Istanbul Guide

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RESUL MUSLU/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Dervishes whirl at a sema (whirling-dervish ceremony)

Entertainment by Neighbourhood  Sultanahmet & Around (p88 ) Whirling dervish and Turkish dance performances at the Hodjapasha Cultural Centre, but nothing else of note.  Beyoğlu (p142 ) The city’s entertainment hub, with performance venues, cinemas and live-music clubs galore. Also home to the Galata Mevlevi Museum, where a weekly sema (Whirling dervish ceremony) is held.  Beşiktaş, Nişantaşi & Ortaköy (p154 ) Home to the city’s major orchestral music hall, the İstanbul Lütfi Kırdar ICEC (Map p250; % 0212 373 1100; www.icec.org; Gümüş Caddesi 4, Harbiye; m Taksim); while the much-loved Babylon Bomonti music venue is only a short distance away.  Kadıköy (p159 ) The city’s bijou Süreyya Opera House is located here, as are a couple of smaller venues in the Yeldeğirmeni district.

NEED TO KNOW What’s On

The Canım Istanbul (http://canim istanbul.com/blog/en) , The Guide (www.theguideistanbul.com) and Yabangee (http://yabangee.com) websites feature events information. Booking Tickets Biletix ( % 0216-556 9800; www.biletix. com) is the number-one web-based resource to use when sourcing tickets for concerts, festivals and performance events across the city.