ISSUE 02 | Edito - Issue 02 || Magazine Hoogui

If Turkey could be summed up, that would be first and foremost by its rich culture, powerful history and religious and ethnic diversity.

The country conjures up images of palaces, mosques and a history-laden river: the Bosphorus. For centuries Turkey and its capital have been and still remain a genuine crossroads.

They keep the remains and the treasures of countless ancient civilizations. Still, it would be terribly limitative to just see this country as a museum like many others, and to not look beyond its past-facing, historical image.

In Turkey and its capital, modernity has found its place, to bring us a brand new culture with cutting-edge ideas and trends. In the middle of ancient ruins, mosques and private palaces are contemporary art galleries, designer bars and hotels created by the greatest architects, art fairs and trendy nightspots.

Turkey is a country that has retained its traditions and allowed them to merge and mix with others, while at the same time building a very current and modern culture to rival the world’s great capitals like Tokyo, London, Paris or New York.

We invite you to discover some of this country’s wonders, and hope that these pages will tempt you to go and experience them for yourself.

Jorge Apesteguia-Peña

C’était il y a dix millions d’années. La terre n’était que volcans bouillonnants, éructants, crachants... Les laves brûlantes se superposaient en strates que, huit millions d’années plus tard, le vent, la pluie, le gel, tels des mains divines, vont sculpter en grottes, en canyons, en pitons et en colonnes à chapeaux que l’on appelle aujourd’hui les cheminées de fée.

Cet habitat de hobbits, ce décor de cinéma digne d’une superproduction hollywoodienne, est celui d’une région de Turquie longtemps plus connue des historiens d’art et des chercheurs de trésors que des mordus du voyage. La Cappadoce conjugue aujourd’hui un art de vivre naturellement écologique, mais fragile, car l’érosion poursuit toujours son œuvre et condamne ce paysage insensé à disparaître. Et si, peu à peu, d’autres formes rocheuses apparaissent, elles n’auront jamais la profondeur spirituelle, l’intensité humaine de cette Cappadoce de légende.

Cappadocia

This is the place where, in the early days of Christiandom towards 48 AD, the first Christians settled to escape prosecution.

In Rome, members of this young community were being thrown to the lions. The region, so far uninhabited, became their territory and the cradle of Eastern churches. Saint Paul came from Cappadocia.

Between the 7th and 13th Centuries, during the Ottoman prosecutions, the Christians carved troglodyte houses and churches in the soft volcanic rock - this goes from small peasant homes to entire cities:

the famous subterranean cities of Derinkuyu and Kayna, hidden behind gigantic stone gates. Set nine kilometers apart, they were connected by tunnels and had many commodities, with ventilation vents, fresh water supply and the rock acting as natural air conditioning.

The homes were cool in winter and retained the warmth from the fireplaces in winter. The vaulted rooms were adorned with sculptures and frescoes.

Nowadays, most of these homes are unoccupied, and others have been transformed into cozy guestrooms or luxury hotels.

Over three thousand chapels, convents and monasteries have been discovered there, and the site has been listed as Unesco World Heritage since 1985. The valley of Gonene is listed as a monument, so are the canyons of Ihlara and Ojarhi.

For art historians, Cappadocia offers a unique artistic heritage. First of all, the paintings have been very well preserved. Painted on raw stone, the oldest frescoes tell the everyday stories ofthe Eastern Christians, in red and brown colors. The most recent ones are painted on a background of plaster.

They are more brightly colored, in blue and green. In the nineteen twenties, when archeology was in vogue, the Europeans rediscovered this region and its Christian heritage.

Meanwhile, the Christians had been chased from Cappadocia and had found refuge in Greece - a story told by Elia Kazan in his film America America.

Cappadocia catches fire at sunset, and the atmosphere at sunrise is just as magical.

Make sure you wake up at dawn for a surreal trip up in the air. Thanks to its altitude, a thousand meters above sea level, the region enjoys a mild climate even in the heart of summer when it’s scorching in Marmara by the seaside.

Besides, the difference in temperature between nighttime and daytime creates the perfect level of atmospheric pressure for hot air balloon flights, which will give you an unforgettable perspective on Cappadocia. At night, a mass of cold air gathers in the valleys.

At sunrise, it forms the perfect air currents for a balloon ride.

The balloon rises up, descends, spins round and skims past rocky peaks, like for instance the sixty meters high “castle” above the city of Uchiar. Another extraordinary panorama is presented by the natural park of Ultam Azligi.

Depending on the winds and pressure, you can fly for up to twenty miles above this extraordinary scenery.

A truly thrilling adventure…

Cappadoce is also the birthplace of spinning dervishes.

This dance is often discovered, in Turkey or elsewhere, in a truncated form that has been formatted for tourist audiences.

However, nothing is more mesmerizing than witnessing these spinning-top men.

The full ritual, which can be discovered in Cappadocia but also on the stage of some great national theatres when they are on tour – they performed in France at the theatres of Chaillot and Villeneuve d’Ascq last spring - includes a musical introduction that gently leads towards trance before the dervishes’ dance itself, called samä.

While spinning around, the dervishes have their right hand palm facing upward to gather Allah’s grace, and the left palm facing down to spread it on earth.

The dervishes’ dance originated in the Mevlevi Sufi congregation, which was founded in the thirteenth century at the time of the Ottoman Empire.

This tradition was outlawed for centuries, before becoming legal again in the 1950’s.

It has since inspired many contemporary dancers and artists, who are fascinated by the circular repetition of movement and the beauty of the chants.

Treat yourself to an open air spa: all around Europe, ancient volcanic sites are still active, and offer dream spots where you can unwind and improve your health, while contemplating other-worldly landscapes. Discover the best natural spas, to enjoy benefits coming from the deepest of the Earth.

I love travelling. As a child, after flying to Rimini aged 7 with my mother and brother, I wanted to be an air hostess.

Travelling meant taking off for the unknown, and I wanted this pleasure to go on forever.

At 16 I passed my glider pilot flight test, then at 20 the entry exam to work for Lufthansa – I am German. Everything was going great: language, humanities…

I graded 7^thout of 300 candidates.
But the medical test detected a spine problem: I was inapt for fling planes.

So I went off travelling to France, planning to stay in Paris for a month or two… and I’m still there!

Today I travel every day, across countries and centuries, in the capital’s museums: I am a museum guide.

I do love my job but I often feel the urge to travel and unwind. Last spring, a long weekend was coming up and I decided to go and spend three days in Istanbul.

I had been there before, more than 15 years ago! Some friends had been telling me how much the city had changed, and I was feeling curious…

When we land, the sky is grey and the airport looks totally different: it’s been completely modernized. A taxi drives us to our hotel, which has been recommended by a friend.

The place is stunning: it is located behind the Blue Mosque, in an old neighborhood of wooden houses, but everything has been beautifully renovated.

Our room overlooks the mosque’s back garden, and we can see its six minarets rising above. We couldn’t have hoped for a better spot.

After dropping our luggage, we are ready to go for a walk. I had wandered around this neighborhood before, and at the time the houses were falling apart.

I was afraid they would disappear forever but now the neighborhood has been lovingly and tastefully rehabilitated. The weather goes bad, and we need to get our umbrellas out.

We carry on walking in spite of the cold: across the main square, Sultanahmet Park, the old Hippodrome and past the entrance of the great Blue Mosque.

We find ourselves in front of the magnificent Agya Sofia basilica.
In my memories, Istanbul was culturally very rich. I had visited museums (I can’t help it!), Topkapi Palace… This time, no museums: we wander around the small streets and let their atmosphere guide us.
We see lots of young people and almost no women wearing a veil.

We reach the Bazar a bit late, but not too late to find a very original octagonal pipe. We want to avoid going shopping-crazy, but this decision proves hard to stick to…

When the gates of the market close, we are starving: we go in search of a little local restaurant. There are hundreds.

We wander around the small street stalls. We have amazing tea with Turkish delight, and buy some to bring back to our friends.

The city looks modernized and cleaner, but has lost none of its oriental charm. On the contrary, I find it easier to enjoy its atmosphere.

The tram - which wasn’t there last time round - is very convenient, and crosses the Bosphorus towards Karaköy: this thriving neighborhood, around the Galata tower, is not to be missed.

Avoid stilettos: you will need comfortable shoes!

We climb up to the top floor of the Anemon Galata hotel, and enjoy the views with a delicious cup of tea.

Back in the streets, we stop at a tiny stall that serves lamb meet with salads: why not treat ourselves to a kebab?

It is scrumptious, and there are no tourists to be seen all around.

I had promised my friends a little pilgrimage at the Pera hotel: we end the afternoon in the sumptuous armchairs where Agatha Christie must have spent some time lounging.

On the next morning, we are woken up by a very loud muezzin. That is the price you pay for a room with a view! The hotel’s breakfast is very copious: it will keep us going for a while, until our next meal. The weather is still cold and wet, never mind. It is Saturday.

We visit the Basilica’s cistern, with its 336 columns. It is very busy, but the mysterious lighting sometimes makes the crowds disappear. And the Medusa’s head carved into a gigantic marble bloc leaves us all impressed.

Our program for the next day: a visit of Agya Sofia. I make a wish while spinning my thumb in a hole in one of its huge columns, you never know…

Our guide, Yusuf Akkaya, speaks perfect French and has a great sense of humor. He suggests a boat trip on the Bosphorus and the Marmara Sea. Pity it is so cold, but Yusuf’s good spirits and knowledge make us forget the bad weather.

He drops us off for lunch on the Asian bank of the Bosphorus, in Beylerbeyi.

During our cruise, we sail past palaces and luxury hotels, but I wouldn’t trade any of them for the DJEM hotel.

The afternoon is passing fast, we need to get to the spice market. All the fragrances of the East are mixed there, and it is very tempting to bring everything back home. We buy sponges, cinnamon sticks, cardamoms, pepper… so tasty!

We walk and walk until the evening.

On the Monday morning, I wake up early for a hammam session near the hotel.

It is nothing like the one at the Blue Mosque but is really authentic. For an hour, I daydream about this marvelous film, Hammam, with Vittorio Gassmann’s son playing a young Roman lawyer who inherits his aunt’s hammam.

He goes to Istanbul for a couple of days… and stays there forever! Unfortunately that is not my case.

The taxi is waiting for us at midday and we catch our flight to Paris, but we promise each other to come back at the end of summer.

At no time did we feel harassed by the people there. The Turks have a great sense of humor!

And Istanbul is a very emancipated city, to match many European capitals… with something extra: the charm of the thousand and one nights!

Best places:

Hôtel DJEM. The staff is lovely and speaks fluent English. 50 to 60€ for a double room, breakfast included. Tavukhane Sk.No 3 Sultanahmet 34122 Fatih Istanbul (tel +90 212 518 12 95 / fax +90 212 516 93 50 / e-mail: info@hoteldjem.com).

Khorasani kebabhouse is recommended. It is located at Divanyolu caddesi Thicarethane sokak no 39/41. It is best to book ahead (tel: +90 212 519 59 59). It serves quality Anatolian cuisine, with delicious fish, and is very reasonably priced.

Yusuf Akkaya, a tourist guide who speaks perfect French (+90 536 223 01 43 / e-mail: bendenselam@hotmail.com / www.istanbuladix.com)

«L’art contemporain turc
intéresse de plus en plus les galieristes internationaux, commente le commissaire-priseur stamboulite Kerem Topuz.

Si les gros collectionneurs sont encore peu nombreux, il existe une clientèle importante de petits et de moyens collectionneurs capables de dépenser 30 000 à 40 000 euros pour des signatures importantes. »

En quelques années, le marché de l’art contemporain a explosé sur les rives du Bosphore.

À l’origine de cet engouement, quelques riches mécènes, patrons des plus grands conglomérats, et les banques turques, qui exposent leurs collections dans leurs propres galeries.

Cela n’a encore rien de comparable avec ce qui se fait en Chine, à New York ou même à Paris, mais cette tendance est de plus en plus importante.

Le musée Istanbul Modern illustre parfaitement le rôle joué par ces mécènes.

Ouvert en 2004, il est largement financé par le François Pinault local, Nejat Eczacibasi, qui y expose sa collection privée.

Ce musée constitue la vitrine grand public de la création turque. Il accueille plus de 2 000 visiteurs par jour.

L'énergie créative de Istanbul est aujourd'hui la même que celle de New York dans les années 80/90 et elle stimule la créativité.

Conséquence, la côte des artistes grimpe en flèche. S’il n’existe pas encore de Jeff Koons ou d’Anish Kapoor turcs, certains créateurs sont devenus vraiment « bankables ».

Comme Buhran Dogançay, dont la toile Symphonie bleue s’est vendue à 1,2 million de dollars en 2010, Erol Akyavas ou encore Sarkis Zabunyan.

After Paris, Lyons and Marseilles, Mama Istanbul is the fourth-born of a family of urban globetrotters…

“For the Mama tribe, settling in Istanbul came naturally. We wanted to create a place that reflected who we are”, explains Jérémie Trigano.

The fusion with the Orient was unavoidable for him: he has been living on the banks of the Bosphorus for over ten years.

Trigano is in love with the city: he knows every street, every house, every façade and of course every café. He chose Beyoglu a very authentic neighborhood, to settle the Mama Shelter – an area famous for its 19th century atmosphere, its squares, shops and restaurants where generations of Istanbul people come together at any time.

This new Mama Shelter was bound to reflect the city’s cosmopolitanism. With a touch of the bazar, it is a joyous melting pot of civilizations, cultures and styles.

The hotel’s eclectic design was created by Philippe Starck. The perfect place to chill and unwind, the Mama Shelter is also a place of life.

You can meet your friends in a buzzing party atmosphere to have a drink, chat away and relish in the kitchen’s delicious Mediterranean cuisine.

The menu, designed by Alain Senderens and Jérôme Banctel, is a subtle mix of Turkish and French cuisine.

Surrounded by long tables for the guests, the bar is the must-go spot.

For more privacy, try the sofas or the hotel’s panoramic terrace: it is perfect for daydreaming and meditating, and offers one of the most beautiful views of the city.

Hotel Mama Shelter
Adress: Mehmet Akif Ersoy
Mh., Ş. Hüseyin Ay Sk No:50,
34421 Istanbul
Phone: +90 212 252 0100

At the Mama Shelter you will find:

- 81 rooms including 3 Big Mama and 4 Mama Family Garden
(from 69€ to 179€)
- Live music every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night
- Debates, readings with philosophers, poets, politicians
- The famous Mama brunch, served every Sunday from 12 to 4pm
- An incredible Turkish coffee, from 7am to 7pm

Treat yourself to an open air spa: all around Europe, ancient volcanic, je n'ai pas les textes !

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In the thermal pools of Pamukkale, located in the province of Denizli in South-West Turkey, you can unwind in the smoking waters of a natural pool while contemplating Roman ruins, in the middle of mindblowing, moon-like landscapes.

This volcanic site has been welcoming travellers in search of well-being for millennia: the Greeks and the Romans were fond of the site’s volcanic waters, that were famous for their healing properties. The town, once called Herapolis, remains a major archeological site where you can visit antique baths. The spring’s water has a high concentration of lime and it

has deposited onto the hills of the site, forming a rock called travertine that built surreal-looking pools, terraces and hills, reminiscent of a blindingly white fortress.

You can visit the site in a one-day excursion from Izmir or Istanbul, to enjoy the pools’ curative benefits. Don’t forget to take off your shoes when you visit the basins, whose temperature ranges from 35 to 100°C: the travertine chimneys are very fragile.

Above the terraces, you will be able to enjoy the site’s thermal waters in a paying spa-swimming pool that also offers personalized spa treatments.

Imagine natural pools of black rock with crystal-clear waters, brushed by the waves of the Atlantic surf.

Near the village of Porto Muniz at the foot of the mountains, the lava from ancient volcanic eruptions cooled down when reaching the sea, forming salt water pools that are just ideal for a swim: a magical place where you can unwind from pool to pool while contemplating the mountains and sea horizon.

After an invigorating swim you will be able to enjoy a spa using black volcanic sands - the sands of the island are rich in strontium, a mineral which is known for healing rheumatisms.

Football player Cristiano Ronaldo, a native of Madeira, is said to use the sand’s healing power to treat sports injuries.

The island offers plenty of hot water springs for visitors, which can be reached by road or after a few hours’ walk. After a trek in the island’s green hills, you can reach a true oasis of well-being : Caldeira Velha is a hot spring whose iron-rich waters drop from a waterfall into a small lake.

The water is at around 33 degrees celsius : just perfect for a stimulating massage in the middle of rust-colored rocks and lush vegetation.

An association celebrating swimming in ice-cold water: this could only exist in England!

Founded in 2006, the Outdoor Swimming Society or OSS was created by a group of fans of refreshing swims in the country’s lakes, rivers and ponds. The association has branched out everywhere in Europe.

Its mission: to share the revitalizing joys of swimming in the outdoors and in any season. The OSS manifesto reads:

“We believe it's time to get back to the joy of swimming under an open sky. We embrace the rejuvenating effects of cold water and undertake to strip and dip wherever we can.”

According to studies carried out by the NASA over a 12 week period, immersion in cold water brings about benefits that include a reduction in cholesterol and blood pressure, a reduction in the risk of blood clots and an increase in fertility and libido… all the opposite of a cold shower!

So just dip in, and enjoy the health-boosting effect of a spa all year round.

the spa culture, a practice that defies time.

Who hasn’t at least once bought one of Ikea’s iconic blond pinewood shelves?

The shelves made the reputation and fortune of the Swedish giant, who is now taking a green turn.

By 2020, all of Ikea’s shops, warehouses and factories will be equipped with solar panels, use sustainable energy and offer energy-efficient products. T

he company also pledged to plant more trees than it uses.

Until then, you can go green with the Stockholm line using bamboo and wool, in every shade of green.

Companies with a polluting activity can sometimes also invest in the good of the planet.

Last summer, a giant advertising tarpaulin was taken down from Paris Orly airport. Rather than throwing it away, the air travel company decided to recycle it into 9 cabin bags, 23 business bags and 30 travel companions under the brand Bilum.

The bags are made by disabled people. Since then, the company has also produced pencil cases for children made from recycled life jackets.

Between India and Africa, Moheli Island is the jewel of the Comores. On this land of plenty grows one of the most precious flowers in the world, whose fragrance lends an exotic aroma to many perfumes: ylang-ylang. The flower is hand picked at dawn, always by women, who then delicately separate its petals. Not long ago, its most beautiful variety was threatened with extinction.

Thanks to an ecological garden partnership between Givaudan and perfume-makers Diptyque, the flower is thriving again. It expresses its beauty and fragility in an addictive fragrance: Moheli by Dyptique.

In 2006, the Californian Blake Mycoskie is in Argentina and sees that disadvantaged children are walking barefoot.

Back in the US, he creates Toms, a line of ultra-casual shoes, with the One-for-One program: for each pair purchased, one pair is offered to a disadvantaged child.

Today, Toms has created a buzz and the shoes have become it-items: this summer, Toms shoes are a must-have.

“If I were to be solemn, I would say that I have found my landscape, my true home. If I were to be joyous, I would talk about love at first sight”, Ingmar Bergman wrote.

Welcome to Farö, a small island of 608 inhabitants. This is a place of quiet and peace, where nature reigns supreme on the plains of grass. This extraordinary scenery has been an inspiration to the Swedish filmmaker, who lives in Farö and has created his greatest masterpieces there: Through a Glass Darkly (1960), Persona (1966), Hour of the Wolf (1968), Shame (1968), The Passion of Anna (1969)…

Many scenes from Scenes from a Marriage (1973) were shot there, and Fanny and Alexander (1982) was edited in Farö.

This piece of land scattered with watermills is also home to the director’s production company.

Every year in the first days of summer, the Swedes get together to celebrate their greatest film-maker with screenings, lectures and visits in this inspiring setting.

Imagine the North coast of Corwall… Its wild plains, its tumultuous sea, its screaming tempests…

For an even more radical travel experience, try the Newquay Scarlet, a totally green hotel. The building is made of FSC wood, as is its furniture.

The wools and rugs are recyclable, and the swimming pool is heated by solar panels. Used waters are recycled, and so are all the plastics, papers and candle wax! To complete this atmosphere of well-being, the hotel offers a spa and a restaurant with a “slow food” menu.

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