The new volume of YILLIK: Annual of Istanbul Studies is
released, after major additions to its advisory and editorial boards. YILLIK 5 (2023) opens
with a peer-reviewed dossier, co-edited by one of new subject editors, Ümit
Fırat Açıkgöz, together with Yaşar Tolga Cora, on Armenian agencies in
Istanbul’s capitalistic transformation in the nineteenth and early twentieth
centuries. The dossier begins with a detailed historiographical introduction by
Açıkgöz, and includes three research articles by Cora, Aslıhan Günhan, and
Sarine Agopian, the latter of whom was awarded our Early Career Article Prize.
In addition to the special dossier, there are four research articles that
examine Istanbul’s architectural, cultural, energy, and economic histories from
the fourteenth to the nineteenth centuries, by Selin Sur-Ufuk Serin, Gürbey
Hiz-Ayşe Şentürer, Kazuma Iwata, and Hande Betül Ünal. Cabinet presents three
anonymous panoramic views of Istanbul from the early nineteenth century. These
paintings were recently added to the Suna and İnan Kıraç Foundation Orientalist
Paintings Collection and are currently on display in Pera Museum’s On the Spot: Panoramic Gaze on
Istanbul, a History exhibition. Meclis features Emre
Güldoğan’s report on the İstYA archaeological field survey in Şile. The Reviews
section begins with a featured review of Yannis Stouraitis’ 2022 edited volume
Identities and Ideologies in the Medieval
East Roman World, by Anthony Kaldellis. It continues with
essays on seven books and one exhibition. As always, the journal concludes with
the most recent edition of the Istanbul Bibliography.
Suna’nın Kızları Holds Its Ninth Major Community Gathering
At the 9th Major Community Gathering, the Suna’nın Kızları communities came together to review the past year’s outcomes and align on project plans for 2026. Participants explored new ideas and collaboration opportunities on how the model and programs co-developed with 33 civil society organizations over the past four years can further support and reinforce one another.
Guided Exhibition Tours for The Photography Studio of an Adventurous Architect at the Istanbul Research Institute
The Istanbul Research Institute continues to offer free guided tours of the exhibition The Photography Studio of an Adventurous Architect: Arif Hikmet Koyunoğlu 1893–1982, which sheds light on the life of one of the most unconventional architects of his time, spanning the late Ottoman and early Republican periods.
The catalogue Extraordinary Minas: The Story of Inspiration and Innovation in Kütahya Tiles and Ceramics examines the efforts of Kütahya masters in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to revive the disappearing craftsmanship of tile-making by focusing on a master and a group of his work, by presenting objects from the Suna and İnan Kıraç Foundation Kütahya Tiles and Ceramics Collection.