Istanbul Guide

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Entertainment It’s rare to have a week go by without a range of special events, festivals and performances being staged in İstanbul. Locals adore listening to live music (jazz is a particular favourite), attend multiplex cinemas on a regular basis and support a small but thriving number of local theatre, opera and dance companies.

For a more touristy experience, the Hodjapasha Culture Centre (p88), housed in a beautifully converted 15th-century hamam near Eminönü, presents whirling dervish performances at least three evenings per week throughout the year. Remember that the ceremony is a re ligious one – by whirling, the adherents believe they are attaining a higher union with God. So don’t talk, leave your seat or take flash photographs while the dervishes are spinning or chanting. Cultural Centres Beyoğlu is home to a swathe of high-profile cultural centres where film events and live music, theatre and dance performances are staged. These include Akbank Art (p131), Borusan Art (p143), Depo (p129), Salon (p143), SALT Galata (p129) and Garajistanbul (p143). Mall Venues Most of the city’s cinemas are operated by Cinemaximum (www.cinemaximum.com. tr) and are located in modern shopping malls. They include multiscreen venues at the Zorlu Center ( % 0212-924 0124; www. zorlucenter.com; Beşiktaş; m Gayrettepe) in Beşiktaş, Kanyon (p 154) in Levent and City’s Nişantaşı (p 154 ) in Nişantaşı. Zorlu also has a state-of-the-art performing arts centre where musicals are staged and big name international acts perform.

Seeing the Dervishes Whirl If you thought the Hare Krishnas or the Harlem congregations were the only religious groups to celebrate their faith through music and movement, think again. Those sultans of spiritual spin known as the ‘whirling dervishes’ have been twirling their way to a higher plane ever since the 13th century and show no sign of slowing down. There are a number of opportunities to see dervishes whirling in İstanbul. The best known of these is the weekly ceremony in the semahane (whirling dervish hall) in the Galata Mevlevi Museum (p143) in Tünel. This one-hour ceremony is held on Sunday at 5pm and costs ₺ 70 per person. Come early to buy your ticket. Another much longer and more au thentic ceremony is held at the EMAV Silivrikapı Mevlana Cultural Center (EMAV Silivrikapı Mevlana Kültür Merkezi; % 0212-588 5780; www.emav.org; Yeni Tavanlı Çeşme Sokak 6, Silivrikapı; j Çapa-Şehremini) on Thursday evening between 7.30pm and 11pm. This includes a Q&A session (in Turkish), prayers and a sema (ceremony). You’ll need to sit on the ground for a long period. Admission is by donation. Those wishing to have an English-language introduction to the sema , be accompanied by a guide and be taken there and back by minibus from Sultanahmet should book through Les Arts Turcs (p88).