will accept applications from individuals and entities in the United States and in Turkey. Only applications that comply with the Prize selection criteria will be evaluated for nomination. All applications must be received by TCF by May 4, 2018. Applications and supporting material must be sent to TCF_UNESCO@turkishculture.org.

Gülfidan Özmen, Wheaton Arts tarafından yürütülen Creative Glass Center of America – Artist in Rezidance programına seçildi. Özmen, 3 ay boyunca tam donanımlı bir cam atölyesinde eser üretimi yapacak. Program aynı zamanda Turkish Cultural Foundation tarafından da destekleniyor. Özmen ayrıca bu programa Türkiye’den kabul edilen ilk sanatçı olma özelliğini taşıyor.

Mimar Sinan Güzel Sanatlar mezunu olan Gülfidan Özmen, bir süre cam sanatçılarına asistanlık yaptı. Daha sonra cam üretimi yapan firmalara tasarım desteği veren Özmen, Pera Müzesi’nde atölyeler düzenledi.

Source

The Turkish Cultural Foundation is pleased to invite applications for nominations for the UNESCO-Japan Prize on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD).

As a non-governmental organization in official relations with UNESCO, TCF is eligible to nominate up to three individuals, institutions and organizations for this award.
The UNESCO-Japan Prize on ESD honors outstanding projects by individuals, institutions and organizations related to ESD. The UNESCO-Japan Prize on ESD, which is funded by the Government of Japan, consists of three annual awards of USD 50,000 for each recipient. It was awarded for the first time by the Director-General of UNESCO in November 2015.

The Prize and award winners recognize the role of education in connecting the social, economic, cultural and environmental dimensions of sustainable development.
The three Prize winners are selected by the Director-General of UNESCO on the basis of recommendations made by an international independent Jury consisting of five experts. To learn more about the selection criteria, please visit here.

Past winners of the Prize are Asociación SERES from Guatemala/El Salvador; the Centre for Development of Early Childhood, Non-Formal and Informal Education from Indonesia; rootAbility from Germany; the Centre for Community Regeneration and Development(CCREAD-Cameroon) from Cameroon; the Okayama ESD Promotion Commission from Japan; the National Union of Students (NUS-UK) from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; Zikra for Popular Learning from the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan; the Hard Rain Project from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; and Sihlengeni Primary School from the Republic of Zimbabwe.

TCF will accept applications from individuals and entities in the United States and in Turkey. Only applications that comply with the Prize selection criteria will be evaluated for nomination. All applications must be received by TCF by March 30, 2018. Applications and supporting material must be sent to TCF_UNESCO@turkishculture.org. 

OSMANLI İmparatorluğu’nun basılmış ilk eserlerinden, Kâtip Çelebi’nin ‘Kitab-ı Cihannüma’sı, Turkish Cultural Foundation (TCF) ve Chester Beatty Kütüphanesi tarafından restore ediliyor.

Dr. Yalçın ve Dr. Serpil Ayaslı tarafından 2000 yılında Amerika’da kurulan Turkish Cultural Foundation (Türk Kültür Vakfı) İrlanda’nın başkenti Dublin’deki Chester Beatty Kütüphanesi koleksiyonunda bulunan ve Osmanlı İmparatorluğu’nda basılan ilk eserler arasında yer alan Kitab-ı Cihannüma’nın konservasyona tabi tutulup sergiye hazırlanması için destek sağladı.

Avrupa’nın önde gelen müzeleri arasında yer alan Chester Beatty Kütüphanesi, Chester Beatty (1875-1968) adındaki bir Amerikalı hayırsever ve koleksiyonerin bağışladığı, İslam dünyası, Doğu Asya ve Avrupa kökenli eserlerden oluşan zengin bir koleksiyona sahip. Kütüphane aynı zamanda dünya çapında bilim insanlarının araştırma yaptığı bir merkez özelliğinde.

İBRAHİM MÜTEFERRİKA BAST.

Osmanlı İmparatorluğu’nun en ünlü tarih ve coğrafya bilimcileri arasında yer alan ve 1609-1657 tarihleri arasında yaşamış olan Kâtip Çelebi’nin (veya Hacı Halife olarak bilinen Mustafa bin Abdullah) yazdığı ‘Cihannüma’, 1732 yılında Osmanlı’nın ilk matbaasını kuran İbrahim Müteferrika (1674-1745) tarafından basıldı. Müteferrika tarafından 1729 -1742 yılları arasında basılan 17 kitabın 13 tanesi Chester Beatty Kütüphanesi’nin koleksiyonu arasında yer alıyor. Bu koleksiyona ait Cihannüma, sınırlı sayıda basılan eserin orijinalinde bulunan 13 astronomik ve 26 coğrafi haritası ile çok az bulunan eksiksiz nüshalarından biri olarak biliniyor. Kâtip Çelebi’nin bu iddialı eseri Osmanlı dünyasındaki coğrafi bilgi birikimini yansıtması ve Türkiye’de Türkçe olarak basılan ilk eserler arasında yer alması nedeniyle büyük tarihi öneme sahip.

Source: Hurriyet

The Turkish Cultural Foundation (TCF) is pleased to announce a grant to and new partnership with the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin, Ireland.

The partnership will ensure the preservation of one of the earliest printed books in Turkish: the Kitab-ı Cihannüma (Mirror of the World, 1732) by the Ottoman Turkish scholar Kâtip Çelebi and printed by Ibrahim Müteferrika.

Described by the Lonely Planet as 'not just the best museum in Dublin, but one of the best in Europe', the Chester Beatty Library is a museum and library that houses the world-class collection of Islamic, East Asian and European art assembled by the great American philanthropist and collector Sir Alfred Chester Beatty (1875-1968).

Kâtip Çelebi is the pen name of Mustafa bin Abdullah (1609-1657), also later known as Haji Khalifa (Hacı Halife), who was an Ottoman historian and geographer and is regarded as one of the most productive authors of non-religious, scientific literature in the 17th-century Ottoman Empire. He began writing the Cihannüma in 1654, expanding on it over the years but unable to complete a second edition due to his untimely death.

Ibrahim Müteferrika (c.1674-1745), who printed the Cihannüma, played a special role in the story of printing in the Islamic world. A Hungarian, whose early life remains something of a mystery, Müteferrika became a senior figure at the imperial Ottoman court. Today he is remembered as the founder of the first official Ottoman printing house in Turkey. In 1727 he secured an edict from Sultan Ahmed III permitting him to print works of a non-religious nature. Subsequently, between 1729 and 1742 his press published 17 books, of which the Chester Beatty Library holds 13.

Published in 1732 in Istanbul, the Chester Beatty Library's rare and complete copy of the Cihannüma has survived with all of its original 13 astronomical and 26 geographical maps intact. The ambitious text summarised Ottoman geographical knowledge of the time and is one of the earliest books printed in Turkey in Turkish.

Due to the importance of this volume, it was included in a recent Chester Beatty publication ‘Director's Choice', at which time it was apparent that the book required extensive conservation and the Library approached the Turkish Cultural Foundation for support.

The book was tightly bound in an unsympathetic 19th-century binding which placed a strain on the pages each time the volume was opened. Over the centuries, with repeated use, the green copper-based pigment used to frame the printed maps had gradually burnt through the paper, causing most of the folios to split along this line. The support provided by the Turkish Cultural Foundation will enable the conservators at the Chester Beatty to re-sew the carefully conserved pages, reinforce the structure of the book and rebind the volume in an Islamic style binding that will allow the volume to be safely handled and displayed.

Fionnuala Croke, Director, Chester Beatty Library said: We are delighted to partner with the Turkish Cultural Foundation on this project. This is one of the most impressive early printed books in the collection and the TCF's support of the conservation treatment will enable us to put the Cihannüma on display, playing an important role in deepening the understanding and appreciation of Turkish cultural heritage in Ireland.

Dr. Yalcin Ayasli, founder and Chairman of the Turkish Cultural Foundation stated: "We are pleased to provide support to the Chester Beatty Library in the preservation of this valuable publication. Kitab-ı Cihannüma carries historic significance as the sheds light on the scholarly accomplishments of Katip Celebi and his life-long efforts to spread scientific knowledge in the Ottoman Empire and beyond."

The TCF 2016 Annual Report is now available online.

In 2016, TCF allocated a total of $847,183 to grants, operational and program disbursements to pursue its mission.

TCF continued to be a leading private grantmaker in the area of Turkish cultural preservation and promotion. In 2016, TCF provided a total of $244,067 in grants and fellowships to organizations and individuals.

The TCF Culinary Arts Center (YESAM) and the TCF Cultural Heritage Preservation and Natural Dyes Laboratory (DATU) in Istanbul continued their work on preserving and promoting Turkey's culinary and textile heritage. DATU and YESAM scholars worked year-round to advance the mission of TCF through research, publications and seminars, as well as collaborations with other institutions. A significant part of DATU's work is dedicated to helping cultural institutions conserve and restore historical artefacts.

Under the TCF Lecture Series, 15 lectures on Turkish culture, art and cuisine took place at the TCF Istanbul branch office and the TCF Culinary Arts Center with a total participation of 389. The lecture videos, made available on the TCF Video Gallery, were viewed 7,115 times by visitors from all over the world.

The TCF Portals, gateways to learn more about Turkish culture, music and cuisine, were visited by over 3.95 million people from 240 countries and regions in 2016, spreading knowledge about Turkey's cultural heritage.

Dr. Yalcin Ayasli, Founder and Chairman of the Board of Trustees, said "We thank everyone who participated in our work in the past year and renew our commitment to promote Turkey, past, present and future, to strengthen the bonds of friendship among people and to build cultural bridges across the world."

The full report can be accessed here.

Professor Suhandan Özay Demirkan gives and outline of the fascinating history of Turkey Red, a dyeing process that is now beign used again in Turkey, the outcome of extensive research.

Read More

July 21, 2017

Dyeing Turkey Red at DATU

The Turkish Cultural Foundation’s Cultural Heritage Preservation and Natural Dyes Laboratory succeeded in the rediscovery of Turkey Red (Türk Kırmızısı), a natural dyeing process lost for over 200 years.

A color/dyeing recipe invented by dyers in 16th century Ottoman Empire, Turkey Red, sometimes referred to as Edirne (Adrianople) Red (after the western border town of Edirne in Turkey), was a highly guarded trade secret handed from master dyer to apprentice. The technique was introduced to Europe in 1746 when two master dyers from Izmir were taken to France. From there, the technique spread to England where in 19th Century Glasgow six dyeing factories dyed textiles in Turkey Red.

With the spread of synthetic dyes and the diminishing application of natural dyes in the textile industry, the recipe for Turkey Red was lost. Despite many ongoing academic research projects worldwide, the recipe remained elusive.

TCF and ARMAGGAN partnered in an R&D project at the Cultural Heritage Preservation and Natural Dyes Laboratory to discover the recipe. The project included  extensive literature research, micro-analysis of historical samples and trials of the multiple dyeing steps. It took the research team led by Professor Recep Karadag over three years to establish the recipe of Turkey Red, which is now patented to the Turkish Cultural Foundation.

Turkey Red is created through a dyeing process of cotton fiber with dyes extracted from the root of Rubia tinctorum L. , a natural dye plant. The process includes nearly 40 dyeing steps with high coloring fastness and a special color tone. The dyeing requires a precise protocol of the application steps of the dye, which is a mixture of Rubia tinctorum L. madder dye and vegetable oil. 

“We regard the rediscovery and scientific documentation of Turkey Red as an important contribution to the preservation of our cultural heritage, as well as to science. The work on Turkey Red is one more important milestone in our long-standing efforts for the preservation and contemporary application of natural dyes. By perfecting natural dyes and making them fully usable in contemporary textile manufacturing and other consumer products, we aim to contribute to responsible productions that save our environment and protect human health,” said Dr.Yalcin Ayasli, Founder and Chairman of the Turkish Cultural Foundation.

To read an interview published on the Turkey Red project, please visit here.

DATU dyed Turkey Red

Historical samples of Turkey Red at Glasgow Museum

The Cultural Heritage Preservation and Natural Dyes Laboratory (DATU) received accreditation by the Turkish Accreditation Agency (TÜRKAK)  under the TS EN ISO/IEC 17025 standards. With this accreditation DATU has become an internationally certified laboratory under the standards of the European Cooperation for Accreditation (EA) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC).

DATU was established in 2010 in Istanbul by the Turkish Cultural Foundation (TCF) under the sponsorship of ARMAGGAN.

As part of this partnership, DATU developed a dual mission. One part of this mission is to help preserve and promote Turkey’s textile heritage through research and development. Based on the technological capacity and scientific know-how it has created over the years, DATU provides free analytical services to museums assisting preservation and conservation efforts of artifacts worldwide. Another mission area of DATU, led by ARMAGGAN, is the redevelopment of the natural dye production process and the re-introduction of natural dyes and historical weaving traditions in contemporary textile production. Today, DATU holds the richest collection of natural dye materials and has become one of the world’s most advanced laboratories on natural dyes, making significant contributions to cultural preservation and documentation.

TCF and ARMAGGAN signed a protocol under which DATU will fully operate under the ARMAGGAN brand with a view to expand the analytical services of DATU to the commercial market. The TCF research work on natural dyes will continue to be conducted at the laboratory as the TCF Cultural Heritage Preservation and Natural Dyes Project. The TCF research team will continue to provide pro-bono analytical services to museums and other cultural institutions at the laboratory and to develop special projects with ARMAGGAN and other institutions to preserve and develop Turkey’s cultural heritage.

We are pleased to share with you the Annual Report of the Turkish Cultural Foundation (TCF) and the progress we have made in our mission and programs in 2015.

In 2015, TCF allocated a total of $1,129,319 to grants and operational and program disbursements to pursue its mission.

The Spotlight on Turkey program continued to be one of TCF’s flagship programs. Organized in partnership with the World Affairs Councils of America (WACA), in 2015, TCF and local WACA chapters organized 12 Teacher Workshops on Turkey that reached 258 teachers with a student impact of over 19,000. As part of the  program, TCF hosted 48 American teachers on two Teacher Study Tours to Turkey, bringing the number of the TCF Study Tours alumni to 575 educators from across the United States. In total, since this program’s inception in 2007, 3,538 American teachers and over 367,000 students benefited from the Spotlight on Turkey program.

The TCF Culinary Arts Center (YESAM) and the TCF Cultural Heritage Preservation and Natural Dyes Laboratory (DATU) in İstanbul have matured into leading resources on Turkey’s culinary and textile heritage. DATU and YESAM scholars work year-round to advance the cultural preservation and public education missions of TCF through research, publications, seminars and collaborations with other institutions. A significant part of DATU’s work is dedicated to helping cultural institutions conserve and restore historical artifacts.

Under the TCF Lecture Series, 19 lectures on Turkish culture, art and cuisine took place at the TCF İstanbul office and the TCF Culinary Arts Center with a total participation of 538. The lectures were also viewed over 6,000 times on the TCF Video Gallery by visitors from all over the world.

TCF continued to be a leading private grantmaker in the area of Turkish cultural preservation and promotion. In 2015, TCF provided a total of $184,308 in grants and fellowships to organizations and individuals. A major portion of the TCF grants underwrote cultural events, such as Turkish cultural and film festivals, workshops, exhibitions, concerts and other performances in the United States, which brought Turkish culture to tens of thousands of Americans.

Two TCF Fellowship programs help build artistic, cultural and scholarly exchanges across the globe. Combined, the TCF Fellowship in Turkish Culture and Art and the TCF Cultural Exchange Fellowship have provided funding to 176 culture professionals, including musicians, visual and performing artists, writers, curators, scholars and many others. In 2015, 35 individuals benefited from these fellowships to participate in a variety of cultural and artistic showcases, as well as academic events.

The TCF Portals, gateways to learn more about Turkish culture, music and cuisine, were visited by over 3.8 million people from 218 countries and regions in 2015, spreading knowledge about Turkey’s cultural heritage. A new website, the TCF Education Portal, was launched in 2015. It now lists over 100 free lesson plans, created by TCF Teacher Study Tour participants, for educators who wish to teach about Turkey.

We thank everyone who participated in our work and renew our commitment to explore and preserve our shared human heritage and to build cultural bridges across the world.

Yalçın Ayaslı, Sc.D. Founder and Chairman Board of Trustees
Serpil Ayaslı, Ph.D.Founder Board of Trustees

“Traditional Turkish Shadow Theatre: Karagöz” brings to life a beloved family entertainment tradition, which was once part of social life during the month of Ramadan and on special occasions that bring together families, friends and neighbors.

Created as part of the TCF Cultural Heritage Projects, “Turkish Traditional Shadow Theater: Karagöz” presents 20 traditional Karagöz plays in a 5-DVD box format. The plays were performed exlusively for this cultural preservation project by renowned Karagöz master puppeteer and puppet maker Metin Özlen.

The collection includes a booklet with information about Turkish Shadow Theater with a foreword by theatrical historian, the late Prof. Dr. Metin And with summaries of the plays, photos of the puppets and the backstage and production team.

Identifying Karagöz shadow puppet theater as one of the vanishing traditional Turkish performing arts, TCF produced the collection to pay tribute to all the Karagöz puppeteers, present, past, and future who have kept this art alive. Shortly after “Turkish Traditional Shadow Theater: Karagöz,” was released in 2007, Karagöz shadow puppet theater was inscribed as an intangible cultural heritage of Turkey on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

For orders from the U.S. and Canada, please visit http://turkishcultureshop.org. For orders from Turkey, please send an email to webmaster@turkishculture.org.

TCF is now accepting applications for its Fellowship in Turkish Culture and Art. The Fellowship is awarded to support the publication of outstanding papers/articles in the area of Turkish cultural and social studies, as well as to support the participation of scholars in leading conferences in this subject area. Since its launch, 87 scholars have been awarded the TCF Fellowship in Turkish Culture and Art.

Applications for the TCF Fellowship in Turkish Culture and Art will be accepted on a year-round basis.

For detailed eligibility and application information, please visit the TCF website.

We are pleased to share with you the 2014 Annual Report of the Turkish Cultural Foundation (TCF).

The Spotlight on Turkey program continued to be one of TCF’s flagship programs. Under the 2014 program, TCF and local WACA chapters organized 10 Teacher Workshops on Turkey with the participation of 277 teachers, creating a student impact of over 18,000. TCF took 48 teachers on two Teacher Study Tours to Turkey in 2014, bringing the number of the TCF Study Tours alumni to 527 educators from across the United States. By the end of 2014 and since this program’s inception in 2007, nearly 3,300 American teachers and an estimated 348,000 students benefited from the Spotlight on Turkey program.

The TCF Culinary Arts Center (YESAM) and the TCF Cultural Heritage Preservation and Natural Dyes Laboratory (DATU) in Istanbul matured into leading resources on Turkey’s culinary and textile heritage. DATU and YESAM scholars work year-round to advance the cultural preservation and public education missions of TCF through research, publications, seminars and collaborations with other institutions. A significant part of DATU’s work is dedicated to helping cultural institutions conserve and restore historical artifacts. In 2014, DATU provided pro bono analytical services to 15 institutions in Turkey, the United States and Azerbaijan.

Under the TCF Lecture Series, a total of 19 lectures on Turkish culture, art and cuisine took place at the TCF İstanbul branch office and the TCF Culinary Arts Center with a total participation of over 600. The lecture videos, made available on the TCF Video Gallery, were viewed nearly 7,300 times by visitors from all over the world.

Two TCF Fellowship programs help build artistic, cultural and scholarly exchanges across the globe. Combined, the TCF Fellowship in Turkish Culture and Art and the TCF Cultural Exchange Fellowship have provided funding to 148 culture professionals, including musicians, visual and performing artists, writers, curators, scholars and many others. In 2014 alone, 40 individuals benefitted from these fellowships to participate in a variety of cultural and artistic showcases and academic events.

The TCF Portals continue to provide a gateway to learn more about Turkish culture, music and cuisine. They were visited by over 3.5 million people from 215 countries and regions in 2014, spreading knowledge about Turkey’s cultural heritage. A new website, the TCF Education Portal, was launched in 2014 with a view to providing an online resource for educators who wish to teach about Turkey.

We thank everyone who participated in our work and renew our commitment to explore and preserve our shared human heritage and to build cultural bridges across the world.

The Turkish Cultural Foundation is now accepting applications for its 2016 Cultural Exchange Fellowship Program.

Established in 2012, the TCF Cultural Exchange Fellowship is awarded twice a year and aims to support international exchanges between artists and other culture professionals. Since the program’s inception, 89 individuals received the TCF Cultural Exchange Fellowship and participated in a wide range of cultural and artistic programs in Turkey and across the world.

The deadline to apply for the first term is January 24, 2016 and June 30, 2016 for the second term. Applications may be made for either term at this time.

For more information on eligibility, terms and application forms, please visit the TCF website.

Turkish Philanthropy Funds, Turkish Cultural Foundation and ARMAGGAN Art and Design Gallery are pleased to announce an online art sale to benefit the Turkish Philanthropy Funds′ Scholarship Fund.

The collection presented for sale consists of works by select Turkish contemporary artists and have been showcased by TCF and ARMAGGAN Art and Design Gallery at exclusive international exhibitions including at the Sculpture Objects and Functional Art Fair - SOFA in Chicago and at the Istanbul Breeze exhibition in New York. The artworks will be shipping directly from New York.

Net proceeds from the sale will be donated to Turkish Philanthropy Funds’ Scholarship Fund. ARMAGGAN Art and Design Gallery is waiving all commission fees to benefit the fundraiser.

For detailed information about the artists and the artworks, please download the collection brochure.
Please visit here to view the collection online and to participate in the fundraiser.

We are pleased to announce that the Turkish Cultural Foundation (TCF) has entered into official relations with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization - UNESCO.

In her letter informing TCF of the decision, UNESCO Director-General Bokova stated that "there is clear relevance to the current programs and priorities of UNESCO, particularly in the field of intangible cultural heritage," and added that "the establishment of official relations between UNESCO and the Turkish Cultural Foundation will provide new possibilities to enhance the impact of our respective actions in this field." TCF is one of only 28 foundations worldwide which enjoy this relationship with UNESCO.

According to UNESCO guidelines, the status is conferred to organizations which "pursue goals that are in conformity with UNESCO ideals and with the ethical principles recognized by the international community, including those proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights." Accepted organizations are affirmed to have "the will and the means to contribute to the achievement of UNESCO′s goals and program" and to "effectively carry out activities in several countries in a spirit of international cooperation and mutual support and of respect for cultural identity."

Dr.Yalcin Ayasli, Founder and Chairman of TCF stated on the occasion: "We are deeply honored by the decision of UNESCO and the recognition of our work, which further strengthens our commitment to the core mission of TCF to explore, promote and preserve our shared human heritage and build cultural bridges between people across the world."

Two groups of a total of 48 American middle and high school teachers visited Turkey last month as part of the Turkish Cultural Foundation's Teacher Study Tours.  This year's teachers hailed from the states of California, Hawaii, Kentucky, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Washington D.C.

The teachers began their 14-day journey in Istanbul and visited Bursa, Canakkale, Gelibolu (Gallipoli) and Troy, Kusadasi, Pamukkale, Konya and Catalhoyuk, Cappadocia and Ankara. In addition, the teachers visited Darussafaka Schools, Arnavutkoy Korkmaz Yigit Anadolu High School, and the Atakoy Village School, met with diplomats, policy experts, and representatives of Turkish civil society.

Teachers are now developing lesson plans on Turkey, which are shared on the TCF Education Portal. 75 lesson plans on Turkey, covering a wide array of subjects, are currently available on the Lesson Plans Platform.

With the addition of this year's teachers, 575 American teachers will have visited Turkey as part of this program.

You can read more about the teachers' journey on the TCF Study Tour Blog and on Facebook and Twitter. You may also read Comments by participants on the TCF Teacher Study Tours and media articles about the tours on the TCF Education Portal.

The Turkish Cultural Foundation is pleased to announce the eight recipients of the second term 2015 TCF Cultural Exchange Fellowship Program.

The TCF Cultural Exchange Fellowship was launched in 2012 with a view to support the participation of artists and other culture professionals in programs that facilitate cultural and artistic exchanges between Turkey and the world. Turkish nationals can benefit from this fellowship to participate in programs outside of Turkey, while international artists and culture professionals are eligible to receive support for events and projects taking place in Turkey. The Fellowship has been awarded to 85 individuals to date.

For more information on the 2015 TCF Cultural Exchange Fellows and their events, please visit the TCF website and TCF Culture Calendar.

Gizem Aksu (Turkey), a dancer and choreographer, will participate in the residency program of DanceWEB within the frame of ImPulsTanz - Vienna international Dance Festival, Vienna, Austria, July 15 - August 19.

Corinne Beardsley (U.S.A.), a sculptor, will participate in the 2015 Artist-in-Residency program at the Babayan Culture House in Cappadocia, Turkey on September 10 - October 8 to create and later locally exhibit sculptures and installations inspired by the landscape and culture of the region.

Marco Cops (The Netherlands), a multimedia artist, curator and consultant for public art, will join a multi-disciplinary workshop at the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture of Baskent University, Ankara, Turkey on November 1 - 15. The workshop, titled "Urban Playground," will design an urban playground.

Tesla Manaf Effendi (Indonesia), a Jazz composer, guitarist, and music producer, will join the Babayan Culture House Art Residency Program 2015 in Cappadocia, Turkey on November 5 - December 3 to pursue his collaborating project of filmmaking and music with Gracia Octaveni Lumbantobing.

Mehveş Lelic (Turkey / Germany), a photographer, will participate in the residency program at Ateliers Fourwinds in Aureille, France on July 29 - August 13 to complete her new studio project that explores the meaning behind the medium and finalize it for an exhibition.

Gracia Octaveni Lumbantobing (Indonesia), a film and video artist, will participate in the Babayan Culture House Art Residency Program 2015, Cappadocia, Turkey on November 5 - December 3 to pursue her collaborative project of film and music with Tesla Manaf Effendi.

Meghan Nuttall Sayres (U.S.A.), a writer, will work on a collaborative project entitled "Street Wise Istanbul" with photographer Aramis Kalay in Istanbul in fall 2015.

Seval Şener (Turkey), a painter and academician, will attend the Project Space "Circa...dit," show in Arnhem, the Netherlands on August 17 - September 6 for a solo exhibition and presentation on Contemporary Turkish Art.

The newly inaugurated UNESCO Chair on Management and Promotion of World Heritage Sites: New Media and Community Involvement at Kadir Has University will hold its first international summer school on June 15-29 in Istanbul. TCF is a partner of the UNESCO Chair and supports its work in the area of research and international educational exchanges.

The Summer Program′s "World Heritage and Digital Technologies" course aims to explore innovative ways of enhancing community involvement through the use of new media at World Heritage sites. The first week of the school will be held at Kadir Has University in Istanbul on theoretical issues, while the second week will be spent on the Bergama World Heritage site, focusing on developing a mobile application for the site. Graduate students with a background in Conservation, Architecture, Computer Engineering, Communications Technology and Design are encouraged to apply. For more information and to apply, please visit here.

Eligible students may receive support to attend the summer school under the TCA Scholarship Program.

The Turkish Cultural Foundation (TCF) is pleased to announce the release of "A Useless Man," Selected Stories by Sait Faik Abasıyanık, one of Turkey's leading authors. Translated from Turkish by Maureen Freely and Alexander Dawe, the book is published by Archipelago Books, a non-profit press devoted to contemporary and classic world literature, with support from TCF.

Sait Faik Abasıyanık was born in Adapazarı in 1906 and died in Istanbul in 1954. In twelve books of short stories, two novels, and a book of poetry, Sait Faik’s writing celebrates the natural world and renders in vivid detail the struggles of his characters: ancient coffeehouse proprietors and priests, dream-addled fishermen and poets of the Princes' Isles, lovers and wandering minstrels of another time. Many stories are loosely autobiographical and deal with Sait Faik's frustration with social convention, the relentless pace of westernization, and dehumanizing of his beloved Istanbul. Sait Faik is greatly revered to this day, lending his name to Turkey's most prestigious short story award.

The book will be introduced in New York on May 27 at 7pm, where Co-translator Maureen Freely in conversation with Edmund White will talk about the book at 192 Books (192 10th Avenue). Another celebration of the release will take place on April 25 at 7pm at the Mosaic Rooms in London (226 Cromwell Road, Greater London) with Mr.Freely in conversation with Maya Jaggi.

To order the book, please visit here.

The Turkish Cultural Foundation is pleased to announce the release of a new publication on Turkish music. Türk Halk Müziği Sözlüğü (Turkish Folk Music Dictionary) is the first of its kind in Turkish folk music studies and was authored by Dr.Melih Duygulu, a leading musicologist and Chair of the Ethnomusicology Department at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University in Istanbul, Turkey.

The dictionary, published in Turkish in December 2014, is the result of a multi-year research project led by Dr.Duygulu under the patronage of the Turkish Cultural Foundation. Building on his long-standing academic work in this area, from 2009-2014, Dr.Duygulu and his team conducted a series of field studies all around Turkey, collecting over 3000 Turkish folk music terms in 68 provinces, 210 counties, 1000 villages and through interviews with nearly 2,000 sources. In addition to being the most comprehensive source on Turkish folk music terms, the dictionary also carries special value for  Turkish language studies.

The Turkish Folk Music Dictionary is the latest of a series of projects in the area of Turkish music studies brought to life by the Turkish Cultural Foundation in collaboration with Dr.Duygulu. They include the TCF Turkish Music Portal, available in English, French, German and the Turkish Music Dictionary, the broadest English-Turkish dictionary on musical terms, made available online on the TCF portals.

The publication may be ordered here from the publisher. Educational institutions and libraries may request a complimentary copy from TCF, by sending a request to pr@turkishculture.org.

TCF is pleased to announce the establishment of the UNESCO Chair on Management and Promotion of World Heritage Sites: New Media and Community Involvement at Kadir Has University in Istanbul. TCF is a partner in the Kadir Has UNESCO Chair together with Bilkom and World Heritage Travelers Association and will support the work of the Chair in the area of research and international educational exchanges.

The protocol establishing the UNESCO Chair was signed at a ceremony on January 7 by UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova and Prof. Dr. Mustafa Aydın, Rector of Kadir Has University. It is the first UNESCO Chair in cultural heritage in Turkey and will work on promoting and enhancing community involvement in World Heritage sites in Turkey through the application of new media. There are currently 13 sites inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List and 52 nominations. The Chair's scope will include all sites. Among the projects planned are an international summer school for graduate students and the development of new media applications for Turkey's World Heritage sites. Community and youth education will be another important component of the Chair's work. An inter-disciplinary academic team at Kadir Has University will lead the work of the Chair under the leadership of Dr. Yonca Kösebay Erkan.

TCF is now accepting applications for its Fellowship in Turkish Culture and Art. The Fellowship is awarded to support the publication of outstanding papers/articles in the area of Turkish cultural and social studies, as well as to support the participation of scholars in leading conferences in this subject area. Since its launch, 77 scholars have been awarded the TCF Fellowship in Turkish Culture and Art.

Applications for the TCF Fellowship in Turkish Culture and Art will be accepted on a year-round basis.

For detailed eligibility and application information, please visit the TCF website.

The Turkish Cultural Foundation (TCF) is pleased to announce the opening of Istanbul Breeze, a group exhibition of Turkish contemporary art, at Bene Rialto in New York.

The exhibition features works by artists showcased at the Sculpture Objects and Functional Art Fair-SOFA by TCF and ARMAGGAN Art and Design Gallery.

The show will open on December 12 and may be visited through January 15, 2015. To attend the private opening event, please contact events@benerialto.com.

The Turkish Cultural Foundation is now accepting applications for its 2015 Cultural Exchange Fellowship Program.

Established in 2012, the TCF Cultural Exchange Fellowship is awarded twice a year and aims to support international exchanges between artists and other culture professionals. Since the program’s inception, 91 individuals received the TCF Cultural Exchange Fellowship and participated in a wide range of cultural and artistic programs.

The deadline to apply for the first term is January 16, 2015; and June 30, 2015 for the second term.

For more information on eligibility, terms and application forms, please visit the TCF website.

The Turkish Cultural Foundation is pleased to announce the launch of a Portal dedicated to education on Turkey and the TCF Spotlight on Turkey program.

The new TCF portal is designed to provide educators easy access to Lesson Plans and other educational resources on Turkey. Currently, there are 71 lesson plans on the portal covering a wide range of topics related to Turkey. The portal also allows educators to share lesson plans on Turkey through the Share Your Lesson Plan dropbox.

In addition to being a publicly accessible resource for everyone interested in learning and teaching about Turkey, the TCF Education Portal is designed as a platform for participants of the Spotlight program. The portal features a Teacher Lounge, which is open to TCF Study Tour teachers, past and present.

TCF Founders Dr.Yalcin Ayasli and Dr. Serpil Ayasli stated that "We are particularly pleased to launch this new portal on the occasion of International Education Week. The Education Portal is a new addition to our efforts to internationalize the American classroom through introducing educators to Turkey. By giving American teachers an opportunity to learn more about and visit Turkey - a land where much of the history of mankind was made – we hope to help expand the horizons of their students as well."

Since 2007, TCF partners with the World Affairs Councils of America (WACA) and its chapters across the U.S. to organize the Spotlight on Turkey program. The program runs a full calendar year and includes Teacher Workshops,  Teacher Study Tours and cultural programs on Turkey for the general public. 527 American teachers have visited Turkey on the tours so far and nearly 2,500 teachers have participated in the workshops. The reach of the program is estimated at nearly half a million students. Since the program’s inception, TCF allocated over $ 2,25 million to the Spotlight on Turkey program and to enhancing education about Turkey in the United States. The 2015 Spotlight on Turkey Program will be announced soon.

Seven Turkish artists showcased their work at the Turkish contemporary art exhibition at the 21st International Sculpture Objects & Functional Art-SOFA Fair in Chicago on November 7-9, 2014. The featured artists were Ipek Altunmaral, Gul Delemen, Meral Deger, Ipek Kotan, Cetin Pireci, Tan Taspolatoglu, and Canan Ustaoglu.

This is the eighth year that TCF has sponsored Turkish artists at SOFA and the third year that it has partnered with ARMAGGAN Art and Design Gallery in Istanbul, which has now become the lead organizer of the exhibition. The Turkish art display received favorable reviews from visitors, which include thousands of artists, designers, curators, collectors and art lovers from across the world.

For past showcases of Turkish art at SOFA, please visit here.

We are pleased to share with you the Turkish Cultural Foundation′s 2013 Annual Report, now available online, and the progress TCF has made in 2013.

The Turkish Cultural Foundation and ARMAGGAN Art & Design Gallery will present seven Turkish contemporary artists at the 21st International Sculpture Objects & Functional Art-SOFA Fair in Chicago on November 7-9. This year's featured artists are Ipek Altunmaral, Gul Delemen, Meral Deger, Ipek Kotan, Cetin Pireci, Tan Taspolatoglu, and Canan Ustaoglu.

The prestigious three-day event brings together groundbreaking modern artists, sculptors, designers, curators and collectors from around the world for a series of exhibits, lectures, and discussions.

This is the eighth year that TCF has sponsored Turkish artists at SOFA and the third year that it has partnered with ARMAGGAN Art and Design Gallery in Istanbul to curate the selection. For artists featured by TCF at past SOFA fairs, please visit here.

In October, Turkish Americans in Boston, Charlotte and Seattle will celebrate Turkish culture, music and cuisine at their annual Turkish festivals, sponsored by the Turkish Cultural Foundation.

In Boston, Turkish culture will be celebrated through a series of events, beginning with the Turkish flag raising ceremony at the Massachussetts State Capital on Turkish Republic Day on October 29, and lasting through December 15. The 19th Boston Turkish Festival titled Colors of Anatolia is organized by the Turkish American Cultural Society of New England-TACSNE and will also feature the 9th Annual Documentary and Short Film Competition and film screenings.

The American Turkish Association of North Carolina will organize the 4th Annual Turkish Festival of Charlotte, featuring music workshops, concerts, and other cultural presentations at a day-long festival on October 25.

Turkfest Seattle, titled Faces of Anatolia, is part of a month of celebrations beginning on October 17 and lasting through November 23. The festivities are organized by the Turkish American Cultural Association of Washington-TACAWA as part of the “Turkish Heritage Month,” proclaimed by the Governor of the State of Washington. It will feature Turkfest, the 1st Ahiska Turks Friendship Festival and the 2nd Seattle Turkish Film Festival.

The festivals follow the successful Turkish Heritage Month in Washington, DC, organized in September by the American Turkish Association of Washington-ATADC, which opened with a reception in the U.S. Congress, sponsored by the Turkish Coalition of America.

The Turkish Cultural Foundation's (TCF)  "Who's Who in Turkish Culture and Art" online database passed 3,000 listings this month. The TCF Who's Who features living Turkish artists, artisans and experts in over 50 categories such as Visual, Traditional and Applied Arts, Conservation, Music, Dance, Fashion, Cinema and Theater. It was launched in 2008 and now is the most extensive online resource on Turkish culture professionals. Constantly updated, the database includes brief biographies and contact information for each individual, along with selected images of his or her work.

The TCF Who's Who aims to promote the artistic and cultural heritage of Turkey, while supporting the international reach of Turkish culture professionals. It is hosted on the TCF Culture Portal, which receives nearly 3 million visitors annually from across the world.

Individuals are selected for inclusion through a TCF managed process. We welcome nominations for listings directly via the Portal or by email to webmaster@turkishculture.org.

Harvard and Koç University’s summer school hosts local and foreign students for Ottoman Turkish classes every year on Turkey’s Cunda Island, off the Aegean coast

Since 1997, an institute on Ayvalık’s Cunda Island affiliated with Harvard University has drawn great interest from foreigners and locals who want to learn Ottoman Turkish during the summer.

The Intensive Ottoman and Turkish Summer School hosts students from countries such as the U.S., the U.K., Norway and Greece every year between July 1 and Aug. 15.

The founder of the school, Prof.Dr.Gönül Tekin said the classes first opened in 1997 and had been run in collaboration with Koç University since 2002. She said that although there were other schools in Turkey teaching Ottoman, their school drew more interest as it is affiliated with the prestigious Harvard University. It is also popular for its picturesque location near the Turkish town of Ayvalık, and with the Greek island of Lesvos visible on the horizon.

Prof.Tekin said people who already speak Ottoman were also choosing the school to conduct field research.

“Especially those who want to conduct research in the fields of history, history of arts and architecture.

Archive documents are available here. At first, we had around 10 students every year, but it has been around 20-22 over the last five years. The school is in great demand but we have a limited capacity and we can only accept up to 22 students at most … Most of our students come from abroad,” she said.

One of the institute’s instructors, Greek citizen Evangelia Balta, said she taught the Karaman, Turkish and Greek languages at the school. “The Ottoman Empire had many different languages. A number of nations lived in the empire and each nation used the writing of its own language. The Orthodox Greeks wrote Turkish with the Greek alphabet,” Balta said.

“The students here write are generally writing theses at universities or doing master’s degrees. Then they become academics or researchers,” she added.

Another instructor, Selim Kuru, an associate professor at Washington University’s Near East Languages and Civilizations Department, said students at the Cunda institute took five hours of classes every day over six weeks, polishing their ability to read and interpret Ottoman languages.

“It is a very important education for master’s and doctorate students to improve both their modern Turkish and Ottoman Turkish skills. Ottoman Turkish classes are very rare in Europe and U.S. students generally come on scholarships. We also help some students thanks to the support of the Turkish Cultural Foundation and Koç University … This year we started accepting students from Harvard, Yale, Berkeley, Arizona, Chicago, North Carolina and Georgetown universities,” Kuru added.

An Iranian student Anna Boreschan said she was attending the school because of her interest in Ottoman literature.

Another university student, Ashly Die Mak from the U.S., said her doctorate thesis was on Ottoman tents. “I am not only learning detailed information about the huge sizes of Ottoman tents but also understanding how they were used as venues for various occasions,” Mak said, adding that her goal was to become a museum curator.

Source: Hurriyet Daily News

Two groups of a total of 48 American middle and high school teachers visited Turkey last month as part of the Turkish Cultural Foundation's Teacher Study Tours. The teachers were selected from among participants in the Teacher Workshops on Turkey organized under the Spotlight on Turkey 2014 program, by 10 local chapters of the World Affairs Councils of America (WACA) and TCF. This year’s teachers hailed from the states of Colorado, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, and Virginia.

The teachers began their 14-day journey in Istanbul and visited Gelibolu (Gallipoli) and Troy, Canakkale, Bursa, Kusadasi, Pamukkale, Konya and Catalhoyuk, Cappadocia and Ankara. Throughout the tour, teachers had the chance to visit and learn about world-famous cultural, archaeological, architectural and natural sites of Turkey, and visited the Kabatas High School, Besiktas Anatolian High School, Bahcesehir BJK High School and the Atakoy Village School. The teachers also met with diplomats, policy experts, and representatives of Turkish civil society. The teachers were accompanied by TCF staff and Turkish educators on their tours.

The study tours are the second tier of Spotlight on Turkey, a national educational program organized by TCF, WACA and participating WACA chapters and funded by a major TCF grant. The program consists of three stages; Teacher Workshops on Turkey, Teacher Study Tours and Portrait of Turkey cultural events for students and the general public. With the addition of this year's teachers, 527 American teachers will have visited Turkey as part of this program.

You can read more about the teachers’ journey on the TCF Study Tour Blog and on Facebook and Twitter. You may also read Comments by participants on the TCF Teacher Study Tours and media articles about the tours on the TCF website. To order a free copy of Broad Horizons, a documentary on the TCF Teacher Study Tour, please send an email to washington@turkishculture.org.

TCF is pleased to partner with ARMAGGAN Art and Design Gallery to showcase Turkish contemporary art at the Sculpture Objects and Functional Art - SOFA Chicago fair on November 6-9, 2014.

Having presented the works of Turkish contemporary artists at SOFA since 2007, TCF joined forces in 2012 with ARMAGGAN Art and Design Gallery, which will curate and organize the Turkish display at SOFA Chicago 2014.

Turkish artists who are interested in participating in the Turkish modern art display at 2014 SOFA Chicago are invited to send their applications to armaggangallery@gmail.com by August 4, 2014. Artists will be selected on the basis of the works that they will submit with their application.

For more information on how to apply, please visit ARMAGGAN Gallery's website.

The first group of a total of 48 American middle and high school teachers arrived in Istanbul  and began their 14-day journey through Turkey on the Turkish Cultural Foundation's Teacher Study Tours. The teachers were selected from among participants in the Teacher Workshops on Turkey organized under the Spotlight on Turkey 2014 program, by 10 local chapters of the World Affairs Councils of America (WACA) and TCF. The second group will be visiting Turkey on July 14-27. This year’s teachers hail from the states of Colorado, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, and Virginia. Three Turkish teachers and one Turkish American educator will accompany the tours as volunteers with a view to further facilitate exchanges between Turkish and American educators.

The teachers began their journey in Istanbul and visit Gelibolu (Gallipoli) and Troy, Canakkale, Bursa, Kusadasi, Pamukkale, Konya and Catalhoyuk, Cappadocia and Ankara. Throughout the tour, teachers will have the chance to visit and learn about world-famous cultural, archaeological, architectural and natural sites of Turkey and meet with experts, educators and representatives of Turkish civil society.

The study tours are the second tier of Spotlight on Turkey, a national educational program organized by TCF, WACA and participating WACA chapters and funded by a major TCF grant. The program consists of three stages; Teacher Workshops on Turkey, Teacher Study Tours and Portrait of Turkey cultural events for students and the general public. With the addition of this year's teachers, 527 American teachers will have visited Turkey as part of this program.

You can follow the teachers’ journey on the TCF Study Tour Blog and on Facebook and Twitter. For Comments by former participants on the TCF Teacher Study Tours and a Trailer of "Broad Horizons," a documentary on the 2010 TCF Teacher Study Tours, please visit the TCF website. To order a free copy of Broad Horizons, please send an email to washington@turkishculture.org.

Banu Ozden, Project Executive of the Turkish Cultural Foundation's Culinary Arts Center (YESAM) in Istanbul will be speaking about Turkey's culinary heritage on a lecture tour organized by American Friends of Turkey (AFOT).

The first lecture will take place at the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh on April 1, organized jointly by the American Turkish Association of North Carolina and AFOT, followed by a lecture to students at the Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor, Michigan on April 7. Ms.Ozden will then be the featured speaker at a Turkish luncheon jointly hosted by Les Dames d'Escoffier and AFOT at Cafe Divan in Washington, D.C. on April 12.  Ms.Ozden will also represent YESAM at the Roger Smith Food and Tech Conference on April 3-5 in New York, where she will present a lecture titled "From Stone Press to Continue System: The Technology that shaped the Extraction of Olive Oil in Anatolia through the Ages."

For more information on Turkish cuisine, visit the TCF Turkish Cuisine Portal.

From cultural fairs to Turkish cuisine events, from seminars and panels to films screenings, 14 chapters of the World Affairs Councils of America (WACA) highlighted Turkey in a series of events under the Portrait of Turkey segment of the TCF-WACA 2013 Spotlight on Turkey national educational program.

The final event of the series, a cooking demonstration and Turkish food tasting in Washington, DC held by the World Affairs Council of Washington, DC at the Turkish Cultural Foundation's office, rounded up the 2013 Spotlight on Turkey program, with events taking place in Minnesota, Hawaii, Peoria (IL), Santa Fe, Brookings (SD), Hartford, Dallas/Fort Worth, Jacksonville, Montana, New Hampshire, Denver and Seattle by the respective World Affairs councils in those regions. Nearly 1,200 people directly participated in the events, and over 1,000 people were reached by the Pacific and Asian Affairs Council’s Turkey exhibits at a community cultural fair. The events featured experts on Turkey, diplomats, scholars and teachers who participated in the TCF Teacher Study Tours organized every year under the Spotlight on Turkey program.

The 2014 Spotlight on Turkey program is currently underway with 10 participating World Affairs Councils completing their Teacher Workshop on Turkey - Phase I of the program. Teachers participating in the workshops are eligible to apply for the 2014 TCF Teacher Study Tours which will take place in June and July, and take 50 American teachers on two tours to Turkey.

In the first year of the founding of TCF, the Trustees of the Turkish Cultural Foundation established the Ayasli Fund for Turkish Language Instruction at the University of Chicago with a $ 350,000 grant. The gift was instrumental to establish and support a Lectureship in Turkish Language Instruction at the University.

The Lectureship is now held by Dr.Kagan Arik, a scholar with a long teaching experience in Modern Turkish Language and Literature, and a background in Central Asian Turkic Studies. In addition to teaching elementary, intermediate and advanced Turkish, Dr.Arik also has been offering courses on Uzbek language and Turkic and Central Asian cultural studies, under the program.

In the last three academic years alone, 208 college and graduate students enrolled in the courses taught by Dr.Arik. According to Dr.Martha T.Roth, Dean of the Humanities Division at University of Chicago, “The generous funding from the Ayasli Fund for Turkish Language Instruction allows the Division of the Humanities at the University of Chicago to continue to attract and support the most ambitious and gifted scholars.”

The Sevgi-Doğan Gönül Ottoman Research Building in Cunda

In 2010, TCF awarded a five-year grant at the total value of $120,000 to the Ottoman Studies Foundation, a U.S. non-profit organization established in 1996 by Sinasi and Gonul Tekin and dedicated to promoting Ottoman and Turkish studies.

The TCF grant supports the Intensive Ottoman and Turkish Summer School (IOTSS) conducted every year since 1997 by the Ottoman Studies Foundation in Cunda (Ayvalik), Turkey. The school provides proficiency-based instruction in reading and translating Ottoman Turkish texts in both manuscript and printed forms. The IOTSS is the only study abroad program that offers training in advanced level Ottoman Turkish paleography and language. The TCF grant provides funding for the leading scholars who teach at the school, as well as scholarships to students.  

Prof.Dr.Gonul Tekin, President of the Ottoman Studies Foundation, stated that “Over 300 graduate level students have enrolled in the program, many of whom are now professors working in various universities and academic positions. The IOTSS helps create an international community of scholars who continue learning from each other, helping each other, and developing their work on Turkish history and culture after the summer program ends. The support of TCF has, in this sense, been an important component of the continuous creation of knowledge about the Ottoman Empire. It has contributed to the formation of a vibrant international community of scholars whose research has been made possible, or at least transformed, thanks to the education and experience provided at the IOTSS,” and added that “It is an extremely gratifying occasion when two charitable organizations with shared missions can work together to advance their causes.”

The 2014 school runs from July 7 to August 15 and is open to everyone interested in continuing their study of Ottoman and Turkish for the purpose of academic research with priority given to qualified doctoral students.  Please visit here for more information on how to apply.

TCF is now accepting applications for its Fellowship in Turkish Culture and Art.

Since 2008, the TCF Fellowship in Turkish Culture and Art has provided funding to young and established scholars with a view to expand academic interest in Turkish cultural studies, as well as to increase the publications in this field. Since its inception, TCF awarded this fellowship to 68 scholars from all over the world at a total funding of more than $800,000.00.

In 2013, TCF conducted a survey about the scholarship to assess whether the program has indeed served its mission. Based on the feedback received, it is clear that the fellowship has served as an important resource for scholars at a time when funding for academic research had significantly diminished, and that it helped to sustain interest and advance scholarship in this field.

Going forward, TCF decided to shift the focus of the Fellowship on the dissemination of knowledge on Turkey’s cultural heritage. Relaunched under this new format, the TCF Fellowship in Turkish Culture and Art will be awarded for outstanding papers published in the area of Turkish cultural and social studies, as well as to support participation of scholars in leading conferences in this subject area.

For detailed eligibility and application information, please visit the TCF website.

Ms. Sera Tokay, a female Turkish conductor, will direct the Philarmonie de Chambre Lutèce's upcoming concert at the Carnegie Hall. The concert will take place on January 28.

Created by Ms. Tokay in 2011, the chamber orchestra is comprised of young French musicians who recently performed in Geneva at the invitation of the Igor Stravinsky Foundation.

Ms. Tokay was born in Istanbul to a family with Russian origins. She has been influenced by Janos Fürst, Vsevolod Polonsky, Alain Voirpy and H. Klopfenstein. Her seven-year apprenticeship under Polonsky was especially influential in her development. She later pursued a philosophical curriculum to better reflect on music.

Ms. Tokay serves as musical director and principal conductor of the Sisli Symphony Orchestra in Istanbul and was invited by the Afghan Minister of Culture to found a school of music in Kabul. In 2010, Ms. Tokay was invited to conduct an exceptional concert at the Collège de France. She created Lutèce Philharmonica in 2011.

Ms. Tokay's upcoming Carnegie performance comes just months after a renewed international debate on the lack of female conductors. She joins Inci Ozdil became the first female conductor in Turkey. Among the 22 top U.S. orchestras, there was only one female conductor during the 2012-13 season.

For tickets and additional information, please visit: http://www.carnegiehall.org/Calendar/2014/1/28/0800/PM/Philharmonie-de-Chambre-Lutece/

The Turkish Cultural Foundation (TCF) has announced today a matching grant challenge in support of research and preservation efforts at the Neolithic site of Catalhoyuk (Çatalhöyük) in Turkey.

The Catalhoyuk excavation received significant multi-year funding from TCF under the TCF Turkish Cultural Heritage Programs. TCF funding helped build a shelter to protect the excavation site, establish walkways, panels and signage to enhance the site’s visitor experience, and provide training to conservation students and members of the local community.

Catalhoyuk was inscribed on the World Heritage Sites List by UNESCO in 2012 in part due to the diligent efforts of the international excavation team led by Stanford University archeologist Dr. Ian Hodder and improvements to the site as those funded by TCF. The only Neolithic site on the UNESCO list from the Middle East, Catalhoyuk carries universal value for our understanding of the way of life in early agricultural settlements. Inhabited by up to 8,000 people between 7,400 and 6,000 BCE, Catalhoyuk holds, in its streetless settlement of house clusters, numerous wall paintings - including what was recently discovered to likely be the world’s oldest known landscape map.

A regular stop on the TCF Teacher Study Tours for many years, in 2013, Catalhoyuk was designated as a special donation and awareness project by TCF. The visiting American teachers on the 2013 tours made personal donations for the Catalhoyuk project and one teacher, Terry Buehner, a history teacher at Burlington High School and Vermont History Teacher of the Year (2011), led a school-wide campaign to raise funds and awareness about Catalhoyuk.

TCF will match these and other raised funds for the Catalhoyuk Research Project until the end of 2014. The ultimate aim of the Catalhoyuk Research Project is to leave behind a well-planned heritage site that enhances the visitors’ knowledge in numerous ways, including a conservation laboratory, a museum to hold the artifacts and a model house to enable visitors to experience Neolithic homes without damaging the ancient structures.

We invite all teachers to explore Catalhoyuk with their students via its informative website and other educational resources. All donations made to TCF as part of this campaign must be marked Ref: Catalhoyuk and sent to the TCF Washington office by the end of the year.

Available for online viewing, the lecture videos feature renowned experts on a wide variety of Turkish cultural topics, including art, music, history, architecture, cuisine and many more.

The videos are recordings of lectures organized as part of the TCF Lecture Series on Turkish Art and Culture at the TCF Istanbul office since 2007 and lectures on Turkish culinary culture at the TCF Culinary Arts Center-YESAM since 2012.

Produced by TCF in-house, the TCF Lecture Videos offer nearly 85 hours of narrated content, enriched by over 7,000 images relating to Turkish culture. The lectures themselves were attended by nearly 4,100 participants over the years, while the lecture videos have since been watched in their entirety 15,840 times and viewed over 118,000 times by visitors from 94 countries across the world. The top 3 most watched TCF lecture videos are Turkish Coffee House Culture by Dr.Cemal Kafadar of Harvard University (in English), Life in Istanbul in 1582 by Dr.Nurhan Atasoy of Istanbul University, and The Chinese Porcelain Collection at the Topkapi Palace Museum (in Turkish) by Ayse Erdogdu of the Topkapi Palace Museum.

Billings Middle School students at Aphrodisias last Spring

In 2012, TCF awarded a grant to Billings Middle School in Seattle, WA to support a pilot year of teaching Turkish as a foreign language. The project was spearheaded by Rebecca Timson, Dean of Faculty of the school and an alumnus (2007) of the TCF Teacher Study Tours to Turkey.

After a succesful completion of the pilot year in which sixteen 8th grade students took the class or participated in conversation classes, the school decided to contiue offering Turkish in the 2013-14 academic year, in addition to Spanish. Currently, fourteen students are enrolled in the year-long class and more are anticipated to join for the conversational class next semester.

According to Ted Kalmus, Head of the School, "Turkish language has been a tremendous addition to the Billings Middle School program. It has broadened the scope of our Global Studies program in significant ways, building on a curriculum that emphasizes global case studies for understanding across disciplines." Selma Nadir, who teaches the class opined that Turkish went beyond a language course and became "a focus group for sharing Turkish culture with the rest of the school."

Sarah Pogson, one of the students who took the Turkish class in its pilot year said: "I was the first one to sign up, and I helped spread the word about why it was such a good idea to accept the challenge of trying something new. We learned so much about Turkish history and culture, which shifted our perspectives about Turkey and its role in the world. Indira Rampersad, one of the students in this year's class added: "Turkish is my favorite class this year, partly because I am interested in language and cultural studies. I am very excited about the possibility that I will go to Turkey this year and be able to speak with the people we meet. I've realized this year how important it is to learn more than one or two languages."

For more information, please click the information or visit the website of the conference: http://www.world-art.pl/n,12,15-17-09-2014-warszawa.html

To apply for the conference, please fill the registration form and send it to the e-mail address: polish_ottoman2014@yahoo.pl till May 31, 2014.

Established in 2012, the TCF Cultural Exchange Fellowship aims to support international exchanges between artists, as well as professionals working in fields related to the arts and culture. The Fellowship is awarded competitively each year to Turkish and non-Turkish artists and professionals.

33 individuals have received this TCF fellowship since its inception in 2012 and participated in a wide range of cultural and artistic programs. Their observations and experiences are shared here.

This year, interested applicants may apply during two different terms.

The 2014 application deadline for the TCF Cultural Exchange Fellowship is December 2, 2013 for the first term fellowships and June 2, 2014 for the second term fellowships.

For more information on eligibility, terms and application forms, please visit the TCF website.

The show titled “Istanbul Breeze” will bring together Asli Kutluay, Aysegul Kirmizi, Camekan,  Derya Ozparlak, Dilek Aydincioglu, Dincer Gungorur, Meral Deger, Nadia Arditti, Pembe Hilal Tuzuner, Semra Ozumerzifon and Yasemin Aslan Bakiri who participated in the ARMAGGAN Art & Design Gallery-TCF exhibition at SOFA with Chicago-based and Istanbul born artists Meltem Aktas and Ani Afshar, as well as Turkish American artists Cetin Ates and Belgin Yucelen, who have participated in the TCF-ARMAGGAN exhibition at SOFA Chicago in 2012.

Featuring paintings, sculpture, glass, metal, ceramic, fiber art and mixed media, the exhibition will open on November 22 and remain on view through January 24, 2014.

For more information, please visit the Gallery’s website.

The Mediterranean basin, the cradle of human civilization, is known as the native land of the olive tree and inhabitants of this region long cherished olive oil and held the olive tree in high regard. For thousands of years, olive oil has been used to heal wounds, and the minerals and vitamins it contains are considered to be the essential elements of a nutritional diet.

The area extending from the south of the “Kaz” Mountains as far as Ayvalık, also known as the Northern Aegean region, is the production center of the most flavorful olive oil in Turkey.  Ayvalık and the area surrounding the “Kaz” Mountains are not only the center of the historical journey of olive oil, but are also home to a very distinct culinary culture.
As part of the mission of TCF-YESAM to preserve and revive the culinary traditions of Turkey, the tour will explore the historical journey of this golden liquid, participate in the harvesting of olives, observe the making of olive oil, and include olive oil tasting and the sampling of some of the most delicious food this region has to offer.

The tour, organized with support from NAR Gourmet, will be led by renowned food culture researcher and journalist Nedim Atilla.

For more information on the program, terms and conditions, please visit here. Please note that the primary language on the tour will be Turkish.

We are pleased to share with you the Turkish Cultural Foundation's 2012 Annual Report, now available online, and the progress TCF has made in 2012.

'Mind-blowing,' 'life-changing,' 'enriching,' and simply 'amazing.' These were the responses from the 52 participants of TCF's 2013 Teacher Study Tour program when asked to describe their experience in just one word. For all of the teachers, who hail from 14 regions spanning from Hawaii to Vermont, this visit was their first to Turkey.

The change in the participating teachers’ pre- and post-trip sentiments confirms the value of this program. Prior to their arrival in Turkey, the teachers described their perceptions of the country as ‘unknown,’ ‘dangerous,’ ‘Muslim,’ ‘conservative,’ ‘underdeveloped,’ and ‘poor.’ After two weeks of experiencing Turkish culture and meeting with Turkish teachers, their perceptions of Turkey changed to ‘beautiful,’ ‘complex,’ ‘diverse,’ ‘modern,’ ‘friendly,’ ‘tolerant,’ ‘vibrant,’ and ‘welcoming.’

The teachers traveled some 2,000 miles across Turkey under the auspices of Spotlight on Turkey, a national educational program sponsored by TCF and organized in cooperation with the World Affairs Councils of America (WACA). The yearlong program aims to enhance teacher knowledge of Turkish culture and educate American teachers about the importance of cross-cultural global competency through in-depth, personal experiences. Once the teachers return, they are inspired to integrate their experience into their curricula and thus expose the students to first-hand knowledge of this critical region of the world.

Most importantly, all of the participating teachers left Turkey with a sense of excitement and eagerness to share their experiences with their students, families and communities.

The second group of 52 American middle and high school teachers departed Turkey Saturday (July 27) after embarking on the Turkish Cultural Foundation's Teacher Study Tours. The first group visited Turkey from June 28-July 11 and the second arrived on July 14. Four Turkish teachers accompanied the tours as volunteers to be a resource to American teachers for future educational exchanges.

Each group traveled some 3,200km (about 2,000 miles) altogether from Istanbul to Gelibolu (Gallipoli), Troy, Canakkale, Bursa, Kusadasi, Pamukkale, Konya, Catalhoyuk, Cappadocia and Ankara. Throughout the tour, teachers had the opportunity to experience first-hand world famous cultural, archaeological, architectural and natural sites of Turkey.

They also met with experts, educators and representatives of Turkish civil society.

The study tours are the second tier of Spotlight on Turkey, a national educational program organized by TCF, WACA and participating WACA chapters and funded by a major TCF grant. The program consists of three stages; Teacher Workshops on Turkey, Teacher Study Tours and Portrait of Turkey cultural events for students and the general public. Through this program, teachers enhance international learning for their students by integrating their gained knowledge at the workshops and on the study tours into their classroom. With the addition of this year's teachers, 477 American teachers have visited Turkey as part of this program. The teachers were selected from among participants in the Teacher Workshops on Turkey organized under the Spotlight on Turkey program, by 14 local chapters of the World Affairs Councils of America (WACA) and TCF.

To learn more about our teachers' journey, please visit the TCF Study Tour Blog. For Comments by former participants on the TCF Teacher Study Tours and a Trailer of "Broad Horizons," a documentary on the 2010 TCF Teacher Study Tours, please visit the TCF website. To order a free copy of Broad Horizons, please send an email to washington@turkishculture.org.

The first group of 54 American middle and high school teachers are leaving today to visit Turkey on the Turkish Cultural Foundation's Teacher Study Tours. The teachers were selected from among participants in the Teacher Workshops on Turkey organized under the Spotlight on Turkey program, by 14 local chapters of the World Affairs Councils of America (WACA) and TCF. The first group will be visiting Turkey on June 28-July 11 and the second group on July 14-27. Four Turkish teachers will accompany the tours as volunteers with a view to further facilitate exchanges between Turkish and American educators.

The teachers will begin their journey in Istanbul and visit Gelibolu (Gallipoli) and Troy, Canakkale, Bursa, Kusadasi, Pamukkale, Konya and Catalhoyuk, Cappadocia and Ankara. Throughout the tour, teachers will have the chance to visit and learn about world-famous cultural, archaeological, architectural and natural sites of Turkey and meet with experts, educators and representatives of Turkish civil society.

The study tours are the second tier of Spotlight on Turkey, a national educational program organized by TCF, WACA and participating WACA chapters and funded by a major TCF grant. The program consists of three stages; Teacher Workshops on Turkey, Teacher Study Tours and Portrait of Turkey cultural events for students and the general public. Through this program, teachers enhance international learning for their students by integrating their gained knowledge at the workshops and on the study tours into their classroom. With the addition of this year's teachers, 479 American teachers will have visited Turkey as part of this program.

You can follow the teachers' journey on the TCF Study Tour Blog. For Comments by former participants on the TCF Teacher Study Tours and a Trailer of "Broad Horizons," a documentary on the 2010 TCF Teacher Study Tours, please visit the TCF website. To order a free copy of Broad Horizons, please send an email to washington@turkishculture.org.

The Turkish Cultural Foundation (TCF) Fellowship in Turkish Culture and Art was launched in 2007 to support academic research, studies, and publications on Turkish culture and art with the goal to increase knowledge of Turkey's cultural heritage. As of 2013, 68 scholars have been awarded this TCF Fellowship, including 16 scholars who received the Fellowship this year.

TCF decided to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of this Fellowship program and therefore will not be offering the Fellowship in 2014.

Our evaluation will seek feedback from our past fellows, as well as from hundreds of scholars all around the world who formally recommended their students or fellow scholars for this fellowship. We hope that this reflection will help us to better assess the contributions that the TCF Fellowship program has made to increasing scholarship and publications in Turkish cultural studies and to raising public knowledge in this area. The evaluation will also help chart the future course of the TCF Fellowship Program. TCF also welcomes feedback about the program from all interested individuals and institutions.

The Turkish Cultural Foundation (TCF) is seeking Turkish teachers to work as volunteers on the TCF Teacher Study Tours this summer.

TCF has organized Teacher Study Tours since 2007 and hosted 425 American teachers in Turkey so far. The TCF Teacher Study Tours highlight the cultural, historical and artistic heritage of the country, while introducing the teachers to contemporary Turkey.

In order to facilitate exchanges between Turkish and American educators, the tours visit a variety of Turkish private and public schools. In order to take these educational exchanges one step further, last year, TCF began inviting a limited number of Turkish teachers to participate in these tours.

The 2013 study tours will take place on the following dates:

TOUR 1 : June 28 - July 11
TOUR 2:  July 14 - July 27

The TCF Teacher Study Tours will visit Istanbul, Canakkale, Bursa, Kusadasi, Pamukkale, Konya, Goreme and Ankara. Selected Turkish teachers must attend an orientation at the TCF Istanbul office and participate in one of the tours in full or in part. Costs for the selected Turkish teachers associated with participating in the Teacher Study Tours will be sponsored by TCF.

Interested teachers from are invited to submit their applications by filling out the Teacher Volunteer Form on the TCF website. For more information on past tours.

For more information, visit here.

The Turkish Cultural Foundation's (TCF)  "Who's Who in Turkish Culture and Art" online database reached 2,500 listings this week. The TCF Who's Who features living Turkish artists, artisans and experts in over 50 categories such as Visual, Traditional and Applied Arts, Conservation, Music, Dance, Fashion, Cinema and Theater. It was launched in 2008 and now is the most extensive online resource on Turkish culture professionals. Constantly updated, the database includes brief biographies and contact information for each individual, along with selected images of his or her work.

The TCF Who's Who aims to promote the artistic and cultural heritage of Turkey, while supporting the international reach of Turkish culture professionals. It is hosted on the TCF Culture Portal, which receives over 2 million visitors annually from across the world.

Individuals are selected for inclusion through a TCF managed process. We welcome nominations for listings directly via the Portal or by email to webmaster@turkishculture.org.

The Turkish Cultural Foundation’s Culinary Arts Center – YESAM (Yemek Sanatlari Merkezi) in Istanbul is pleased to present a cultural journey to the heart of the Rose.

The rose holds a unique place in Turkish history and art and has been a symbol of elegance, sanctity and love, and the subject of poems, hymns and enchanted tales. In addition, roses are cherished in Turkey for their fragrance, healing and cosmetic properties and their delicate taste. They are used in producing rose oil and rose water, as well as in confectionary, including lokum - Turkish delight.

Over the centuries, Isparta has become a center of rose oil and rose water production in Anatolia. This process began with Muftuzade Ismail Efendi, an Ottoman official stationed in Kizanlik (in today’s Bulgaria) in the late 19th century, who observed the cultivation of roses and rose oil production in the strictly guarded “Rose Valley” of the region. Ismail Efendi brought back a rose cutting to Isparta, planted it in his own garden and began growing roses. He later used a still to produce the first rose oil in Isparta in 1892. He became known by the cognomen “Gülcü” (rose grower). Ismail Efendi’s love of roses quickly spread, turning Isparta into the rose capital of Turkey.

YESAM invites you on a special cultural and culinary adventure to witness the rose harvest in Isparta and discover the beauty, fragrance and taste of the rose. The tour will be guided by Professor Ayten Altintas, faculty member of the Department of Medical History and Ethics at Cerrahpasa Medical School, who is a renowned expert on the medical and natural cosmetic properties of roses and their place in Ottoman medicine.

The tour has been postponed to has been a future date.

This year, Armaggan Art and Design Gallery decided to participate in SOFA Chicago and sponsor the Turkish display at this leading art fair, as part of its vision to support and promote young Turkish artists and designers. TCF and Armaggan Gallery will also present a special tribute to the late Burhan Dogancay, as part of the SOFA Lecture Program.

Turkish artists who are interested in participating in SOFA Chicago are invited to send their applications to armaggangallery@gmail.com by May 16, 2013. For more information on how to apply, please visit the Gallery's website.

The teachers will begin their journey in Istanbul and visit Gelibolu (Gallipoli) and Troy, Canakkale, Bursa, Kusadasi, Pamukkale, Konya and Catalhoyuk, Cappadocia and Ankara. Throughout the tour, teachers will have the chance to visit and learn about world-famous cultural, archaeological, architectural and natural sites of Turkey and meet with experts, educators and representatives of Turkish civil society. Since last year, volunteer Turkish teachers are accompanying the tours with a view to facilitate exchanges between Turkish and American educators.

The study tours are the second tier of Spotlight on Turkey, a national educational program organized by TCF, WACA and participating WACA chapters and funded by a major TCF grant. The program consists of three stages; Teacher Workshops on Turkey, Teacher Study Tours and Portrait of Turkey cultural events for students and the general public. Through this program, teachers enhance international learning for their students by integrating their gained knowledge at the workshops and on the study tours into their classroom. With the addition of this year's teachers, 480 American teachers will have visited Turkey as part of this program.

Fellowships are open to scholars who are engaged in the research phase of doctoral studies and for scholars whose Ph.D. or equivalent professional training has been completed within the past 10 years.

The TCF Cultural Exchange Fellowship Program was launched in 2012 to encourage cultural and artistic exchanges between Turkey and the world by supporting artists and art/culture professionals. The Fellowship has been awarded to 33 individuals to date.

The Turkish Cultural Foundation will be offering 2 teacher study tours in 2013 on the following dates:

Tour 1: June 27 - July 11
Tour 2: July 13 - July 27

The TCF 2013 Teacher Study Tours will visit Istanbul, Canakkale, Bursa, Kusadasi, Pamukkale, Konya, Goreme and Ankara. The groups follow a program led by a professional tour guide that highlights the cultural and historical sites of the regions they visit. Selected Turkish teachers from these regions must be prepared to travel to Istanbul for an interview with TCF, and, if selected, participate in a one-day orientation program in Istanbul. Selected teachers will participate in the study tours, when the groups visit their city/region. TCF will sponsor travel to and one night stay in Istanbul for the teacher orientation program, as well as meals while accompanying the tours.

The 2011 Annual Report of TCF is now available online.

2011 was a year of growth for TCF, both in terms of new programs that the organization undertook and the grants it awarded to numerous organizations and individuals that share the vision of TCF. Together, TCF programs and grants create people-to-people cultural exchanges, facilitating artistic and cultural connections between tens of thousands of people, while numerous educational programs and public educational resources on Turkey and Turkish culture created by TCF and its partners benefit millions across the globe.

The Trustees of TCF expressed their gratitude to everyone who participated in the work of TCF in the past year and their hope that TCF makes a contribution to create a better appreciation of our cultural heritage, and, hence, to advancing peace and understanding between peoples of different cultural backgrounds.

For more information, visit here.