Turkish British Magazine, English Edition, N° 5 / NOVEMBER 2019

N° 5 / NOVEMBER 2019

ENGLISH VERSION

TBMAG.CO.UK

TurkishBritish A magazine for Turkish and British Business People

NEWS

BUSINESS

MARKETING

CITY & LIFE

Thomas Cook‘s bankruptcy affected the World

The 10th Turkey-UK Business Forum was held

Digital marketing is reshaped with artifi cial intelligence!

Turkish fashion designers on stage at London Fashion Week

General election to be held on December 12 as MPs vote to break Brexit paralysis European Union extends Brexit deadline to January 31, 2020

Top Investment:

Buying a House in the UK • Advantages and Risks • Mortgage Options • Booming Areas

Interview: Elif Shafak; “Roots are plural, not singular!”

DEIK Turkey - UK Business Council’s panel on Brexit

Mobile Game Recontact: More exciting with Ross Mullan in London #TurkishBritishMag

Products and services are subject to change depending on flight duration and aircraft.

WELCOME TO A JOURNEY OF TASTE Enjoy your comfortable flight with a great variety of exquisite refreshments.

From the Editor Dear readers, Welcome back to this new issue of Turkish British magazine. As we stated in our outward manifest, our magazine works at building a solid bridge between Turkey and England.

We see that the magazine has earned followers and admiration both from Turkey and the UK. We are also excited about the increasing online reading and downloading rates after each issue; this shows us that we are on the right track.

We continue to pursue our mission of making the business world visible in the two countries. Meanwhile, we were invited as a media organization to very important events in both countries and undertook the media sponsorship of various events by bringing together business people from both countries.

We have followed up many events for you and brought them to our pages. We are also pleased to learn from your comments that our unique and updated news contents highlight the agenda of our community in the country.

What’s in our new issue?

Dear readers, Turkish British has once again prepared a special content for you this month. In our new issue, our cover focuses on; buying real estate from the UK, which has recently drawn attention as an attractive investment alternative.

We prepared a detailed guide for potential buyers and investors. How to buy a house in the UK, which areas are booming, which areas are valuable, mortgage options, government schemes, new housing projects, insights into the post-Brexit real estate market and the opinions of experienced experts are all in our special guide.

We also obtained interesting information while doing research to prepare the cover article. For example; according to offi cial fi gures, about 300,000 Londoners are moving to a new city or rural areas each year. It seems that people are leaving London on the one hand, and new people are replacing those who have left London. The cities around London are quite attractive right now. Because people can live in neighbouring cities that are within easy reach, in more affordable budgets than in London, but in larger houses. They don’t have to quit their jobs.

We had a unique interview with the writer Elif Shafak, who has been living in London for a long time and who is an immigrant.

Zehra Aydın, who describes herself as a “beginner Londoner, wrote about Hampstead for those who would like to have a pleasant day out.

Thank you again for help us growing through your support.

Enjoy your reading…

Stay tuned, Ayla Torun, PhD Chief Editor

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IN TURKISH BRITISH THIS MONTH

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Publisher

Afiş İletişim I Doruk Ltd. - UK.

Editor-in-Chief

Ayla Torun Ph.D, aylatorun@tbmag.co.uk

Publication Coordinator

Fevzi Kemal Torun, fevzi@tbmag.co.uk

News and Content Coordinator

Kevser Devecioğlu, kevser@tbmag.co.uk

Editors

Leyla Sali Janine Rahşan Gül Özge Gözke Ebru Atlan Tecirlioğlu editor@tbmag.co.uk

Contributors in this Issue Barış Çimen Doruktan Türker E. Nida Dincturk Leyla Karakoç Murat Buyurgan Taylan Durmuş M. Yusuf Çoban Ozan Dağdeviren Zehra Aydın

05 From Turkish British

STATISTICS 10 United Kingdom in Numbers

AT A GLANCE 12 General election set for December 12 as MPs vote to break Brexit paralysis 14 British tourism giant Thomas Cook’s bankruptcy affected the world 16 Hope for the Ankara Agreement case at the UK the Court of Appeal 18 A Turk to be featured in the British Royal Palace‘s advert

Advertising and Marketing Özge Gözke: Taylan Durmuş: Sıla Türkpencesi:

FROM THE EDITOR

+44 7379 833484 +44 7500 668914 +90 532 733 32 77

advertising@tbmag.co.uk

Legal Advisors

Hakan Lamper, Ecem Gündüz, Umut Gündüz

“Let London think now” The ophthalmologist comes to you!

20 TurkishBank UK brings together UK banks and fntechs 22 The Post Brexit British – Turkish relationship was discussed in London

Translations

Ali Yildirim, Aysegul Bogrun, Ebru Sener, Evrim Ekiztaş, M. Yusuf Çoban, Leyla Sali Janine,Taylan Durmus

Design and Implementation AFS Communication & Media afscomms.com

Contact

UK Tel: +44 20 8870 0565 +44 74 7117 9662 +44 74 9322 9001 TR Tel: +90 850 355 50 44 e-mail: contact@tbmag.co.uk tbmag.co.uk turkishbritishmag 6

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TurkishBritish

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IN TURKISH BRITISH THIS MONTH COVER

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

24 Buying a House in the UK • Advantages and risks • Mortgage opportunities • Booming areas

INTERVIEW 36 Elif Shafak; “Roots are plural, not singular!”

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53 4 lessons I learned in 4 years as an entrepreneur

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY 56 Born in Istanbul, encapsulated the World 58 Digital marketing is reshaped with artificial intelligence!

E-COMMERCE 60 Getting started with Amazon FBA Online

EDUCATION 62 First rule in language education: Choosing the right school

BUSINESS WOMEN NETWORK 64 A photograph of flavor 66 She designs new products before they become trends!

BUSINESS WORLD 40 UK - Turkey Business Forum held in Istanbul 42 Panel on Brexit by DEIK’s Turkey - UK Business Council 44 “Turkey will reach 45 million tourists”

BUSINESS EVENTS 46 Turkey to be featured at the WTM Tourism Fair

CITY AND LIFE GOURMET 68 The modern face of Turkish Cuisine

FASHION 72 Turkish fashion designers on stage at London Fashion Week

47 London Build Expo 2019

LONDON

48 Infrastructure investment opportunities in Turkey!

CULTURE & ART

49 I Meet Hotel begins its 2020 European tour 50 Uzakrota Travel Summit Istanbul 52 International Medical Travel Show Dubai 2020

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67 Crisp Studio brings style to the table

76 A local experience: Hampstead 78 The gates of history reopened 79 Osman Hamdi Bey’s ‘Koranic Instruction’ sold for £4.6 mln Turkey’s first photorealist painter, Nur Koçak’s Works in SALT.

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We are proud to be part of this growth by supporting you as your trusted chartered accountants and tax advisers.

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STATISTICS

United Kingdom in Numbers We know that long columns written with fancy words are sometimes boring. So, let’s travel to the heart of UK with short facts:

38.000

320

There are more than 38,000 schools in the UK. In public schools there is an average of 20 students per teachers.

With 23 escalator steps, the Waterloo station is the station with the most escalators.

Hampstead Station is the station with the most escalator handrails.

1871

1911

1485

Considered the national dish of UK, the first fish and chips establishment was opened in 1871 by a Jewish immigrant.

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The first escalator on the London Underground was built in 1911 at Earl’s Court Station.

Killed in 1485 on the battlefield King Richard III’s skeleton were found buried in 2013 in a park in Leicester.

TurkishBritish

113 km

4.4 million

Nowhere in the UK is more than 113 kilometres from the coast.

70.000

On August 3 2012, during the Olympic Games, the London Underground had its busiest day ever, with 4.4 million passengers

38 minutes

150 million

There are around 70,000 football teams in the UK and about 750,000 licensed football players.

The world’s shortest war took place in 1896 between England and Zanzibar.

The number of English speakers in Nigeria is higher than in the UK.

96%

50%

95%

In UK, Cars are parked 96 percent of the time.

Approximately 50% of adults in the UK have not taken basic mathematics courses.

School in UK is compulsory between the ages of five and sixteen. 95% of students receive free education in public schools.

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AT A GLANCE

General election set for December 12 as Brexit was granted delay until 31 January!

Unable to break the Brexit impasse, the United Kingdom is facing a tense election period. The elections are supposed to be held every five years.

But supposed to be held every five years. But this would be the third since 2015.

January 2020,” said Donald Tusk, President of the Council of Europe. British Prime Minister Johnson said the EU had made it clear that an adjournment beyond 31 January would no longer be possible.

The departure of Britain from the EU was blocked twice when Theresa May was still prime minister. Three and a half years have elapsed since referendum on Brexit in which British voters opted to take their country out of the EU by a 52% to 48% vote, but the stalemate is still not over.

T

he European Union (EU) agreed to postpone Britain’s departure from the union for three months. The deep uncertainty around Brexit continued until Britain remained only a few days until 31 October, the official departure date for the EU. Although UK politicians still have not reached a consensus on how, when, and even if the separation will take place, the EU has agreed to give another adjournment.

With these 3 postponements, the EU has somehow prevented Brexit from negotiating a possible agreement on 31 October. This time, however, there is a flexible postponement. In other words, if the British Parliament approves Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal with the EU, the separation could be implemented sooner. Britain may leave the EU on 1 December 2019 or 1 January 2020, provided it has ratified the withdrawal agreement.

Johnson, who was Prime Minister three months ago, promising to bring Brexit to life on October 31 at any cost, was forced to ask the EU to postpone this date because of a legislative act.

The other 27 EU Member States have agreed to postpone Brexit until the end of January.

“The EU27 has decided to accept Britain’s request for 27 flexible adjournments until 31 12

General election set for December 12 as MPs vote to break Brexit paralysis After a flextension to postpone Brexit until 31 January and a decision to take elections on 12 December, MPs backed Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s proposal for early elections on 12 December. Johnson’s request for early elections on 12 December was rejected by Parliament on October 28th. He needed two-thirds of the deputies (434) to support his call for an early vote. It was Johnson’s third defeat in early elections. However, the Conservative Party’s motion for an early general election on 12 December was approved by 20 votes to 438 in the second vote on October 29 in the House of Commons, the lower wing of the British parliament.

Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s announcement that he would support early elections was instrumental in passing the bill. Corbyn announced that it would now support early elections as the EU extended the deadline in London, allowing the possibility of leaving the EU uncompromising. Although polls indicate that Prime Minister Johnson’s conservative party will triumph over Labour Party, the prospect of a new government is not as divided as it is now. This will be the first election in England since Christmas 1923.

TurkishBritish

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AT A GLANCE

British tourism giant Thomas Cook’s bankruptcy affected the world Following the announcement of the bankruptcy of the British giant Thomas Cook, the German subsidiary Thomas Cook GmbH also declared insolvency. An operation intending to bring home thousands of tourists was launched.

A Bankruptcy also reported in Thomas Cook’s German subsidiary

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homas Cook, the 178 years old world’s largest travel company went bust. With the bankruptcy of the tour operator, 22,000 people risk losing their jobs, including 9,000 in the UK. Around 600,000 Thomas Cook customers, 150,000 of whom are British, have been left stranded after the giant company announced that it had ceased trading.

Following the official announcement of the bankruptcy by the British company, which had financial problems, one of the biggest peacetime repatriation was launched to bring home thousands of British citizens stranded in many countries, including Turkey. The operation called “Operation Matterhorn” aims to bring back more than 150,000 British holidaymakers.

Following the bankruptcy, the British government ordered an investigation into the role of Thomas Cook Group management in the collapse of the famous tour operator.British media, reported that Thomas Cook bosses have been paid and received £20m in bonuses in the past five years.

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After the announcement of the bankruptcy of the British tour operator Thomas Cook, Thomas Cook GmbH, a subsidiary in Germany, also filed for bankruptcy. Stefanie Berk, Chairman of Thomas Cook GmbH, said in a statement that they were forced to take the legal step , since no short-term solution could be reached in the negotiations. In a statement by Thomas Cook GmbH, Neckermann, Öger Tur, Air Marin and Bucher Reisen announced that they are in talks with the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs and travel insurance companies to repatriate the 140,000 holidaymakers.

20 thousand British returned Following the announcement of the bankruptcy of British tour operator Thomas Cook, the repatriation operation that was launched successfully continues. Its company located in the city Antalya in Turkey announced that 20 thousand British total 40 thousand tourists are back to the UK. The other 20 thousand tourists will return to their countries after the end of their holidays. With the bankruptcy of Thomas Cook, a significant gap has emerged in the tourism sector. Travel and tourism agencies in the countries where the company goes have begun planning for upcoming months.

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AT A GLANCE

Hope for the Ankara Agreement case at the UK the Court of Appeal The lawsuit filed against the amendment of the conditions of permanent residence of Turkish entrepreneurs in the Ankara Agreement and its retrospective application which our magazine is following, was moved to the Court of Appeal.

T

he amendment of the conditions of permanent residence of Turkish entrepreneurs and its retrospective application under the Ankara Agreement with the UK Ministry of the Interior has been on the agenda of the United Kingdom for more than two years.

The public trial that our magazine has been following since the first day was brought before the Court of Appeal for a new examination on the grounds that it had caused harms to Turkish businesspeople. The legal battle to appeal against the amendments adopted in March 2018 concern about 10,000 Turkish citizens.

In March, the British Supreme Court rejected an appeal by Turkish citizens who objected to a retrospective amendment to the permanent settlement conditions.

In June and July 2018, new rules were published. After the objections and the judicial struggle, the case was sent back for re-examination by the Court of Appeal.

The appeal case against the Home Office will be held on 26 March 2020 at the Court of Appeal.

“We expect a fair and lawful decision” Yaşar Doğan of Redstone Solicitors who’s representing Turkish citizens since the beginning of the legal struggle, made the following statement after the court decided to re-examine the case: “Our appeal to the Court of Appeal of March 2019 is awaiting the court’s final decision. The Court of Appeal of England gave leave to appeal and paved the way for a re-examination of the case. The judge who gave the decision, found the case worth reviewing thus approved the appeal to the Court of Appeal and said the policy change made by the Home Office had negative effects on a large number of Turkish business people. The granting of a leave means that the case will be re-examined by the Court of Appeal and resolved. We will now wait for a date to be fixed for the substantive hearing.”

Doğan stated that the parties would make their defense after the trial date will be fixed and said, “We hope; the unfair decision of the Supreme Court will be replaced by a Court of Appeal that will take a fair and lawful decision that will relieve us.“

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AT A GLANCE

A Turk to be featured in the British Royal Palace‘s advert

“Let London think now!”

Gülper Özdemir, one of the stars of the TV series entitled ‘Sen Anlat Karadeniz’, made the British fall under her charm with a role she played in an advertisement in London. The young actress took part in an advertisement for apartment sales of Regent Crescent Palace, owned by the British Royal Family. Özdemir stated that she participated in this advertisement thanks to her links abroad and said, “The advertisement fi lm was very much appreciated.

I got very good comments. These beautiful and valuable comments motivated me even more. My work abroad will continue.”

The renowned international operator, Nusret Gokce, is adding a new restaurant to its chain of steakhouse. Nusret‘s new restaurant opens its doors in London, in the heart of UK. Nusret Gökçe, which has become a global phenomenon with salt-sprinkling move, is now opening a restaurant in London, after New York, Doha, Miami, Abu Dhabi, Mykonos and Dubai.

Nusret examined the on-site construction work at the London restaurant. The famous operator who shared the images of the works of his new restaurant on his Instagram account did not neglect to add the note “Let London think now”. Nusr-Et Steakhouse will open its doors at Park Tower Knightsbridge Hotel in December 2019 and meet Londoners.

Ophthalmologist comes to you!

Jacob & Joe combines the fi nest models with the latest technology in their glasses and offers their customers the opportunity to be examined wherever they want with their exclusive optical service.

Jacob & Joe recently hosted a stunning event at Mayfair’s prestigious Athenaeum Hotel. Celebrities have shown great interest in the event where Jacob & Joe announced it would begin to provide a “exclusive optical service”.

Press Release

Attended by Camilla Rutherford and Liz Brewer, the event was a hive of attendees including celebrities, infl uencers and industry experts who learned about Jacob & Joe’s exclusive optical service. Eye examinations are brought to customers’ offi ces, homes, hotel or anywhere they may be… Guests were able to try the most fashionable eyewear; Jacob & Joe’s luxury optical service brings a personal and professional service to men and women whose time is their most precious resource.

Using the latest technologies added to a selection over a hundred of designer models to produce a variety of high quality optical glasses and sunglasses, Jacob & Joe provides luxury and clinical expertise at your convenience, with no compromise in quality.

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Jacob & Joe hosted a stunning event at Mayfair’s prestigious Athenaeum Hotel this week to celebrate the launch of their luxury optical concierge service, an industry first.

Attended by Camilla Rutherford and Liz Brewer, the floor was buzzing with high profile

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AT A GLANCE

TurkishBank UK hosted banks and fintechs The world of finance has shown a keen interest in the meeting in which TurkishBank UK, operating in London for 45 years, has brought together Turkish and global financial institutions as well as Fintechs.

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IBOS, the largest financial organization in the world, was hosted in London for the first time this year at a meeting organized by TurkishBank UK that brought together Turkish and global financial institutions as well as Fintechs.

On the terrace of the TurkishBank UK branch in the Mayfair district, in the heart of London, distinguished participants discussed the future of the financial world. During the meeting, the participants had the opportunity to make many contacts in a short time. The meeting began at 18:00 and continued until 23:00 with intense interest.

TurkishBank UK prepares to guide Fintechs After the great interest in the invitation, Hakan Börteçene, Chairman of the Board of TurkishBank UK, said: “This great interest gives us the duty to act as guide for the Turkish Fintechs in London, and the message that Global Fintechs expect us to have the same duty in the Turkish market. I believe that the Fintech centers that we intend to open first in Turkey and then in London will be very useful for this purpose.”

TurkishBank UK is a member of an 118-year-old Group operating in the banking sector in 3 countries including Turkey, Cyprus, and the UK. The Bank that has been carrying out its activities in London for 45 years primarily offers banking services to Turkish society. TurkishBank UK, whose mission is to serve the Turkish-speaking community, has seven branches in London.

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A GLANCE

The Post Brexit British – Turkish relationship was discussed in London As Britain and EU come closer to separation, the way Turkish – British relations will evolved after Brexit has been discussed at the meeting organised by the European Turkish Brands Association (ATMB).

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urkey’s London Trade Principal Consultants Tarık Sönmez and H. Murat Özsoy attended the “ Pre and Post Brexit Turkish-British Trade Relations and Brexit’s effect on our Trade Activities in the UK” meeting held at the IOD Business Centre in London City Center. In his presentation Tarık Sönmez, mentioned the possible relationship between Turkey and Britain after Brexit. The network event was attended by ATMB Chairman Cafer Mahiroğlu, Board Members Ahmet Ferruh Öncü, Vehbi Keleş, Zeynep Turudi, Mustafa Köker, Turkish British Chamber of Commerce and Industry Director Yavuz Sökmen and representatives of the business world from various sectors Turkey’s always showed interest in the topic In his comprehensive presentation; Turkey’s Trade Principal Consultant Tarık Sönmez drew the path of the trade relations between Britain and Turkey after Brexit.

Sönmez who stated that Turkey immediately established contact with the UK and always kept this issue on the agenda at technical com-

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mittee, ministerial and prime ministerial level, underlined the fact that not much progress was made due to Turkey being an member of the customs union.

ATMB vice chairman Zeynep Turudi and Brand Expert Dr. H. Hakan informed the participants of the network event on the applications UK was preparing to implement after Brexit.

Zeynep Turudi gave a visual display of the new regulations prepared by the British institutions and advised on which institutions to be applied to for obtaining information on customs and tax regulations.

The event ended with the participants meet and greet part.

An investment with high potential for rental yield, located in West London, home to 200 international companies and 20.000 personnel.

ONE LONDON PROPERTY GROUP

• Very close to the headquarters of Samsung, Dell, Sky, Audi.

• High demand for rental due to close proximity to many international companies and work places.

• 1 minutes away from Kew Bridge station, 10 minutes away from Gunnesbury station (District Line) • Very close to popular areas such as Kew Gardens, Chiswick and Richmond.

• Around the clock services, Gym and a movie theater.

• Project completion in 2022 • Rental yield expectation 4.75% • High potential of rise in value • Investment opportunities starting from £ 399.000 1 Bedroom Flats £ 399.000 2 Bedroom Flats £ 610.000 3 Bedroom Flats £ 860.000 Exemplary payment plan • 5% - When an agreement is reached • 5% - 12 months after the agreement • 90% on 2022, upon project delivery

ONE LONDON PROPERTY GROUP Berkeley Square House, Berkeley Square London, Brc W1J 6BD U.K. Emre Belge Managing Director emre.belge@onelondonpg.com T: +44 20 3393 1888 M:+44 7841 762124

www.onelondonpg.com

COVER

The most favourite investment: Buying Property in the UK Buying property in the United Kingdom, particularly in London has been one of the most rewarding investment alternatives for both locals and the investors in the US, Asia and Europe in recent years. The property market, especially in London has been quite active with the increased mortgage options, government schemes, new housing projects and the declining property prices because of Brexit and the slowing of the economy.

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he newly-built residences in London, property ads in newspapers and on internet, mortgage publicity of banks and free assessment interviews are under the close-marking of the property investors in the UK and all around the world.

Figures verify buoyancy of the property industry in the United Kingdom. According to the data of UK Finance for the second quarter of this year, the number of new mortgage agreements made with the first-time buyers of property in London for the first time is 9,960. The data for July 2019 show a 5.5 percent rise in mortgage demand of the investors who want to rent out property, compared to the last year and that 5,800 agreements were made with them. “Help-to-Buy (Equity Loan)� scheme provided by government for the first-time buyers of property, and the inviting mortgage choices of banks always keep demands buoyant.

Demand for property in London has gone up continuously for the three-year period following Brexit Referendum. The potential buyers of property who want to benefit from the additional incentives have taken action to complete their purchasing transactions prior to Brexit.

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Property companies speeded up their investments Sales figures of construction companies prove the outcome of this mobility perceptibly as well. According to the figures announced by one of the largest British construction companies, Baratt, they sold 17,856 new houses across the country and made a profit of 910 million pounds in the previous year. The latest data of National House Building Council indicate that applications of the construction companies made for building of new housing peaked within the last 12 years.

One of London’s largest property investment companies, The Galliard Group currently performs 6,905 housing construction projects In

London the sum of which is worth 3.95 billion pounds. The group that plans the construction of 10,000 houses as well offers the opportunity of state’s “Help-to Buy” contribution in its several projects. The developing regions of London which will be popular in future attract investment of the company. Besides, it encourages potential buyers to invest in the property for renting out.

The newly-built residences in numerous regions such as Streatham, Clapham, Balham, Wimbledon and Greenwich which have easy access to city, and within the settlements in the north such as, Paddington, Islington and Shoreditch show up consistently as the evidence of property investments and buying expectations.

“In the last five years, 85,000 Turks purchased property in London”

Neşe Jenkins

Property is a quite attractive investment option for the Turkish residents in the United Kingdom. There is no restriction to buy house for the Turkish citizens in the country, including the parties of Ankara Agreement. However, buying a house does not provide residence permit. CEO of Allytta Real Estate Investments, Neşe Jenkins pointed out that Turkish 25

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TIPS FOR BUYING PROFITABLE PROPERTY

people show interest in London quite increasingly in recent years. “We don’t know the exact number of the Turkish house buyers in London; but our researches indicate that 85,000 Turkish people purchased a house in London in the last fi ve years,” said Neşe Jenkins. She mentioned 400 percent rise in the number of Turkish investors who contacted their company for the commercial investments above 10 million pounds as of 2019.

Despite the expensiveness in London, economic and cultural dynamics of the city hypnotize a lot of buyers, including Turkish citizens with respect to long-term investment. The new railway routes to other regions from London which hosts 4.5 million tourists per year, offer the opportunity to buy affordable house by making no concessions to urban facilities.

Buying property in the United Kingdom, particularly in London is a pretty profi table investment. Nevertheless, such profi t requires purchasing the most suitable house with the ideal buying method at the right time fi nancially. In our publishing where we touch on all aspects of investing in property in the United Kingdom, specialists of the industry provided detailed information on: various alternatives for owning a property, signifi cant points to be considered in selection of property, mortgage facilities and legal processes for Turkish citizens, Brexit and future designs in the property market. Do not buy house before reading our article!

“No Condition of Residence Permit for Turks to Buy Property in London”

Buy Property in London TurkishBank UK offers mortgage service to the Turkish citizens who reside in United Kingdom and would like to purchase property. Residence permit is not required to benefi t from the service. The evaluation process following application lasts at least 3 months. It should be noted that minimum mortgage term is 2 to 3 months after property purchase agreement is signed with the landowner.

The Turkish citizens without residence permit in the United Kingdom should open an account at TurkishBank UK to use the mortgage opportunities of TurkishBank. Experts of the bank inform customers about different mortgage packages in the following process and ensure selection of the ideal package. Lastly, the applicant collect the necessary documents for mortgage and submit them to bank. These documents contain information regarding savings of the potential buyer, his/her bills of account, salary information, and his/her stocks or company partnerships if any, and other income documents which exhibit fi nancial status.

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Ethem Berk Türköver

The right time to buy a house!

One of the questions asked by the investors who decided to invest in the United Kingdom is “When to buy the property?” The industrial representatives underline that the lack of confi dence in economy of the island where Brexit is the main agenda topic, is short-term: “We observe the remarkable downward trend in the sale princes of property in environment of uncertainty generated by Brexit. As banks still offer the opportunity of long term and low interest loan, using savings for buying a house is rational. Such environment involves appropriate conditions particularly for tenants to invest in property,” said the Head of Retail & Personal Banking in İşbank London Branch, Ethem Berk Türköver. He states that prices of property will not increase as long as the environment of uncertainty insists.

TurkishBritish market with data suggesting 4 out of 5 property investors based in Hong Kong, Dubai and the UK are still investing in British real estate.

Moreover, the cost of buying UK property has fallen for overseas investors due to the devaluation of the pound. Such condition encourages those investors,” said he.

Kerem Yavuzarslan

“London property market is currently a Buyers’ Market”

Director of KATRIN Properties and President of ABTIC – Association of British-Turkish Investment and Construction, Kerem Yavuzarslan spoke of the property industry as the safest investment alternative in mid-term and long term. Yavuzarslan remarked that the Turkish citizens with savings should welcome the opportunity given by the active property market in the UK. Emre Belge

Huseyin E. Huseyin

Huseyin E. Huseyin, Senior Partner of Bowling & Co Solicitors which has rendered the British and international investors legal counselling services about trading property for over 60 years in London, specifi ed that a growing number of investors take action and contact them with the intention to invest in British property and there are numerous Turks among them. Hüseyin added that capital return of property is quite satisfactory if investors select the right property and work with the expert people in the industry.

“Investors need to be aware of the UK property market conditions to obtain maximum benefi t from their investment. Although the Brexit vote has reduced consumer confi dence in the UK, property market prices rise steadily in some regions and properties are usually popular. A recent research indicates that Britain is still an attractive property investment

General Manager of One London Property Group, Emre Belge highlighted the downward trend of the UK property market which peaked in 2014, owing to Brexit and change in the stamp duty. “The property market has gained a sound equilibrium and brings along nice opportunities to buy. “House prices in London have been balanced since 2014 after a fall of 10-15%,” said Belge.

Belge went on the reasons which make purchasing property in the UK advantageous: “Brexit provided an advantage of about 15% especially for the investors whose main income are in USD or EUR, except Pound. GBP/ USD parity which was 1.45 on the referendum date declined to 1.18 and is currently 1.23.

From this aspect, the biggest investors of the UK property market are from the US and Europe this year whereas the market was dominated by the Asian investors last year.”

Emre Belge urged on the other opportunities brought by the property market which has slowed down. Furthermore, he stated that the construction companies with unsold properties offer potential buyers discounts at high rates. Belge talked that their company follows particularly such stocks and seize the chance of discounts at high rates.

Emre Belge kept speaking about the reasons 27

uuu which make purchasing property in the UK advantageous: “Interest rates of the Bank of England set based on the monetary policy correspond to 0.75% and the economy slowed down under the effect of Brexit, so interest increase is not envisaged for a while. Thus, the above points present an advantageous period to investors. That’s why we regard London property market as a ‘Buyers’ Market’. In other words, buyers have more bargaining power nowadays. We think that an investor who invest in the UK property market in the near future will earn signifi cant profi t when he sells his property at the end of fi ve years.”

One London Property Group at the helm of Emre Belge gives support to its customers during their whole buying process which contain houses and commercial properties.

East London and new metro line are the favourite regions The second most important question posed by the potential buyers of house covers location of the house… Regions such as East London, surrounding of London River in Greenwich, Thamesmead & Abbey Wood, Bank Side, Waterloo and Southall come to the fore in “Opportunity Areas” study of London Municipality. Even though the properties in Southeast London, particularly centre of London are generally preferred for buying, their yield is low because of being in expensive regions. Forecasts of the industrial representatives about London and the other regions are similar to below:

• East London: East London offers lower prices, so higher yield. Islington, and North London which contains the upper area lead the way as the regions open to development. Newham, Barking and Dagenham districts are prominent with affordable prices.

• Kingston Upon Thames and Southwest London: Richmond, Kingston, Wimbledon and Putney maintain their popularity, since they are preferred by especially Turkish families due to the presence of schools, accessibility and social environment.

• Surrounding of Elizabeth Metro/ Crossline: This metro line to be opened at March 2021 links Heathrow airport to the city centre. It is promising for the future investments on this line. The line accesses to the following stops: Reading in North, Abbey Wood in Southeast and Shenfi eld in Northeast London. It goes to Berkshire and Essex as over ground via the existing lines.

• South London: Property companies intensively invest in Streetham, Croydon, Clapham, Balham, Waterloo and Greenwich districts in this area. These regions attract potential buyers with its accessibility to city centre via railway line, development potentials and affordable prices as well.

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TurkishBritish Think long-term for high profit!

Earning high profit from property investments require long-term plans. Ethem Berk Türköver from İşbank pointed out the possibility to make loss in short-term trading of properties if downward trend of property prices continues. “We believe that the longterm property investments for residence are proper alternatives for our customers. With respect to interest rates, we think that they may gain a downward trend, considering the environment of uncertainty and stagnation.

The economic negativities which may be experienced after Brexit may lead to interest discounts to boost the market,” said he.

Attractive regions other than London In addition to London, the regions such as Manchester and Leeds shine out as the profitable cities for investment. In particular demand for Birmingham, Bristol, Nothingham and Manchester which host universities has increased nowadays. Professional property investors may choose Liverpool and Newcastle for their profitability. Besides, properties in Cambridge and Edinburg are sold very quickly.

Thanks to its closeness to London and CrossRail high-speed train which will start to give service in 2021, Berkshire Region appeals investors. This region is particularly preferred by the British citizens who seek for classical lifestyle, large spaces and gardens. Hosting events such as Royal Ascot races and Henley Royal Regatta, Berkshire involves a lot of mansions featured as the country’s most expensive ones. Furthermore, this segment shows utmost interest in Scotland.

Bath, Richmond and Brighton are demanded constantly. Former historical city centres are positioned as luxury locations in which finding a property is always more difficult.

Lastly, Essex, Surrey, Suffolk, Dartford and Hampshire are popular regions for former residents of London.

CEO of Allytta Real Estate Investments Neşe Jenkins is hopeful about long-term investments. According to researches and analyses regarding the future of property industry, property prices and rent prices are anticipated to go up by 14% and 10% from 2018 to 2022, respectively. Estimations on the property price index of HM Land Registry indicate that house prices will increase by 56% in 2027. Neşe Jenkins gave recommendation to the investors who want to purchase property only for investment as follows: “Find the best property in London or focus on especially the council estates, dorms, nursing homes and buildings of mixed usage or the lands that are suitable for construction in the regions out of London.”

She mentioned very high investment returns and rent income of such properties. Moreover, Jenkins specified that investing in property as a company rather than a person provides advantages in both taxes and succession.

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WHAT ARE THE WAYS OF BUYING A HOUSE? Huseyin E. Huseyin from Bowling & Co Solicitors stated that an investor in the UK can buy a property in two different ways:

•

Freehold, means the outright ownership of the land and the dwelling that sits on it and most houses in England are owned on a freehold basis.

• Leasehold, is the second alternative to be preferred for buying a property in the UK. In case of Leasehold, a person with Freehold transfers another person his/ her right to use the property for a fi xed term. This is specifi ed in a legal document called “Lease.” Term of Leasehold is usually 125 years. It is essential for transferee to get support from a law offi ce, because he/she will be bound to the conditions specifi ed in Lease. Most of the fl ats in the UK are owned through Leasehold.

SIGNIFICANT POINTS TO CONSIDER FOR PROPERTY INVESTMENT

Invest for at least five years CEO of Allytta Real Estate Investments, Neşe Jenkins listed the following significant points to consider for potential buyers of property: • First, determine your expectations very well and think about your investment purpose.

• Forget earning return in short term. Plan an investment for at least fi ve years against the price trends which may be either downward or upward.

• Do not regard your budget just as buying expense. Add taxes, additional duties, attorney fees, investment and fi nancial adviser’s fees and the municipality and title deed expenses to your budget.

• Use your reasonable effort to choose the ideal region.

• Collaborate with a professional property investment and management company.

• Get information about the planned renovations and extra payments before buying the property.

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New projects generate higher returns than old ones Director of KATRIN Properties Ltd, Kerem Yavuzarslan made the following suggestions: • If you purchase a house for renting out, contact the right bank, make a long-term loan agreement and take the rent income into account. New projects generate higher rent income than old ones.

• If you want to purchase house for residing, it should be close to the schools which conform to the capacity of your children and appreciated by them. Otherwise, they may have several problems due to choosing the wrong school.

• It should be noted while buying a property for investment or residing that the newlybuilt houses are always sold at a value which is more than 10-15% of their market value. The brand-new house will be preowned on the date of its selling, so it will be sold at least 10-15% cheaper than its market value. Thus, it can reach its buying price after four or fi ve years.

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• If a pre-owned house is bought, and then sold after some renovations are made, its value does not change under the condition that survey reports are issued properly for purchasing the house.

• If income is signifi cant for Turkish investors, they should buy their house which has easy access, especially to metro line.

Queen Elizabeth Metro which is under construction should be searched as prices are low nowadays. Instead of fl ats, a separate house should be bought and the alternative of making renovation should be utilized.

• Besides, small towns out of London which have smooth settlement should be taken into account.

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You can mortgage your house in Turkey and buy a new one

Head of Retail & Personal Banking in İşbank London Branch, Ethem Berk Türköver told exclusive services of İşbank for Turkish citizens: İşbank London Branch gives Long-Term Collateralized Consumer Loan to the people who want to buy a house in the UK. Properties in Turkey can be mortgaged for this loan with a maximum maturity of 15 years. The product appeals to the possible buyers who want to utilize own properties in Turkey or do not have loan score in the UK. In this way, the properties in Turkey which could not be sold or are not preferred for selling in recent years because of the market conditions, but have guarantee value can be used.

If the loanee is the customer of İşbank, his/her loan evaluation can be performed more quickly. Guarantees of several customers kept by any İşbank branch In Turkey can be accepted without any need to extra process. İşbank London branch is very familiar with the loan scores of its customers in Turkey and assesses their credibility, considering their income in Turkey as well. Thus, these points generate advantage during the loan process of İşbank in the UK. Repayments are performed either through an account to be opened in London branch or direct debit instruction.

The product of İşbank for buying property in the UK does not have the characteristics of “mortgage.” This loan is in the form of “a long-term consumer loan” and the properties bought in the UK are not accepted as loan guarantee, therefore it is not important for the 32

house to be purchased to be “leasehold, freehold or shared ownership.” When use of the loan is preferred evaluation process depends on the competence to pay back the loan. Additionally, blocked deposit, bail or usually, the mortgages on the properties in Turkey are accepted as guarantee.

Some of the İşbank customers who try to arrange own affairs newly and whose income is expected to rise in the following years are offered to pay only interest, and then the principal in the first year and the next years, respectively. For example, in case of a 15-year loan, the monthly payment amounts are quite low in the first year while a bit higher monthly amount is paid in remaining 14 years based on the principal repayment. İşbank London Branch offers a product called “Overseas Mortgage” for buying of the properties in Turkey, as well. Its process is the same with the standard process of mortgage loan applied in Turkey. There are various loan options in British Pound with a maturity up to 15 years. It is an appropriate alternative for the Turkish citizens in the UK who want to invest in Turkey.

TurkishBritish PROCESS OF BUYING A HOUSE A certain procedure should be followed to buy a property in the United Kingdom. Its process is as follows:

1. Selection of mortgage loan: “Repayment mortgage” in which principal and interest are paid back with periodic payments in a defi nite term, or “interestonly mortgage” in which only interest is paid during a certain period (generally 25 years) and principal is paid back at maturity are the preferable mortgage types for investors. Investors should consider all costs, especially mortgage deposit, broker fee, land registry fee and stamp duty as well as choosing the most suitable mortgage type for the investor. Numerous cost items such as deposit, land registry fee and stamp duty to be paid by the investor change based on the selling price of the property sold.

2. Submission of the offer to seller: An offer that aligns with the market value is submitted to landowner or real estate agency. After the offer is discussed with dialogue, the process starts with the agreement of parties on price. In general, real estate agency or landowner wants to see the document which proves the availability of money or mortgage loan, to assess graveness of the buyer.

3. Evaluation of property: Structural survey reports about the house to be bought are prepared by authorized and objective specialists after acceptance of the offer. The reports sent are reviewed by consultants of the buyer. The required follow-ups are performed on behalf of the buyer. In case of any problem, customer is informed.

4. Hiring of an attorney: If assistance of any consulting company was not received in the beginning of the process, an attorney should be hired at this stage to conduct the sale process and legal transactions.

5. Completion of sale: Attorneys of both parties get involved and sale process is initiated if positive opinion is given in all reports. At the end of this process which lasts between six and eight weeks, any money transfer is performed at the helm of the attorneys not to have diffi culty in money transfer. Very critical protective measures were taken for customer.

Your attorney applies to Land Registry for sale record after the completion of money transfer.

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Property service of 360 degrees Quite elaborative procedures need to be fulfilled to purchase a property in the UK. NY Maxx Construction aims to enable its customer to own the most profitable property. For this purpose, the company provides service at all stages of the process, including buying, renovation, legal procedures and judicial actions.

E

stablished in London in 2017 with the aim of giving “Consultancy, Design and Construction” services about housing and commercial structures in construction, NT Maxx Construction renders a very wide range of service in property industry today. Here are the services of the company which was founded by Tuba Kılıçarslan, Civil Engineer with an experience of 21 years and a member of both Institution of Structural Engineers and Kingston Chamber of Commerce: to perform property investment consultancy, to search whether housing and commercial locations conform to budget and needs of the customer and particularly the planned renovation, to conduct the feasibility studies, to monitor all stages of the property which may generate premium in short term, until the completion of purchasing and to evaluate the research reports regarding the status of the property.

However, the services of NT Maxx are not limited to above. Kılıçarslan listed their post purchase services as follows: “Our project and construction team provide service to obtain the approval of the municipality for the projects needed to renew and enlarge the property owned by our customer following the buying process, and lastly, to give repair, renewal and construction services based on the approved project.”

34

Buying a house in the United Kingdom is a serious business Tuba Kılıçarslan stated that they have offered full range of services to numerous residents in Turkey and in the UK as part of the property buying process up to now. “Buying a house in the UK is a serious process. It starts with determination of the region which should be affordable for our customer, and proceeds with focusing on the profitability ratio and needs of the customer before finding the right house,” said she.

Kılıçarslan summarizes the remaining process as follows: “The suitable house is found in line with the demand of the customer. At the next

TurkishBritish stage, it is decided whether to use the equity capital of the customer or mortgage loan to buy the property. According to the decision, an offer which aligns with the market value is submitted to landowner of the house or real estate agency. The process begins after the offer is discussed through dialogue and parties agree on the price.”

After the property is determined, an elaborative work starts by contacting the bank and the experts for usage of loan and survey reports, respectively. When such phases are completed smoothly, money is transferred at the helm of attorneys. NT Maxx continues to render service In line with plans of the customer following the completion of buying process.

Attractive regions change depending on the expectation of customer

In recent years, investing in property in the United Kingdom, especially in London has become a remarkable investment alternative for both the residents of this country and the international investors who want to earn profit. The outstanding regions for investment change based on the budget and investment expectation of the person.

“London has entered into a renewal process in which conventional architecture and modern architecture are adapted. Sizable investments in housing and business centres start from the first region and continues till the sixth regions of North settlements,” said Kılıçarslan. She kept giving tips for choosing region in property investment: “These regions will be inviting if customer expects being involved in a brand-new project.

Nevertheless, investment costs of the regions are too high and term of return on investment is long term. If customer wants to convert his investment into cash in short term, the ideal option is either to buy and renovate old houses on the route of metro lines and in the region of favourite schools, and then sell them or to buy such old properties, divide them into separate flats and them sell them. Showing certain regions as attractive locations is not right, because any region which meets the expectations of customer is always attractive.”

Even though she did not point out a definite region, she talked as follows: “I live in Kingston Upon Thames region. Most of the Turkish families who have recently begun to live pre-

ferred Richmond, Kingston, Wimbledon and Putney due to the successful schools in these regions, easy access and social environment.”

The ideal buying method should be chosen Here are the methods of buying a house or flat in the United Kingdom… There are two methods: freehold and leasehold. Leasehold provides ownership of a definite term between 100 and 1000 years. Besides, territory of the property is not owned by the buyer. Instead, buyer makes an annual payment for territory.

As the term decreases, processes such as reducing the sale price and extending the year in return for its value need to be carried out.

In Leasehold, the permission of landowner should be received for any renovation.

Freehold is possible for separate houses and the buildings turned from house to flat. This category is dived into freehold and sharehold.

In both sale types, title deed of the house or flat as well as the territory belongs to the buyer and any other value does not need to be paid.

“This system usually resemble the system applied in Turkey, so we advise this alternative to our Turkish customers,” said Kılıçarslan.

Mortgage does no cover renovation cost Another point should be considered during the process of buying house. If an old house which requires maintenance is purchased, receiving interior architecture and repair services raise the value of house. If the house will be rented out, certain conditions need to be met.

Kılıçarslan underlined that renovation expenses are not covered by mortgage. “Mortgage pays only a definite ratio of the house price determined by the appraiser sent to house by the bank. You may have to use other loans or your own resources to pay for the other expenses.

Costs vary based on the demands of customer and condition of the house,” said she.

35

INTERVIEW

AFTERNOON TEA

Elif Shafak:

“Roots are plural, not singular!”

Nominated for the Booker Prize with her last novel “10 Minutes 38 Seconds”, Elif Shafak touched on the signifi cance of her readers and stated that she does not care criticisms of the elite class. Shafak talked about her authorship on Istanbul - London line, phenomenon of migration and the criticisms directed to her in Turkey.

Interview: Nida Dinçtürk Photos: Ali Köse

T

he newest novel of Elif Shafak, “10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World” was published in June. The novelist was criticized for including paedophile elements in her novel “The Gaze.”

Besides, she was accused of plagiarism in her novels “Honour” and “Architect’s Apprentice.” Last book of the ingenious author “10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World” was shortlisted for one of the world’s most reputable literary awards, the Booker Prize.

According to the recent scientifi c studies, activity of the human brain continues for a while after death. This period may last 10 minutes 38 seconds at most.

The theme of the novel is based on this subject. Shafak focuses on 10 minutes 38 seconds following the death of a sex worker named Tequila Leyla who lives in Istanbul. The novel is enhanced with several elements such as last moments of Leyla, late political history of Turkey, women and LGBTI+ rights, urban memory, family, friendship, migration and alterity which are nourished from each other and constitute almost the whole shoot of life in Turkey.

Your novel “10 Minutes 38 Seconds” has been shortlisted for the Booker Prize. How do you feel?

I’m blissful. I’m honoured by being nominated for such a substantial literary award as a Turkish novelist. Authorship requires isolation from social environment, therefore seeing that my readers

36

familiar with listening out the stories of others. I don’t act superfi cially. Having no sense of belonging, trying to hold on, staying in limbo… Therefore names and subjects of my books aren’t coincidence. I’ve usually experienced being in limbo and failing at holding on. I’m quite familiar with those feelings.

like me after publishing of this book, my story affected their hearts and minds, and it is felt by them as well... This is always invaluable for me. It has been 25 years since the publishing of my fi rst novel. Being nominated for the Booker Prize in the 25th year of my career is a fantastic gift.

I’M VERY FAMILIAR WITH STAYING IN LIMBO

10 Minutes 38 Seconds is a multi-level book. For me, the first salient point is that it is a narrative of “those who belong to nowhere.” Namely, to the city, own body, life… What made you pursue those people?

I think minorities have always become an essential part of my literature. Ethnical, cultural and sexual minorities. All the time, I’ve cared for the stories of rejected and marginalized people as well as the deleted stories, in other words out history. Both in the past and today. That’s why I listened to my heart and preferred telling the story of the individuals pulled off the road, rather than the ones in the centre. My life has a primary infl uence on this. Secondly, my character affects.

I’ve felt marginalized so many times since my childhood! I was born abroad.

I came to Ankara from Strasburg. I was raised by two women: my mother and my grandmother. I never grew in an ordinary family environment. For example, I recognized my father and my step brothers from his second marriage too late. I was twenty something. Later, I went abroad to have education. I was the only Turk there. I felt marginalized again. I returned, but continued to feel like an isolated stranger. Hence I’m very

“ Literature embraces troublesome topics.

Unfortunately, sexual discrimination, sexual violence and child marriages in Turkey are the facts of our lives. In my opinion, politicians should primarily change the patriarchal laws if they’re intimate.

“

“MY LITERATURE HAS A CONNECTION WITH ISTANBUL”

You’ve been in London for a while.

You define here as your home. On the other hand, I know your attachment for Turkey. To which place do you feel you belong? Do you feel you stay in limbo?

According to me, people may belong to more than one place. I’ve always objected to a single identity, especially the policy of being reduced to a single identity, so I was criticized for being rootless. I think roots are already plural, not singular. Namely, you’re nourished by many places. Even, I always relish the metaphor of compass: My literature has a connection with İstanbul like the fi xed foot of a compass. However, the other foot of the compass can draw a huge circle and stroll around the world. Literature can be both local and universal. I believe in this principle from the heart.

I approach to nationalism, tribalism and collective identities quite critically.

I think limbo where you’re alone is the ideal location for art. You stay not only deep inside in everything, but also out of everything a little bit. Perhaps, this is loneliness for the artist, but it’s the right point.

BRAIN DRAIN OF TURKEY GAINS MOMENTUM

Migration is another influential element in “10 Minutes 38 Seconds.”

You had focused on the twinges of migration in “Honour.” Nevertheless, there’s a remarkable white-collar migration other than migration of workers, in Turkey today because of some reasons such as education, working, sexual orientation and sexual identity.

What do you think about this issue?

37

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I attach utmost importance to this question. There’s a signifi cant migration wave from Turkey. This issue needs to be analysed and searched. Brain drain is the other side of the coin. It’s a great loss for a country. Brain drain has gained momentum as Turkey began to lose democracy and hope for democracy. An article regarding this subject was recently published in the New York Times.

Brain drain of Turkey particularly within the last three years paints a picture as if our country has undergone a great civil war or substantial tragedies. On the other side, more people recognize different cultures, learn various languages and express themselves. Perhaps, they adopt the identity of global citizen. This is the promising aspect of brain drain.

It’s very interesting to witness that the people who won’t share even a bread easily are in solidarity abroad with the sense of homesickness and even exile. I see that the solidarity networks strengthen as the diversity and migration reasons of Turkish citizens abroad increase. We may call it diaspora. This is a pro, but ultimately, I wish Turkey gains its democracy soon. Brain drain is directly associated with it. Momentum of brain drain shows the abundance of people feeling unwelcome in their country.

I MIND THE INSPIRATION AND SINCERE ENERGY OF THE READER

In Turkey, you’re not only liked, but also criticized for your literature, statements and political stance. What are the reasons?

Turkey is already such a place! Unfortu38

“ But you may get more reactions if you’re a novelist and woman and begin to question different ideas.

In particular, elite class, including cultural and political elites may react considerably.

“

nately, almost everyone has to deal with negativities! But you may get more reactions if you’re a novelist and woman and begin to question different ideas. In particular, elite class, including cultural and political elites may react considerably. I’m very familiar with this issue as well. On the other hand, our country has very nice and inseparable readers of literature. I think readers are generally treated unfairly, because they don’t clamour, they don’t write opinion columns in newspapers, they don’t talk on TV and they are pretty intimate. The readers of literature in Turkey share a book only if they like it. Otherwise, they don’t read no matter what they say. I always mind the inspiration and sincere energy of the reader. Obviously, I didn’t give weight to reactions of elite class.

According to me, you can’t fi nd place in public sphere as a women if you sink into the destructive criticisms too much.

Besides, I’m aware of that the way of criticizing a female novelist is never the same with the way of criticizing a male novelist. You’re always underestimated and disdained if you’re a woman, so it’s more challenging for female journalists, academicians, politicians and authors in a patriarchal country like Turkey. All in all, I do the work I enjoy. Therefore I don’t care who wrote about me and what they said, so much. Several columnists In Turkey may criticize a book which they didn’t read, hence considering the criticisms of such people isn’t logical. I only listen to my readers.

Those who criticize my novels sincerely are always most welcome.

You concentrate on women’s rights very intensely in this book. Do you think Turkey has really made progress in women’s rights?

I don’t think so. On the contrary, I think Turkey has regressed about this issue and this isn’t a coincidence. The narrative ends in 1990. I wanted to remind the terrible discussion made in that period. How dare lawmakers suggest remission for raping prostitutes at that time?

They received a signifi cant reaction of society. Women were in more solidarity.

However, we lost that such unity today.

TurkishBritish I’d like to call attention to this issue.

Women disintegrated further as the politics in Turkey got ill-tempered and become patriarchal. Despite having different opinions and perspectives, we own common points. We can solve the sexual abuse problem jointly if it affects all of us. The women in the countries like Turkey are obliged to show solidarity beyond politics. Nevertheless, we can’t achieve this. Thus, only patriarchal minds win.

One of the characters I cared most in this novel is a transvestite, Nalan.

You know Pride March is banned in Turkey for a while. In contrary, the Pride March in London has witnessed record attendance this year. How do you feel about this adversity?

Here, the Major provides great support to this event as well. According to me, support of a Muslim major in such an organization is crucial. Huge banners are unfurled here every year. They send promotive messages to supporters of the Pride March in İstanbul which couldn’t be held. This is invaluable for me. I can’t understand why some people are treated like a second-class citizen for their sexual identities, ethnical identities or any reason… Hence I believe in LGBTI rights sincerely and advocate and support them. I think this is an issue to be discussed emphatically.

After the book named “Zümrüt Apartment” caused indignation, your novel “The Gaze” was criticized severely for containing statements associated with paedophilia.

It’s not easy for a novelist in Turkey to question the political taboos. Furthermore, writing about sexuality is challenging, particularly for female authors. The recent hysteria in our country majorly (95% of it) consists of the messages spread by bots and trolls. In other words, they are not the reactions of readers. First, we should separate them. Literature embraces troublesome topics. Unfortunately, sexual discrimination, sexual violence and kid brides in Turkey are the facts of our lives. In my opinion, politicians should primarily change the patriarchal laws if they’re

“ To talk about my literature, I’ve always defended the rights of women, sexual minorities, human and children as well as freedom of speech. All the time, I’ve tried to tell the stories of others from their aspect.

For this reason, being exposed to such severe criticisms hurts me significantly.

“

intimate. First, the judges who made bold to speak about the skirt length of female lawyers at courts should be questioned. Moreover, they need to open women’s shelter for the women and children subjected to violence. In contrast, women’s shelters are closed.

Instead of messing with the statements of authors, many serious problems should be addressed. Disingenuity is at the highest level. To talk about my literature, I’ve always defended the rights of women, sexual minorities, human and children as well as freedom of speech. All the time, I’ve tried to tell the stories of others from their aspect.

For this reason, being exposed to such severe criticisms hurts me signifi cantly.

“THE COUNTRIES LACK OF DEMOCRACY LOSE THEIR SENSE OF HUMOUR”

I’ve felt that you included more humorous expressions in this novel, compared to the former ones. I read the part about cemetery chucklingly even though it’s a quite sorrowful scene. Did you write in this way knowingly? And why?

In fact, I believe in a dialectic wholeheartedly. I adore humour and set a premium on it. I’ll come to the same point, but I think the countries exposed to authoritarianism lose their sense of humour. Humour is a kind of resistance. Humour is oxygen and opens a breathing space for us. I show utmost respect to humour and regard it as an art branch. I place special emphasis on a dialectic for authors as well: I enjoy touching on the tragic subjects with humour. I enjoy capturing the melancholy in humour as well. May be, such dialectic is included in all novels I wrote, with different intensities. You’re right, my last novel contains more remarkable, bolder and more assertive humour. By the way, I don’t mean patronizing, sneering and condescending humour here. I mention humour which is compassionate, so I exist in my humour as well. I may laugh at myself, but kindly. According to me, that compassion should always accompany with humour.

39

BUSINESS

UK - Turkey Business Forum held in Istanbul The 10th UK-Turkey Business Forum, which brought together the business communities of both countries, covered a wide range of issues including postBrexit perspective, advanced technology, fi nance and infrastructure, energy, manufacturing and construction. “Turkey is one of the major investment centres with a really strong economy” said TBCCI Chairman Alderman Emma Edhem.

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he 10th UK-Turkey Business Forum, to which Turkish British Magazine was an attendee as well, was held in Hilton Istanbul Bosphorus.

The opening speech of the 10th forum, which was organised by the Turkish British Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TBCCI) with the contributions of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey Investment Offi ce and the Foreign Economic Relations Board of Turkey (DEIK), was made by TBCCI Chairman Alderman Emma Edhem. “Both countries have really solid political, social and economic relations.

Turkey is one of the most important investment centres with a strong economy” she said. The forum was attended by numerous guests, including the British Ambassador to Turkey Sir Dominick Chilcott.

“Turkey is one of the major markets in the world” Mentioning the opportunities that will arise in the post-Brexit period in her speech, Emma Edhem said “Brexit brings signifi cant opportunities for Turkey to develop its economic and commercial relations with the UK. One of the main reasons for this is that the UK will develop an independent commercial policy upon leaving the EU. In particular, the main objective of the UK is to improve our current and future business relations as much as possible.”

Drawing attention to the fact that especially the innovation companies operating in Turkey and other regional countries still prefer the UK market to reach to customers, Emma Edham said “Both countries have really solid political, 40

social and economic relations. Turkey is one of the most important investment centres with a strong economy. Along with its young and hardworking population, liberal investment environment with the labour force in high-quality, strong infrastructure, geographical advantage by its proximity to the world`s energy hubs, and the low tax rates and investment incentives offered by the Turkish government, Turkey is one of the most important markets in the world.” “$2,4 billion at risk to the detriment of Turkey!”

In her speech, Trade Ruhsar Minister Pekcan said that UK Trade Minister Elizabeth Truss’s statement “We will establish free trade zones and ports in the UK after Brexit” overlaps with Turkey`s ongoing projects in this country. In addition, she pointed out that as there may be some problems in the postBrexit era with regards to customs duties and customs clearance procedures, they have established a special working group to deal with these issues.

Minister Pekcan said that Turkey seems to be the most negatively affected country in a nodeal Brexit situation. “The UN’s reports show that $2.4 billion worth of trade between Turkey and the UK is at risk to the detriment of Turkey. Our own studies, impact analyses, and the results of our consultations with international consultancy fi rms, show the loss could go up to 3 billion dollars. Automotive, textiles, apparel, white goods and electronics are the most affected sectors. $2 billion in the automotive sector, $1.3 billion in textiles and electronics, and

TurkishBritish $500 million in white goods will, unfortunately, be affected.” he said.

“We invite British investors to invest in Turkey” Chief of the Presidential Investment Offi ce Arta Ermut said “We invite British investors to invest in Turkey.

There are great opportunities here.” Pointing out to the ambiguities caused by Brexit, Ermut said “This process undoubtedly raises some concerns. As the world goes through such a period, such ambiguities bring opportunities along with concerns. Our professional colleagues in the private sector have great experience in crisis management and how to recover immediately. Turkey has a proven track record in emerging markets in bouncing back from the crisis” he said.

Stressing the regional confl icts and crises around Turkey, Ermut said: “We, as Turkey, are located in this region for centuries. We know how to survive in times of crises. We cannot expect the West to fully understand our situation.

This region contains many opportunities as well as having many crises. We ask our allies to trust our experience, especially our crisis management experience. Foreign direct investment to Turkey is under constitutional protection. We want stability not only for Turkey, but also for the wider region.” he said.

“Maintaining a strong partnership is to the benefit of Turkey and the UK” Highlighting the fact that the UK has been one of the most important allies of Turkey for many years, Turkey-UK Business Council President of DEIK Remzi Gür stated that the bilateral relationship between the two countries dates back to 1500s. Noting that the economic relations between Turkey and the UK should be considered in a different perspective in the context of Brexit-related changes looming on the horizon, Gur said “Regardless of the evolution of the state of affairs, I see great benefi t to

both countries in maintaining the strong partnership between them. Turkey`s participation in Britain’s agreements with other countries as a trade partner will be in the interest of both sides.“ He said that especially the operations of three thousand British companies in Turkey and the fact that the UK ranks in the fi rst four biggest investor countries in Turkey are among the main factors behind the strengthening partnership between the two countries.

One out of every three televisions sold in the UK is Vestel!

Vestel’s CEO Turan Erdoğan, one of the speakers at the forum, said that with its 400 employees, Vestel has been operating in the UK for over 30 years since 1985 and exporting to this country.

Pointing that one out of every three televisions sold in the UK is Vestel, Erdoğan told that they manufacture for 19 different brands in Turkey and sell their products in the UK under various brands.

Mentioning the fact that Vestel’s total turnover in the UK reached £300 million, Erdoğan said that the company’s decision regarding moving their HQ to London will be shaped by the result of Brexit process.

Erdoğan also touched upon the Brexit process, fi nished by saying: “If a no-deal Brexit happens, there will happen many negotiations between Turkey and the UK and Turkey will become a third country as a result. Both sides need to shoulder responsibility on that matter.

We are more than satisfi ed with our conditions in the UK and I hope that very rational solutions can be found and the discussions and negotiations ahead of us will have a positive result.”

41

BUSINESS

Panel on Brexit by DEIK’s Turkey - UK Business Council Ambassador Faruk Kaymakçı, was one of the speakers in the “Turkey-UK Business Council Brexit Panel” organised by DEIK, where experts commented on the report regarding the opportunities and risks that Brexit would present for the relations between the UK and Turkey. rector of Government Affairs, Europe, of the Ford Motor Company.

The opening remarks in the “Turkey-UK Business Council Panel on Brexit” organised by DEIK were presented by Mr. Faruk Kaymakçı, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Director of EU Affairs. Pointing out that a referendum was held in the UK in 2016, Kaymakçı said that “All of the current arguments are based on the results of this referendum. The results gave rise to an ambiguity. The UK historically held two referendums with regard to the EU [membership]”.

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he most comprehensive report on Brexit in Turkey, “The Political and Economic Risks and Opportunities in the Turkey-UK-EU Relations”, was prepared and presented by the Foreign Economic Relations Board of Turkey (DEIK) in the “Turkey and the Brexit Process: Risks and Opportunities” seminar hosted and organised by DEIK’s Turkey-UK Business Council.The report outlined the risks and opportunities that Turkey may be faced with, under the various scenarios of the Brexit process. It was emphasized that Turkey should sign a Free Trade Agreement with the UK and become a party to the Customs Union agreements, forthwith.

The Turkey-UK Business Council’s “Turkey and the Brexit Process: Risks and Opportunities” event took place in Istanbul on 18 September 2019, with the participation of Mr. Faruk Kaymakçı, the Turkish Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Dominick Chilcott, the UK Ambassador in Ankara, Ms. Judith Slater British Consulate-General in Istanbul, Mr. Remzi Gür, President of the DEIK Turkey UK Business Council, Ms. Elif Gürsoy, the Director General for EU and Foreign Affairs of the Ministry of Economy, Assoc. Prof. Yaprak Gürsoy, Faculty of Aston University, and Ms. Nicola Walker Di42

Kaymakçı further added that “If the UK leaves the EU today, taking out those people who voted in the referendum in 2016 and have passed away in the meantime and without adding new voters, then Brexit itself becomes automatically void. 80% of the young people voted for UK to remain in the EU.” Pointing out that this referendum had actually not been binding, Kaymakçı said the following: “This referendum is of an advisory nature. If you are in the continent of Europe, you do not have the luxury of staying outside the EU. I deem that EU membership, 90 out of 100, is a benefit. In my opinion Brexit will harm the EU, the UK as well as Turkey. One of the subjects we address in the negotiations with the UK is Cyprus. As you know, the UK has bases in the island of Cyprus.”

“Turkey’s exports to the UK is 18.6 billion USD.” Mr. Remzi Gür, President of the DEIK TurkeyUK Business Council commented that “The UK is Turkey’s second largest partner in Europe.

In 2016, Britain considered leaving the Euro-

TurkishBritish pean Union. We tried to enter the EU, but we could not. The UK wants to leave for particular reasons, but the separation process has yet to be decided by the UK and the EU” he said.

Noting that Britain’s investment in Turkey is around 10 billion dollars, Gür added that, “Close to 3 thousand UK businessmen are doing business in Turkey. Since Turkey’s exports to the UK are $18.6 billion, what will be our losses if the UK leaves the EU without a deal? According to the Minister of Trade, Turkey could lose $2.5 billion or $3 billion in such a case. I think the UK will recover and continue its trade in a short time. Britain is one of the largest countries in the world. If we also suffer from this situation, I think we will recover in a short time.”

“In case of Brexit with a deal, an FTA can be signed with Turkey“ Speaking at the opening of the event, the British Ambassador to Ankara, Mr. Dominick Chilcott said that the relations between Britain and Turkey would be good in the long term, however the short term could be a little turbulent. Stressing that Brexit is one of the main factors that will determine the relations between the two countries, Chilcott said, “If a hard Brexit occurs, we will have some important legal and administrative challenges ahead of us.”

Chilcott noted that Brexit is a very complicated process and there are too many variables: “No one knows how to solve this problem and how long it will last. Maybe a general election can be held this fall, maybe not.” Dominick Chilcott said there would be a transition period in the case of a negotiated Brexit, during which time things would continue as they were with the EU, parallel to which a free trade agreement (FTA) could be signed between Turkey and the UK. Chilcott stressed that the FTA should be signed between the two countries as soon as possible and that this would depend on the political will of the two governments. PostBrexit, relations with Turkey will be one of the most important relations for the UK, Chilcott said, “No matter which government is in pow-

er, our sentiments of mutual care will continue and increase. These are both influential countries... How will we live as a neighbour to the EU and how harmonised or how independent we will be in regard to the EU... These are the big questions we have in common.”

“The best scenario for us is for Britain to remain in the Customs Union” Dr. Yaprak Gürsoy, Associate Professor at Aston University, who presented the report on Political and Economic Risks and Opportunities in Brexit: Turkey-UK-EU Relations said: “We have prepared a comprehensive report in order to present a historical perspective, to explain the Brexit process, to share the political implications, economic impacts and the results of a process with an uncertain end, by compiling and collecting the information we have obtained from all sources.” The report pointed out that Turkey will be the country most affected by the terms of an economically harsh Brexit, Gürsoy added that, “Bilateral efforts should continue to sign an free trade agreement between the UK and Turkey, immediately. The best scenario for us is for Britain to remain in the Customs Union.”

43

BUSINESS

“Turkey will reach 45 million tourists” President of TÜRSAB, Firuz Bağlıkaya said: “When we look at the data on the number of tourists who come to Turkey in the course of 8 months, we get a percentage of 14, whereas in August there is an increase of 17 percent.”

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resident of TÜRSAB Firuz Bağlıkaya said; “When we look at the data on the number of tourists who come to Turkey in the course of 8 months, we get a percentage of 14, while in August there is an increase of 17 percent. Turkey would then break a new record if it succeeds in reaching these figures.”

In a statement with a correspondent of the Anadolu agency, Bağlıkaya explained: “The importance of the Black Sea region with its highlands and natural beauties goes beyond domestic tourism as it begins to play an impor44

tant part of foreign tourism. Stressing that the role the nature of the Black Sea, its oxygen reserves and its cultural assets play in tourism is growing day by day. He expressed himself noted “Compared to the Mediterranean and Aegean regions, we cannot say that it hosts enough tourists, but TURSAB is working to increase the number of tourists.”

While drawing attention to the fact that the number of tourists in Turkey has increased compared to last year Bağlıkaya, continued and said: ”When we look at the data on the number of tourists who come to Turkey in the race of 8 months, we get a percentage of 14, while there is an increase of 17 percent.

TurkishBritish

Turkey would then break a new record if it succeeds in reaching these figures.

We also expect to break records in the coming year and the number of tourists will increase. As long as peace and trust reign in our country, these numbers will increase every day.“ Emphasizing the fact that TÜRSAB is working for the promotion of Turkey Bağlıkaya said, “We will bring the travel agency to the international fair, we will occupy big stands in this fair. We will bring the representatives of foreign missions and Ambassadors serving in Turkey in different places. In other words, our union is more engaged than ever in tourism and does not deal with any other activity.” Noting that differ-

entiations such as “Arab, Russian” tourists should not be used Bağlıkaya, said: “We welcome various tourists for each region of our country. Tourists from some countries prefer the sea and sand, while others are more interested in hot springs and nature tourism.

Some come for health tourism, others for golf. We have the place that suits everyone. It makes us happy that any tourist public comes a little more. Last year, the number of British tourists has seen an unusual increase. It does not bother anyone, but people ask, “is Arab tourists number growing? May The number of Arab tourists increase, It is a very good thing. I wish more tourists could come to our country. “ 45

BUSINESS EVENTS

Turkey to be featured at the WTM Tourism Fair World Travel Market (WTM), which brings together the world’s tourism giants, is setting a new record this year. The fair, which will be held from 4 to 6 November, will guide the new trends in tourism.

Turkish companies will be present at the fair As in previous years, WTM London will one more time see the participation of many Turkish companies in this year. The Association of Turkey Travel Agencies (TÜRSAB), will participate in the exhibition with a stand of 120 m2. The members of TÜRSAB who do not have stands at the fair but wishing to organize meetings will be free to use the TÜRSAB stands for meetings and business talks.

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he World Travel Market (WTM), one of the world ‘s largest tourist gatherings, opens its doors for its 40th edition this year. WTM London 2019, to be held at the Excel London International Convention Centre from 4 to 6 November 2019, should be completed with a record level comparable to that of last year. Bringing together the global tourism industry, the trade show was held last year with the participation of 5,000 companies from 182 countries.51,000 people attended the fair, where industrial agreements worth £2.8 billion books have been concluded. The 2019 WTM is expected to set new records above these numbers.

Izmir Development Agency, Belek Tourism Investor Association (BETUYAB) Titanic Hotels, MC Tourist Services, Diana Travel and OTI Holding will also have stands at the fair.

What is on the agenda for WTM 2019?

Wendy Olson Killion, Global Vice President of Expedia Group Media Solutions, will be a keynote speaker at the Fair. In her speech to be held the 5th of November speech at 4:15 pm, Killion will focus on the success of new technologies used in tourism; she will also focus on the needs of the customer. Travel Forward London, organized as part of WTM, will meet visitors as the fi rst exciting event presenting technologies and start-ups that can be used in the travel industry.

On November 6th, the winners will receive the “Best of Social Media” awards for their national campaigns. At the WTM & Women in Travel event, featuring women leaders in the sector, participants will focus on entrepreneurship, mentoring, leadership, professional and personal development.

In the session entitled ‘’Travel Leaders Speak: UK Travel Markets – What to Expect in 2020’’ the state of national and international tourism of the country during the previous year will be evaluated and the effect Brexit is having and will have on the markets will be discussed.

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London Build 2019 Expo

27 - 28 November 2019, Olympia London – National Hall The London Build 2019 Expo, where Turkish British Magazine will be the event partner, will be held between 27-28 November in Olympia London. Attend to learn of all the latest developments and opportunities in residential, commercial and infrastructure build across Greater London and the UK.

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ondon Build Expo, which will be held in Olympia London on 27-28 November, has fi rmly established the reputation as the leading construction and design show in the UK. The show is free to attend and features 500+ speakers, 220+ hours of CPD, 350+ exhibitors and unrivalled networking events.

You can attend to learn of all the latest developments and opportunities in residential, commercial and infrastructure build across Greater London and the UK. London Build features the Festival of Construction - making business in construction fun. You can join thousands of movers and shakers across the industry as they come together for 2 jam packed days of inspiring content, high level networking and entertainment including live music, celebrity guests, street food, beer festivals, prize giveaways and performers, plus much more.

During the expo, you can connect with 25,000+ industry professionals and meet senior fi gures from across all top 100 companies from tier 1 contractors, general contractors, architects, developers, house builders, engineers, government and 33 local councils across greater London. This is the place to be if you are keen to position yourself in front of all the UK construction industry’s key players.

Exciting networking events and feature areas for 2019 include: • Women in Construction • Constructionline Meet the Buyers • Festival of Construction • LinkedIn Networking Lounge • Humans of Construction Gallery • Movement with Movember – First of its kind collaboration! Prepare for a moustache growing record attempt from the construction industry • Hub in the Pub – in partnership with the CIOB • Built Environment Networking Hub • LGBT Feature • Architects Hub featuring the latest architectural designs and 3D models across the capital • Many more to be announced soon.

Find out more about the show and register for your free tickets: W: www.londonbuildexpo.com/TurkishBritishMagazine2019 P: 0203 058 2350 E: enquiries@londonbuildexpo.com

BUSINESS EVENTS

Infrastructure investment opportunities in Turkey!

EEL Events is proud to introduce its 8th PPP in Turkey Forum, taking place on 13-14 November in Ankara.

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he event is the leading business meeting bringing together a broad range of speakers, panellists and discussants to provide attendees with thoughtprovoking commentary on main PPP sectors: Healthcare, Transport, Energy and Municipal Waste & Water Management, identified by the Turkish Government as the top priority infrastructure areas needed investments. According to the latest market reports, the robust performance and attractiveness of PPP sector in Turkey are evident. Ranked first in the European markets, only between 2014-2018, Turkey brought to live 175 PPP projects with an investment value of $127 bn, significant portion of which were megaprojects like Istanbul Airport, the Eurasian Tunnel, 1915 Çanakkale Bridge and Ankara-Niğde Highway, as well as PPP city hospitals, build across the country.

Market overview The 2019 edition will continue to provide investors and infrastructure practitioners with a comprehensive update on recently completed and under construction PPP project as well as to review options on how to best deliver newly planned investments with lasting outcomes. A particular focus will be given to lessons learnt and best practices in legal and financial frameworks as well as how various approaches and 48

innovation in project delivery can solve challenges that PPP stakeholders have recently faced.

Despite a large number of projects slated for implementation in the PPP system, Turkey’s investment need in infrastructure development is still significant.

It is calculated that in years 2016-2040 the investment requirement will reach $975 bn of which approx $580 bn in transport, $240 bn in energy, and $50 bn in the water sector.

Within the healthcare sector, Turkey also has more opportunities in the pipeline. With 9 hospitals built already and 12 under construction, the government has started a tender process to build 10 more city hospitals of the total capacity of 12,300 beds. https://eelevents.co.uk/

I Meet Hotel begins its 2020 European tour Istanbul at the Intercontinental Hotel on January 15th, 2020 Through this insightful conferences, I Meet Hotel aims to give hoteliers keys to higher revenue, new technologies, innovative business models, trends in marketing and media, and customer loyalty. By bringing together infl uential names in the hospitality industry directly to the hoteliers who make the decisions in the future of their establishment, I Meet Hotel serves as the conduit to help build networks, business opportunities, partnerships, and sustainable services.

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Meet Hotel is the fi rst global industry event connecting hoteliers to the future of hospitality and is making its next stop in Istanbul at the Intercontinental Hotel on January 15th, 2020. The conference is geared to the regional community, however, the participants are from hospitality groups that extend globally. The event targets decisionmakers from each department in the hospitality and travel industry, such as sales, revenue, marketing, and business development managers.

I Meet Hotel is funded solely by its dedicated sponsors. Sponsors of the event not only provide the funds to produce the event but are also directly involved with the travel and hospitality industry.

By connecting sponsors directly to the industry, attendees can fi nd useful and innovative solutions from sponsors to ensure they are at the forefront of the ever-changing landscape of hospitality.

The event put emphasis on the networking session which enables all the participants to get to know each other, talk, exchange experiences and develop new business and personal relations.

It is the perfect occasion to inspire and be inspired.

I Meet Hotel aims to encourage innovation and customer excellence in hos-

pitality by putting together leaders and speakers who shape the future of the industry. Returning as one of the key speakers is Bidroom.com’s Co-founder and COO Michael Ros. Bidroom was founded in 2014 to provide both hoteliers and travelers with a fairer online travel community whereby travelers have guaranteed lower prices for rooms and hotels pay no commission due to Bidroom’s unique membership.

Michael says I Meet Hotel provides an informal and more exclusive environment meant to build lasting connections and relationships within the hospitality industry. It is a great event because it brings together those who are extremely passionate about hospitality .

The conference is scheduled for 4 addition stops during 2020, so, If you miss the Istanbul edition, you will have the opportunity to join in Amsterdam, Paris, Verona or Montreux.

As I Meet Hotel is an open format program, the organizers invite silip the travel and hotel community to join in different capacities. To register for the event visit; www.imeethotel.com. Additionally, to express interest to speak or sponsor the event in Istanbul, please email; info@imeethotel.com.

BUSINESS EVENTS

Uzakrota Travel Summit Istanbul Hilton Istanbul Bosphorus on December 13th

After the Uzakrota European Summit in the Rocketspace London on 27 September which was organized with the participation of 250 tourism professionals, summit will take place at the Hilton Istanbul Bosphorus on December 13th which will organize with participation of the 4000 people.

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his year, Uzakrota will be organizing summit with main sponsorship SKYhub, main supporters Emirates Airline, Atlasglobal, and IRC International Residency and Citizenship. This year’s event further expands its concept and content with the participation of more than 4.000 local and foreign tourism professionals in 3 conference rooms, 6 stages and addition Hotelspro B2B Area and HotelRunner Lounge.

Uzakrota Travel Summit which has chosen as one of the most effective 10 tourism events by Bidroom, in 2018. This year will be 150 senior speakers, more than 500 tourism brands, more than 100 fair participants and 4000 local and foreign tourism professionals at Uzakrota Travel Summit.

SKYhub Main Hall, Neredekal Tourism Tech, Emirates Tourism Marketing Halls, Turkish Air-

lines Corporate Club Travel Stage, International Residency & Citizenship Stage and Startup Stage will be prepared simultaneously with 6 different stages. In addition, will be provide create new collaborations in the HotelRunner Lounge and Hotelspro B2B Area.

Speakers becoming clear Gabriele Milani, Director-Publicity Offi ce of the Italian Ministry of Tourism, David Gunnarsso, CEO-Meta Search’s brand Dohop, Marija Labovic, Director-National Tourism Organization of Serbia, Yıldıray Karaer, CEO-Corendon Airlines Group, Erkunt Öner, CEO-Tura Tourism, Baki Özarslan, CEO-Valstur, Ayşe Yağcı, CEO-Jules Verne, Mary Papathanasiou, CEO-stglobe, Hubert Viriot, CEO-Yotel Global, Chris Nader, Vice President-Shaza Hotels, Harika Kızılhan, General Manager-Turk Ekspres, Ömer Küçükdere, CEO-Nestpick, Nikita Dedik, CEO-Road Travel, Fernanda Barrence Mutz, CEO-The Trip Boutique, Aslı Erkan, General ManagerAviareps Turkey, Beyhan Çalık, Business Development Manager-Travelport Turkey, with the participation of these names below more than 150 speakers will be at Uzakrota Travel Summit 2019.

For more information; https://www.uzakrota.com/summit19

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BUSINESS EVENTS

International Medical Travel Show Dubai 2020 On February 2, 2020 at Dubai World Trade Center, UAE an extraordinary high-end event dedicated to medical tourism will be held that bringing together healthcare professionals from all over the world; International Medical Travel Show Dubai 2020.

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he growth rate of the global medical tourism sector is currently considered to be one of the highest compared to other tourism segments. More than 50 countries claim the development of medical tourism at the level of state policy. Each of the countries can offer the most developed medical field and something unique in the healthcare system. The entire global marketing toolkit is fully involved in this sector. Medical tourism has created a new concept of modern healthcare.

International Medical Travel Show Dubai 2020, an advanced Medical and Healthcare Travel networking platform that bringing together healthcare professionals from all over the world.

IMTS Dubai 2020 is an advanced Medical and Healthcare Travel networking platform, a unique hub aimed to develop relationships with government authorities and hospital executives, investors, healthcare authorities, buyers, insurance & travel companies, medical tourism facilitators, professionals from all over the world. IMTS Dubai 2020 is about to help to unleash the potential of the industry, both for service providers and service consumers of the health tourism market.

The organizers conducted a special market research, assessing the conditions of medical tourism as a business in more than 50 countries, analyzed all the information about stakeholders and provided the most valuable contacts on IMTS. Dubai 2020 platform.

The main value of Dubai 2020, any of visitors is guaranteed to receive personal attention from the necessary targeted contact and the opportunity to present themselves and their capabilities.

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In the framework of the IMTS.Dubai: Exhibition Networking and Demonstration Zone, comfortably designed area for efficient communication in between the sector stakeholders.

International Medical Travel Congress - educational part of the IMTS Dubai that serves to the participants as a knowledge transfer platform.

International B2B VIP Hosted Buyers Program efficient business tool that exclusively tailored for all participants to guarantee effectiveness. Our aim is to connect participants with potential business partners from markets which they are targeting. Participants can meet to Buyers from MENA, GCC, Africa, Europe and Asia.

The expanded business program of the exhibition deserves special attention. Events to be held in completely new formats, interactive venues, discussion zones and B2B meetings, speakers and topics raised by them will make the content of events even more powerful and interesting.

The medical tourism training short course, As an exclusive part of the event, participants also have an opportunity to attend a professional skills improvement program for medical travel sector specialists to improve best practices for medical tourism business based on the 30+ years of experience of the trainer who will design a course in accordance with the attendee’s profile and understanding of the region particularities. Maria K. Todd the Trainer and CEO of AskMariaToddTM is often called the world’s single most knowledgeable adviser on health travel and medical tourism business strategy and management.

For detailed action plan and register in advance on the official website imtshow.com or via email info.imts@kenzevents.ae

TurkishBritish

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

4 lessons I learned in 4 years as an entrepreneur Casual conversations with colleagues I like to joke around and say that I’d be a gunslinger if I lived in the Wild West — or a hunter in the Early Ages… I see being an entrepreneur today very much in the same light.

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hile working in a corporation is more like trying to figure out a human-made puzzle, being an entrepreneur is more like a primal fight with the forces of nature.

It is a challenge that you have to respect, commit, focus, work and build mastery on.

I remember a chat with a friend a few years back, that highlighted exactly how not to approach being an entrepreneur. She had a decent idea, decent work ethic, was smart, was good with people — all the good qualities. But here we were, talking about putting a stop to it all because she was convinced she sucked at this… She didn’t. She felt like a failure. But she wasn’t.

It was her first ever startup project that had failed, not her. There is a HUGE difference between you being a failure and your first startup failing. In the end; it was more about her ability to deal with feeling unsuccessful rather than the facts of her situation. Long story short; the rest of the conversation was about finding the right way to transition back to a full-time job.

I think the problem goes deep down into a misunderstanding of what entrepreneurs are and what they do. So here’s what I learned about that in the last four years as an entrepre-

Ozan Dagdeviren Startup Consultant | Author of Startups Grow With People | Domain expertise on Growth, People, Culture and Learning.

neur after quitting my job at a reputable tech company, moving from İstanbul to London, launching a number of businesses, failing at some and having what I can best describe as an adventure.

1. Entrepreneurship is about dealing with failure.

2. Entrepreneurship is about resource management.

3. Entrepreneurship is about understanding markets.

4. Entrepreneurship is about being great at deal making.

And that’s it. Those are the top four. Of course, there are other important things like being in tune with technology, balancing creativity in new ideas with discipline in execution, using the right mental models, planning well and more… But these four I have shared, easily take the stage as the most important things to get right — or the things that I see people getting wrong most of the time.

There are different dimensions to each that are vital. These dimensions are not always readily visible from the outside.

So I will try to elaborate.

“Entrepreneurship is about dealing with failure.”

• Separate your sense of self worth from you failed projects.

• Have a healthy fear of failure. Generic superhero movie quote: Courage is not the absence of fear, it is having the strength to overcome it.

But it is true. And applies very well here: Healthy dose of fear keeps you from taking stupid risks and making illogical bets.

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• Fearing failure is the biggest reason why people can’t realise their true potentials. Being an entrepreneur is like threading the thin line between order and chaos. Chaos turns to order when you “figure it out” (product-market fit, channel market-fit, your niche, whatever…).

• Don’t make big or important decisions with fear. It is all about making high quality decisions and fear doesn’t work very well when you are making highly complex, abstract decisions with a lot of unknowns.

“Entrepreneurship is about resource management.”

• Capital is not just money. There are multiple types of capital. Time, energy, motivation, intellectual, network, education, reputation and more. What an entrepreneur does is convert from one to others — and try to find the best rates of conversion. (i.e. converting from time capital to education capital or from network capital to reputation capital might be much better than motivation capital to financial capital in most cases if it depletes you.)

• The asset you need to be most protective of is yourself. If you burn-out (deplete your belief in yourself, your motivation to create, sell, hustle and work towards a better future), it is game over. Which means; the most valuable of these resources is your love, belief and respect towards yourself. Your motivation is like a recently kindled little fire when you start out.

You have to keep an eye on it, always.

Growing that fire to ignite bigger and bigger dreams should be your number one priority (especially while starting out).

“Entrepreneurship is about understanding markets.”

• Knowing how to deal with failures and being smart about your resources means you are ready to take on a challenge, but they don’t by themselves make you successful. The single biggest factor that determines if an entrepreneur is actually successful is their understanding of the market.

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• Markets are these complex, hard to decipher, constantly changing bulk of collective human will (purchasing behavior) that determine if what you are selling has a buyer.

Those who are best at understanding markets are actually the people who are the most humble about what they don’t know.

Ask the top 10 VC’s which consumer software applications are going to dominate in 2020, and you won’t get a decent answer.

Why? Because they will refuse to answer the question unless it is phrased as an invite to make a wild guess.

• Those who are able to navigate markets are those who know what metrics to look at.

Just like a doctor, they look at symptoms and signs and make a diagnosis. (i.e. MRR; Growth Rate, CAQ, Stickiness, etc…) Great entrepreneurs know that they don’t know and do their best to decipher the signs.

• The best way to understand markets is to roll-up your sleeves and run micro-experiments. Early 2019, I started building cultureboom.co believing there was a big enough market for early level startups that want to spend on culture building. I was wrong, it was (is) too early for that. But the only way I could have found that out was to launch with an MVP and speak to a lot of potential customers (startup founders in my case).

• A very big part of understanding markets is about understanding the giant role of timing. Did you know that Twitter first started as a podcast business? They were right about the need, just 15 years early.

Top tip: If you have don’t have a big budget, a lot of time and an abundance of resources; opt towards taking place in already established markets that are rapidly growing (as opposed to the markets you would be the first innovator to open the space up).

TurkishBritish “Entrepreneurship is about being great at deal making.”

• Business is making deals. The end. A customer contract is a deal. A hiring decision is a deal. A partnering decision is a deal.

A collaboration project is a deal. They are all deals.

• People who are good at making deals reject a fool’s choice when they see one.

(Those who take the “Fool’s Choice” see only two outcomes or behaviours, usually in terms of either/or — but there are always other options.)

Example side note: A UK based accelerator program located outside London is trying to increase the number of applicants and is looking for recruitment companies to help them. In their mind they have two choices; buy a recruitment service (which they don’t have the funds) or do the recruitment themselves (which they don’t have the necessary time), so they are stuck.

In reality there is a third (and most likely a fourth and a fi fth) way to do this deal. They can offer the recruitment company a “win” via a partnership. (e.g. the opportunity for them to position themselves as a tech/startup friendly recruitment business by offering their candidates a second chance at a reputable acceleration programme even if they don’t get the role they got in touch fi rst for.) This “win” has tangible business value that a partnership with the accelerator can provide. Cost = £0.

Value for both parties = Big. • Being good at deal making requires command of technology, out of the box thinking type of creativity, and most importantly, a very good understanding of the opposing business’s priorities and needs.

• Deals are leverage. They allow you to know about what other people don’t, see what other can not, get things done others aren’t able to and multiply your efforts at value creation.

So the biggest take-away, I guess, is being honest to yourself about what type of a challenge you are most suited for. Which one do you like more: Solving human-made puzzles or being in a primal fi ght with the forces of nature? http://www.ozandagdeviren.com

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Language programmes for adults, teenagers and children • Summer schools with arts and sports activities for ages 5-18 • Bachelor`s and Master`s programmes applications • Consultancy and trainings in Academic and General English We provide consultancy services for our clients to choose the best programme for their needs and requirements, and support them throughout their learning journey.

unitedwords.co.uk

info@unitedwords.co.uk

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

Mobile Game Recontact: London is more exciting with Ross Mullan

Born in Istanbul, encapsulated the World

Reaching more than 100 million users in 153 countries, the cinematic mobile game series Recontact takes place in the UK’s capital, London. Recontact: London features Game of Thrones Whitewalker Ross Mullan in the leading role.

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econtact: Istanbul, the fi rst of the cinematic mobile games series, was developed by Recontact Games in Istanbul, and launched in 2015. The second one, Recontact: Istanbul Eyes of Sky, followed in 2017. Reaching more than 100 million users in 153 countries around the world with two games, Recontact is now returning to the mobile gaming world with its fi rst international project, Recontact: London.

Recontact received an investment of 1 million 750 thousand TL, with a valuation of 22 million TL, before launching its 3rd game in London. Recontact: London, the 3rd in the cinematic mobile game series developed by Recontact Games in Istanbul, features British actor Ross Mullan, who played the Whitewalker in the popular Game of Thrones series and made an impression with his roles in projects such as Doctor Who and Clash of Titans, by his performances as the lead role. Mullan had previously been involved in another mobile game, Clash of Titans.

You are the leader of London’s Cybercrime unit in the game.

Recontact: London features major changes, in comparison to the other games in the series. The biggest difference of the new game is that we are playing ourselves, instead of playing a game character. You will be the leader of London’s Cybercrime unit. The game, by remaining true to the roots of the series, features cinematic sections and realistic video puzzles, as well as a hidden object fi nding game that involves trying to fi nd suspects through CCTV cameras. By using AR technology that offers 5 brand new, different, video-based puzzles, the game adds a different reality to crime investigation scenes.

In the previous game, Eyes of Sky, the cyber crime organisation called Recontact, and made crimes look like as if they were committed by different people, by manipulating the security cameras. In London, things become more serious and mysterious than one might think.

The designer, script writer and director of the game is Eray Dinç, the producer is Simay Dinç, and leader of the development team is Can Aksoy. The biggest success of the team, who em-

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barked on their journey with the motto of “Playable Arts”, is building cinematic films on videos, and using techniques that directly involve game dynamics, rather than multiple-choice storytelling.

4. The Game is in Tokyo Successful businesswoman Simay Dinç, co-founder of Recontact Games and producer of the Recontact game talked about Recontact:London and said “We are bringing crime scene investigation to your desktop thanks to the ARKit technology, introduced at the Apple Developer Conference and led us to a completely new direction. We are combining the photogrammetry technique with ARKit and we plan to offer a completely different experience”.

Dinç announced that they will release Recontact: Tokyo, the 4th Game of the series, in the second quarter of 2020 following the release of Recontact: London in October 2019. The game market in the world is worth 137 billion dollars.

56 billion dollars of this comes from mobiles, while 20 billion dollars comes from tablets. There are 30 million players in Turkey and 15 million of them spend money on games. However, the number of developers is very small.

More than half of mobile game players are women.

Recontact swept the awards Recontact:Istanbul, released in 2015, has reached 80 million people worldwide, despite being available only in the AppStore. Eyes of Sky, released in 2017 reached 25 million people. The two games are played by over 100 million people in 153 countries. The first game attracted unprecedented attention in China and Russia. In fact, a newspaper in China, featured it as “Eye in the Sky” in their news article which In turn led the second game being called“Eyes of Sky”. In Russia, YouTubers discovered and spread the game. For Eyes of Sky, the team worked with Ahmet Ümit and the game featured Fikret Kuşkan.

Recontact Games’ cinematic mobile game series was awarded the best game in Turkey in 2015 by Apple. It won the Best App award at the New Media Film Festival in Los Angeles in 2017. It was awarded Best Meaningful Play at the International Mobile Gaming Awards, held in San Francisco in 2018.

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

Digital marketing is reshaped with artificial intelligence!

The chatbots which can speak all languages chat with customers and answer their questions 24/7. Enterprises should take action quickly in order to not miss out on this opportunity!

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edtech Digital established by Ayşe Ülgen renders digital marketing and web design services to small and medium-sized enterprises. The UK-based company offers almost all services which raise the visibility of small and medium-sized enterprises on internet.

Nevertheless, companies should utilize emerging technologies to adapt to their competitors and changing customer needs in this competitive environment.

Considering this point, Redtech Digital, developed artificial intelligence-based chatbots and is using them quite effectively in marketing activities and increasing of customer satisfaction. How? Details are given below…

Don’t miss the boat!

Thanks to the applications such as Facebook and Whatsapp, instant messaging has become an essential part of our lives. Namely, it is especially the habit of new generation... This fact shapes artificial intelligence technologies as well. With recent developments, chatbots began to be smarter. In this way, reaching final consumer with messaging application and raising visibility of these messages became easier for marketers.

According to statistics, the possibility to read the messages sent via the messaging programs is 80% higher. Chatbots started to play a quite effective role in obtaining several fundamental information to respond a question sent to customer services, and in various stages of marketing. Ülgen believes that chatbots will set the rules of digital marketing game again.

She suggests that enterprises should catch up the chatbot opportunity timely.

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What is Chatbot?

Chatbot is actually a computer program which allows for the automatization of several tasks via a chat interface. Basically, this program simulates how a person in real life will behave through reciprocal dialogues. It uses artificial intelligence to manage complex demands and interactions with more personal answers and more naturally. With the machine learning called Natural Language Processing (NLP), AI robots can be utilized in various fields such as customer support applications, finding potential customers or increasing customer interaction and transformation.

Hi, this is a Chatbot!

Founder of Redtech Digital, Ayşe Ülgen remarked that AI robots are applied in many fields, particularly beauty and therapy centres, health and fitness centres, automotive and vehicle sales dealers, universities and educational institutions, electronic trade and online shops.

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A chatbot can elementarily fulfil any task, including welcoming customer, making appointment, giving instant answers to frequently asked questions and receiving request of the customer.

Thus, customer satisfaction can be increased by allocating more effective and qualified time to potential customers. In this way, an enterprise which can interact with the customers instantly can generate potential customers 24/7 and support the marketing and sales channel continuously with chatbot by integrating the potential customers into the existing sales and marketing channels.

Become visible with artificial intelligence!

“Some people think live chat applications will be sufficient, but I strongly disagree with this opinion, considering the benefits of chatbot such as achieving the same service quality 24/7 and high customer satisfaction,” said founder of Redtech Digital, Ülgen. Ülgen drew attention to that the AI robot can speak all languages other than right-to-left languages. She stated that any team member does not have such qualifications. Chatbots does not only provide time and cost savings, but also positively affect SEO rules which contain the principles of being on top in search engines. As the visitor spends longer time on web site, ranking of the site become closer to top in search engine. Ülgen specified that investment in AI is a substantial opportunity for the enterprises that want to become an innovative and customer-driven brand. Lastly, she recommended that the companies should not miss this opportunity.

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E-COMMERCE

Getting started with

Amazon FBA Online I shared the basic information you need to start selling on Amazon in the first two issues. If you want to sell online in the UK, your sales channel is not limited to Amazon. You can also use marketplaces such as Ebay, ETSY, your own website, social networks such as Instagram and Facebook in order sell your products online.

managing the site’s Google ads, and undertaking SEO optimisation will enable your site to rank high in organic search results. You must have financial resources for all of these and incur these costs before making any sales.

Resource is not enough on its own

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he main reason for me to prioritise Amazon is that Amazon offers equal opportunities for every vendor. What I mean to say by the expression ‘equal opportunities’ is that if you are not born in the UK or if you haven’t lived in this country for a long time, you are naturally unfamiliar with a lot of important information, such as country’s culture, purchasing habits, and the factors that affect consumers’ purchasing decisions. Even if you speak English very well, if you do not have a substantial knowledge and experience of the culture in this country, you will have difficulty with being effective in digital marketing.

You need to have a brand, in order to be able to sell with your own website and social media accounts. By brand, I do not just mean a company name and logo, but a brand language, content and communication strategy that will make people choose you. If you do not have professional knowledge of the things I mentioned, an agency or consultant should do all of this on your behalf. This means an extra investment cost.

Building Murat Buyurgan 60

your

website,

https://www.muratbuyurgan.com/

Allocating resources solely for marketing and advertising is not going to be enough for you.

If you are not planning to enter into online sales as a hobby, you should create a certain volume with your monthly sales. When you consider the stock you need to build this volume, the cost of the warehouse to store your products, the management of the warehouse and the cost of human resources to send the products to customers after the sales, it is not hard to predict how high your investment is going to be, until you can make your products saleable.

With the Amazon FBA sales model, you can overcome all these challenges, and reduce the costs I mentioned above, to zero. How? Let’s elaborate on this a little bit; If you have an individual Amazon Prime membership and shop several times a year on Amazon, even if not more often, you may have noticed that the decision to buy for most products is not based on the brand of the product you purchase, but on the impact that Amazon has created for you.

The fact that it’s easy to find a product you are looking for on Amazon, the availability of detailed information about the product, and the option to view the product with comprehensive pictures, also the ability to compare the product with alternative products and availability of user reviews enable Amazon to create an impact for you. This in turn makes your purchase decision much easier.

Most important of all, as an Amazon Prime

TurkishBritish customer, if you decide to return the product you purchased, or have problems with it, you will be able to return the product without any issues. All of these mean that Amazon users place their trust fi rstly with Amazon, before the brand of the products they buy on Amazon.

This trust, created by Amazon amongst its users, brings an opportunity for new and small businesses. Of course, you will need time for your products to start selling, get positive reviews and become competitive among their rivals, as soon as you start selling on Amazon.

However, in this process, you will not have to make an investment for a warehouse and extra human resources. You won’t face any costs of digital marketing. You will try to sell your products with Amazon ads instead of Google ads.

You need ads Amazon is a great opportunity to overcome the disadvantages of not knowing the country and the market. The only thing that you need to do as an Amazon reseller is to determine the selling potential of your product on Amazon and analyse the rights and wrongs of existing vendors who sell that product, and sell your product on Amazon.

You can access one of the technical tools for analysing the products you intend to sell on Amazon at http://bit.ly/amazonanaliz. You can easily fi nd out the number of monthly sales of any product you see on Amazon, by using this tool. This will allow you to decide whether the product is right for sale or not, and when you decide to sell it, how many products you need to buy from the supplier and send to Amazon.

After you source the product you decide to sell, you can send it in bulk to one of Amazon’s warehouses. The products will be ready for sale after entering the Amazon warehouse, and you won’t have to deal with the delivery of the orders to your customer. All you need to do is manage your ads, any product related questions, and your stock, through the Amazon reseller screen.

you some important advice; since your product is new, there will be no customer reviews on your page. No matter how good your product might be, the lack of positive comments on the product page will make it diffi cult for customers to make a purchase decision. What you need to do is to keep the price of the product lower than its competitors initially, to make it easier to sell at the low price.

Monitor your stock As your products sell more, Amazon will algorithmically move your product upwards in the search results. As customers become satisfi ed with the product and leave comments, customers who consider your products, make their decision to purchase much easier. The strategy you should apply to products you want to start selling consists of an active advertising campaign, to suit your budget, and low pricing.

Then you can gradually increase the price, as sales and the number of product reviews increase.

An important matter that you should also be paying attention to, during these advertising and sales processes, is that as your product stock goes down, you should try sending new products to the Amazon warehouse, and never let your stock level go down to zero. If you’re importing your products from Turkey, or any other country, you should effectively manage the supply chain, i.e. the process of ordering from the supplier, shipping and sending it to Amazon warehouse in good time.

I will share some more detailed reviews and tips on the subjects I have covered so far, in my next article. Until then, you can follow my Amazon FBA sales experience on Muratbuyurgan.com and my social media accounts and send me any questions you might have.

Products similar to the one you will sell on Amazon are probably already sold by other vendors. As I mentioned earlier, in order to be seen fi rst by Amazon users, which means in order to appear on top of the searches conducted by users, you’ll need Amazon ads. You can provide traffi c to your product page with your Amazon ads. At this point, I would like to give 61

EDUCATION

First rule in language education: Choosing the right school The UK, the home of the English Language, is the country which attracts the biggest number of students from all around the world. If you would like to decide on the best school alternatives and the required period, the best thing to do would be to get some advice from an experienced education consultant.

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n the UK, it is possible to choose from a wide range of education programmes including short-term or long-term English language learning courses, university preparatory academic programmes and Master`s degree programmes. To get the most of your time in the UK, you need to go for the right option for your needs and requirements among all the alternatives. It`d be wise to work with an experienced education consultant with an extensive knowledge about the education system and programmes in the UK. The alternatives vary depending on the learner`s learning targets as well as their age. Here are some of the alternatives:

For General English courses, Turkish passport holders can get a Visitor Student Visa up to 6 months and an Extended Student Visa to stay 6-11 months.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to Language Education for Families and extend the visa Children Aged 5-18 while you are The earlier children start to learn anoth- in the UK. er language, the easier and more natural the process is. To make this possible, some language schools in the UK offer play-based English classes for younger children. While children are engaged, parents can also benefit from classes for themselves offered at the same school.

Teenagers can attend a 2 to 8-week summer school programmes with or without accommodation where they can enjoy sports and arts activities offered by professional tutors. The biggest advantage of those programmes is that learners have a chance to practise what they learn all day in the campus and socialise with their peers from different nationalities, contributing to their self-confidence. It is extraordinary for teenagers to experience these summer camps full of activities and cultural excursions which are offered in one package including full-board accommodation.

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General English Courses for Adults General English courses are programmes starting every Monday at many language schools and they aim to improve the learners` four language skills (reading, writing, speaking and listening) as well as grammar and vocabulary. There are also other courses called Academic Year Education, which offer the same content for a longer term and start only certain times of the year. Most of General English courses are offered for 15, 20 or 25 lesson hours a week.

While some schools prefer online placement tests, some others allocate the first lesson of the programme to test the students` language level. According to The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), language levels are on a six-point scale between A1 for beginners and C2 for masters of a language. For General English courses, Turkish passport holders can get a Visitor Student Visa up to 6 months and an Extended Student Visa to stay 6-11 months. Unfortunately, it is not possible to extend the visa while you are in the UK.

Sedanur Mills, unitedwords.co.uk

Academic English and IELTS Courses In order to be qualifi ed to attend Academic English and IELTS Courses, you need to have at least a B2 level English.

These courses are usually preferred by learners who intend to start a Bachelor`s or Master`s degree programme. With the help of these programmes, you can reach the required level to start your education at a tertiary level institution in the UK. If you are attending these preparation courses at a language school rather than a university, you still have the same visa options as the students for General English Courses; a 6-month short term visa or an extended student visa for up to 11 months Bachelor`s Degree Programmes Students are required to have an A Level, AS Level or IB (International Bachelor) degree diploma and high grades in order to get accepted to a Bachelor`s degree programme in the UK. A Level is the name of the exam to prove profi ciency in certain subjects. Although normally it takes about two years to prepare and sit for A Levels, there are also some schools and colleges offering courses to be completed in a year. Students from Turkey who did not graduate from a high school approved by British education system are required to study at Foundation Programmes before starting their departments. Foundation Programme can be considered as a preparation year for university and offers basic departmental courses in addition to academic English lessons. If you wish to have Bachelor`s degree in the UK, you are advised to make your application in September-October for the following year`s term, which starts in September-October. The system allows

In the UK, it is possible to choose from a wide range of education programmes including short-term or longterm English language learning courses, university preparatory academic programmes and Master`s degree programmes.

you to make your application through UCAS for maximum 5 universities. Each university defi nes and implements its own criteria for admission.

Master`s Degree Programmes The requirements to start studying at a master`s programme in the UK varies depending on the institution and department. It is an advantage to have a high GPA of Bachelor`s diploma. However, if yours is not high enough, the system allows you to join pre-master programmes to make up for this.

Language profi ciency is certainly another requirement for master`s programmes. Although it might vary from one institution or department to another, if you got lower than 6-6.5 in IELTS, you are allowed to attend pre-sessional programmes with the university`s own assessment at the end of the programme and no need to sit for IELTS again. These are very helpful not only to adapt students to the institution before starting their department but also to improve their Academic English skills. In order to qualify for these programmes, you are expected to have taken IELTS. It is possible for the students to start their department the following academic year after doing the Foundation Level.

Sedanur Mills / Founder of Unitedwords Education and Consultancy Sedanur Mills, who has extensive teaching experience at tertiary level and several institutions in Turkey, Malaysia and England for over 15 years, has been teaching Academic English at Kings College Pre-Sessional Programme and at Royal Holloway Study Group International Foundation Year in London. Mrs Mills also provides consultancy services through Unitedwords Education and Consultancy for children, teenagers, families and businesspeople connecting them to the best alternative for their needs among all available summer schools, language schools, tertiary level programmes and private tutoring services, supporting them from the beginning of their educational journey.

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BUSINESS WOMEN NETWORK

A photograph of flavor!

Ebru Atlan, a food editor and stylist in the gastronomy industry in Turkey for many years, has founded the Mimosa Food Works in London and continues her profession here. Ebru Atlan develops recipes for various channels such as restaurants, food companies, magazines and social media, and takes delicious photos.

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bru Atlan, a long-established food stylist and editor in the gastronomy industry in Turkey, has moved to London in 2018 and founded her company, Mimosa Food Works Ltd. Having worked as the editor-in-chief La Cucina Italiana food magazine in Turkey for a long time, Ebru Atlan has also been freelancing as a food stylist for food brands and providing diverse services such as creating social media content and developing brand-specifi c recipes.

Mimosa Food Works Ltd. is currently working with food companies and restaurants located in London as well as other cities in the United Kingdom. Among the many services offered by Mimosa Food Works, food styling and photography take fi rst place. Ebru Atlan develops recipes for assorted channels such as magazines, books, social media, gastronomy websites and restaurants. She then prepares the dishes in methods suitable for a photo shoot, including food and prop styling. Depending on the project, she sometimes works with other photographers, and sometimes she also does her own photo shoots.

In addition to these, Mimosa Food Works also provides menu consulting services to restaurants, once the restaurant’s particular requirements are set out, where dishes are designed to cater to different dietary requirements such as vegan, vegetarian or gluten free.

She takes photos of the dishes and the venue, producing content that the restaurant can use on social media.

Ebru Atlan, who also taught food styling in Turkey for a long time, also organizes workshops in London, for those interested in food styling and photography.

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From blogging to professional food styling After graduating from the university with a degree in Political Science and International Relations, Ebru Atlan worked mostly in marketing departments in private companies. In 2009, she published her own personal blog, the Mimosa Café, bringing her childhood passion for food, together with her heritage from her roots in Mersin and Antakya. While sharing her own recipes and travels on her blog, she also attended culinary courses in Turkey and abroad. An avid traveler as much as a food enthusiast, Ebru Atlan participated in workshops to explore the local cuisine and food culture in the countries she traveled to, such as Japan, Thailand, the United States and Italy.

In 2009, she won the fi rst place in the culinary competition organized by LG, in the “LG Life Tastes Good National Championship Culinary Competition” and afterwards represented Turkey in the international competitions that took place in Dubai and Bangkok. Since 2010 she has been professionally active in the gastronomy sector as a food editor and stylis, working with chefs, photographers and food magazines. Since then, her articles on food and travel have been featured in many magazines and she has produced special photo shoots for food brands, as well as working as a food stylist for both photo shoots and adverts.

TurkishBritish

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BUSINESS WOMEN NETWORK

She designs new products before they become trends!

Companies from hundreds of different sectors, from fashion, home textiles and cosmetics to the automotive industry are ready for future trends with the help of Trendpie, founded by Ahu Barut in London.

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rendpie’s founder Ahu Barut graduated from Istanbul Technical University’s Chemical Engineering Department and then received her Master’s degree in Production Planning, from the Istanbul University Department of Business Administration. Continuing her career at DuPont and Johnson & Johnson, Barut entered the trend sector in 2003, which would shape her future. Founding Trendpie, she has become the brand representative for the foremost Trend Studios, globally established fi rms with diverse but complementary expertise in Trend Forecasting; and has been bringing trendy and designer items to the various collections of companies in London and Turkey.

Barut says that she works in “all kinds of sectors where trend comes to play, such as manufacturers and brands in textiles, fashion, pret-a-porter (ready-to-wear) clothes, fabrics, home furnishings, accessories, and especially cosmetics, cars, mobile phones, electrical appliances, hotel, interior design, tourism, health and food. I assist these companies in everything from creating their product range to brand and style identity.”

Barut continues: “My services involve managing all the steps from the very beginning until the presentation to the customer: analyzing the needs of the companies, creating, developing and fi nding the right people to be involved in this project, in order to provide the most effi cient service.” She also gives seminars in fashion schools, to brands, producers, and organizations of textile or ready-to-wear products, about the ongoing socio-economic changes in the world, consumption habits, the hit songs, exhibitions, the “IT” people, living spaces, travel, food, advances in technology, and their infl uence on fashion, cosmetics, textiles, household accessories, in short, life.

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CREATIVE PORTRAITS

TurkishBritish

Crisp Studio brings style to the table…

First in Turkey and now in London, ceramics artist Hilal Ündem designs and brings to life very chic and stylish tableware in her Crisp Studio.

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eramicist and Handicrafts Designer Hilal Ündem, after graduating from the Ceramics Department of the Faculty of Fine Arts, Eskisehir Anadolu University, continued to create ceramic works in her workshop and art gallery as well as organizing exhibitions for many artists. At the same time, she also offered ceramic courses for children and adults. Ündem, who has opened one personal and twelve group exhibitions with her artistic works, also taught ceramics and visual art classes at Vehbi Koç Foundation (VKV) Koç Private School for 4 years. She has continued her activities in London, since coming here with her husband in June 2018.

Ündem stated that they launched Crisp Studio in London which they had developed back in Turkey, “Under Crisp Studio, I design and produce designer tableware that is also suitable for practical use. I create stylish plates, handmade ceramic coffee cups and mugs with logos for London cafés and restaurants to dress up their services to customers. I also make vases, plant pots, brooches and accessories. Architecturally I design wall panels for interior and exterior areas.

I let certain designer stores carry my pieces, so I get the opportunity to reach a wider audience,” she explains. Ündem occasionally organizes children-only or family workshops and since September she also started to offer art classes through charities in London. Ündem, who plans continue both creating and teaching, said, “By continuing my career through multiple paths, I aim to progress both commercially and in the areas of arts and education; making Crisp Studio into a more well-known brand.” www.crispstudio.co.uk

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CITY AND LIFE

GOURMET

The modern face of Turkish Cuisine

We met Selin Kiazım, at her restaurant Oklava in Shoreditch where she reinterprets the Turkish Cuisine with original and innovative touches, carrying its reputation in UK beyond “kebap”.

Interview: Ebru Atlan Tecirlioğlu / @ebruatlan

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elin Kiazim has loved cooking and entertaining guests since she was a little child; now she introduces her customers to the most special flavors of Turkish cuisine in her restaurants in London. We talked with Kiazim, who opened Kyseri, her second restaurant after Oklava, about her passion for the Turkish cuisine and the culinary arts.

When did your interest in food begin? How did you decide to become a chef and open your restaurants?

I was born and raised in the north of London, in a neighborhood with a large Turkish and Greek Cypriot population. I have loved watching cooking shows and going into the kitchen to try different recipes since I was 11-12 years old. When I was 13, I would invite my friends to our home, cook for them and throw parties.

This went on for years. However, I was a little intimidated by the idea of becoming a professional chef because it was said that it was a tough business and required a lot of hard work. I decided to study interior architecture but after one year of study, I realized that I was not enjoying myself much, so I started culinary school. After completing my training, I worked in various restaurants in London.

Have your origins influenced the development of your culinary understanding?

I am a Turkish Cypriot on both my parents’ sides. My family moved to London in the ‘70s.

My father ran a café for many years. Actually I like cooking different dishes from all around the world. From a young age I wanted to open up my own restaurant and make original dishes that did not resemble what was available. I believed there weren’t many places in London which served Turkish food at a high standard. I wanted to interpret the Turkish Cuisine with my own modern touches. Ever since I was a kid, we’ve been going to Cyprus every year. The food my mother cooked, the food my grandmother cooked, all these inspired me. I created a menu with this view in mind. I opened up my first restaurant, Oklava, 4 years ago. Later I opened Kyseri with a slightly different concept.

What is the concept in Oklava, your first restaurant?

Oklava is more of a reflection of my Cypriot origins. Our menu includes light dishes and salads with a Mediterranean spirit, using lots of olive oil; as well as some traditional flavors like varieties of kebap including the famous “sef69

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tali/peach kebap” from Cyprus, lahmacun and Turkish pizza (pide). We interpret all of these dishes with our own special modern touches.

Our menu varies according to the seasons and we present our dishes on sharing platters, as we do at home.

What kind of food is on the menu here?

One of our most popular dishes in Oklava was created purely by coincidence, a cauliflower dish roasted with red chili paste. I had just arrived from Istanbul and brought with me some delicious chili paste and pistachios. There were some parsley and red onions in the fridge. I combined all these ingredients and created this dish, which has now become one of the most popular ones in the restaurant.

Another dish also inspired by Turkish ingredients is the crostini, where white cheese and candied pumpkin are served on seeded crackers. None of these can be specifically called “Turkish food”, but their source of inspiration was purely the Turkish cuisine.

Coming to your other restaurant, Kyseri, how did you come up with the idea to open a second restaurant?

As the name implies, Kyseri’s inspiration is the Kayseri region. Here, we make our own “mantı” and “pastırma.” Manti and pastirma are two of my favorite foods and they are not well known in London, and it is very difficult to find good ones. So, I wanted to create a new concept where these dishes are well served.

What are the most popular dishes in Kyseri?

We make two kinds of manti, one filled with meat and sour cherries, and the other with mushrooms. As opposed to the traditional mantı, we shape our manti in larger pieces. I’d say our signature taste is the mantı with meat and sour cherry filling. We also use parsley and onions in it, flavoring it with a little fennel seed. It is served topped with garlic yogurt mixed with cream, slow cooked tomato sauce, fried butter, pine nuts and thyme. We also serve “erişte”, homemade noodles with white cheese and walnuts, which is very popular. Again, we serve them in sharing platters.

What are your inspirations? What do you enjoy doing, where do you like to travel to?

I like to travel, eating dishes from chefs of different world cuisines, discovering new dishes and new restaurants.

I’m very inspired by the ingredients, and I love figuring out what other chefs are doing with various ingredients. This way I sometimes notice that I haven’t used certain ingredients for a long while, and then I create brand new dishes with them.

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CITY AND LIFE

FASHION

London Fashion Week 2019 Turkish fashion designers on stage at London Fashion Week

The London Fashion Week 2019, organised by The British Fashion Council (BFC), carried out a program of more than 66 brands, 74 stores and 170 events between 13-17 September. We look closely at the latest collections of London-based Turkish designers.

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ustainable design was the highlight of this year’s fashion week… The collection of the Vin + Omi brand consisted of recycled materials. During the fashion show, some of the fabrics shown were made from stinging nettles, obtained from the garden of Prince Charles, who supported the project. During the Fashion Week, climate activists from the Extinction Rebellion movement, staged a protest outside the building against the fashion industry’s massive carbon release. The protesters targeted Victoria Beckham’s show in particular.

The eagerly awaited designers of London Fashion Week featured three young designers, who originated from Turkey. We took a close look at the fashion shows and collections of Bora Aksu, Dilara Fındıkoğlu and Erdem Moralıoğlu, who continued their works in London, and created unique designs at a young age.

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TurkishBritish Bora Aksu www.boraaksu.com Bora Aksu dedicated his Spring-Summer 2020 Collection to the famous Princess Taj Saltaneh, from the Qajar Dynasty, along with Frida Kahlo and the painter, Maria Berrio.

Taj Saltaneh, the famous princess of the Qajar Dynasty, near the Iranian border, was also known as a feminist and a pioneer of women’s rights, despite becoming a princess in the early 20th century. One of the founders of the Women’s Freedom Organization, Taj was secretly organising women’s groups. In addition to her walk to the Parliament building, she is also known as the first woman to remove her veil and wear European clothes. Criticising the monarchy that her father exercised, at every opportunity, Taj thought that many problems, including poverty, women’s rights and education, were created by the monarchy. At that time, she was known as the only female voice for change and democracy.

collection, Aksu’s Spring-Summer 2020 Collection consists of silk organza, broker, silk habotai, chiffon and cotton textures. Romantic and nostalgic silhouettes appear on the dresses, while separate pieces, such as jackets and skirts give an air of modernism and sophistication.

Bora Aksu, who graduated from Central Saint Martins School in 2003, with outstanding grades, has been awarded the New Generation award of the British Fashion Council four times, and is now on the way to becoming a world brand, with 38 stores in the major capitals of the world.

Bora Aksu says that Taj’s journey, from young princess to activist, is a source of inspiration for this collection. In addition to Taj, Frida and Maria, who live in different locations, for different periods, are part of the inspiration.

The colours and collages that Colombian painter Maria Berrio used in her paintings, refer to the colour palette of Bora Aksu’s SpringSummer 2020 collection. Dark red, dark blue and navy blue tones, turquoise, pastel blue and pink are all used together.

Defined as a romantic, courtly and courageous

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Dilara Fındıkoglu www.dilarafindikoglu.com Dilara Findikoglu, who organised a guerrilla style fashion show in the school yard, to protest the end of the fashion show at the Central Saint Martins graduation three years ago, has been creating non-stop. The young designer who dresses many names from Tilda Swinton to Madonna, uses fabrics and accessories from Turkey, as well as motifs related Turkish culture.

She carries out some of her production in Turkey.

Inspired by subcultures, feminism, religious symbols and current political issues in her designs, Fındıkoğlu’s Spring 2020 collection at LFW had the theme of imminent climate crisis.

Fındıkoğlu, who produces 75 percent of the clothes from recycled and sustainable materials, stated that she utilises the fabric dyeing techniques and craftsmanship of women’s collectives in Turkey, in the process of creating some her designs. Dilara Fındıkoğlu’s collection and were presented to fashion lovers, with a theme of respect for mother nature, and an awareness of the future climate crisis.

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TurkishBritish Erdem Moralıoglu www.erdem.com Erdem Moralıoğlu, a name of the British and world fashion scene with his Erdem brand, has won many awards in the field of fashion. The Canadian-Turkish fashion designer’s fashion show at LFW was a parade, where the floral patterns he always uses meet eye-catching colours, sometimes in tight suits and sometimes in large dresses.

Moralıoğlu, who dresses Kate Middleton, as well as many well-known names, such as Michelle Obama, and Kate Winslet, is known as a designer who appeals to people of all ages, using floral patterns and handmade embroidery.

Erdem Moralıoğlu’s Spring 2020 ready-to-wear collection was dedicated to photographer Tina Modotti. Modotti, who was both a photographer, and a figure in politics, during the rebellions of Mexico and Spain, is known for both documentary photographs and Frida Kahlo portraits and still-lifes from this period.

Every piece in this collection of Erdem Moralıoğlu, according to his own words, presented sections of the life of this principled, revolutionary and romantic woman. The designer says that while living in Mexico, he lived in architect Luis Barragán’s home and studio, and was inspired by the colours there, while preparing his collection.

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CITY AND LIFE

LONDON

A local experience: Hampstead

When the idea of walking on Oxford Street or strolling through Hyde Park seems just a bit too cheesy, there are plenty of local options to experience in this vibrant town. acemilondoner / www.acemilondoner.com

H

ampstead, being one of the most authentic villages in London, is an alternative to the touristy town centre. It has true urban romance which offers a distinguished selection of coffee shops, boutiques, natural beauty in the Hampstead Heath, although it’s pretty close to central London.

Hampstead is easily reached by Northern Line, on the Edgware branch.

Hampstead Tube Station is right on the Hampstead High Street where a short stroll can take you lots of breakfast spots such as La Pain Quotidien, Paul, Gail’s. If you prefer a nonchain option, however, you can try Melrose& Morgan situated on Oriel Place. Another local good coffee and breakfast place is Ginger & White at Perrin’s Court, which is famous for its artisan coffee. The Villa Bianca, also on the same street, is the ideal restaurant for a romantic lunch break.

On Flask Walk, popping into an antique dealer and traditional bookshop called Keith Fawkes, owned by a descendant of Guy Fawkes, is true hidden gem for second-hand book lovers. If you’re into a vintage fashion lover, fi nding a good old designer piece in Exclusivo Second Hand Designer Store by chance can brighten up your day.

Stepping down to Flask Walk will take you to one of the most unmissable streets in Hampstead. Walking through Flask Walk and taking photos of the houses with colourful do-

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by Instagrammers. At the end of this cute street, a historical local gem will be waiting for you to explore. Hampstead Museum and Burgh House is a beautiful building that will take you a journey through time from the hustle of the city life. I highly recommend to visit the Hampstead Museum and check at the art gallery in Burgh House. You can also check the small cafe on the lower fl oor of the House which has mouth pleasing cakes and afternoon tea snacks.

One of the best parts of Hampstead is exploring its natural beauty and magical woodland simply by walking through the Heath! Get lost in the enchanting paths of this huge park, wander through the exquisite garden of the Kenwood House and take a break in the garden terrace of the Brew House. Having a picnic on the lawns of Kenwood House is a summer ritual in Hampstead. Don’t miss the chance to check the stunning London view of the Parliament Hill on the edge of the Heath, it’s a view to remember!

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CITY AND LIFE

The gates of history reopened The ‘Sidon King Necropolis’ and ‘Ancient Sculpture’ halls which hosts the world’s most important artefacts has began to host their guests.

G

ood news for history lovers... The doors of history were re-opened to visitors, in Istanbul’s Archaeology Museum, the first museum of the Ottoman and Republican eras.

Within the main Neo-Classical building of the museum, which is one of the most important in the world in archaeology, the “Sidon King Necropolis” and ‘Ancient Sculpture’ halls have been renovated and opened, to host visitors.

There were scores of visitors to the historical buildings, opened by Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism, Nadir Alpaslan on 27 September, during the first two days.

The renovated sections of the museum, which contain many important artefacts, such as the “Tomb of Alexander” and the “Tomb of the Weeping Women”, greeted visitors, after nearly 8 years of extensive retrofitting, restoration and exhibition preparation. Other buildings in the museum are expected to open in 2020.

Among the exhibited works are the statue of ‘God Bes’, the mummy of Alexander, the Weeping Women, Tabnit, 78

Satrap, Lycian Tombs, and a mummy that belongs to the King of Sidon, along with personal belongings, documents, busts, archaeological artefacts and books relating to life, museology, painting and the archaeological excavations of the founder of the Istanbul Archaeological Museum, Osman Hamdi Bey.

Turkey’s first photorealist painter, Nur Koçak’s works in SALT Titled after one of her works, Our Blissful Souvenirs can be visited till December 29 in Istanbul’s prestigious art institution SALT.

Osman Hamdi Bey’s ‘Koranic Instruction’ sold for £4.6 mln A painting by 19th century Ottoman painter Osman Hamdi Bey has been sold an auction for almost £4,6 million at London.

The 1890 painting, “Koranic Instruction,” was sold by The London-based auctioneers Sotheby’s to an unnamed bidder for £4,64 million. The art piece was valued between £3,5 million before the auction. The painting was a piece of the Important Works from the Najd Collection.

The catalogue note about the painting; “While at first glance ‘Koranic Instruction’ bears many of the hallmarks of a French academic painting, it was a radical work for its time that challenged artistic and social norms. For a start, figurative painting was virtually unpracticed by Muslim artists at the time” it’s called.

“The opulent tiled setting of the present work is a secluded corner of the Yeşil Cami, or Green Mosque, in Bursa in western Anatolia.

Framed by a Mamluk lantern and monumental candlestick, two men face one another, the seated man receiving Koranic instruction from the standing hoja or teacher. The closely cropped composition suggests that Hamdy Bey may have had recourse to photographs, a practice favored by French academic painters such as Jean-Leon Gerome.”

Osman Hamdi Bey’s “Girl Reciting Quran” was sold to Malaysian Islamic Arts Museum last month in London for £6.3 million.

Osman Hamdi Bey was a pioneering Turkish painter and archeologist who lived between 1842 and 1910.

The most comprehensive exhibition to date of Nur Koçak, one of Turkey’s first photorealist painters, is presented at SALT Beyoğlu and SALT Galata. Titled after one of her works, Our Blissful Souvenirs comprises a selection of early drawings and photographic series, produced between the 1960s and 2010s.

The exhibition offers an in-depth view into Koçak’s critically narrative practice, which examines the spread of popular culture from women’s magazines and Hollywood movies through to its repercussions in Turkey.

Our Blissful Souvenirs begins at SALT Beyoğlu’s ground floor, with the Vitrinler [Shop Windows] (1989-2019) series installed in the Forum.

These photographs and paintings focus on the reflections of the global consumer culture on various shop windows in central Istanbul, questioning the depersonalization of the female body, as it suddenly became the object of the gaze through the overt display of retail products once deemed private. The presentation also reinstates Ebrusan Vitrini [Ebrusan Shop Window] (1993-1996) to Beyoğlu more than a quarter-century later, in which fishnet stockings embroidered with beads or rhinestones, lace lingerie and other accessories are intertwined with street images.

Nur Koçak, a postcard from the series Müdahale Edilmiş Kartpostallar [Manipulated Postcards], 1981

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