I have always loved sculptures of every kind, every shape and theme. Akdeniz or Mediterranean was the one I fell in love with at first sight. It's a sculpture created by one of Turkey’s best-known mid-20th-century sculptors, İlhan Koman. When I first met this sculpture, it was out in the open for everyone to observe that it was moved in front of Yapı Kredi Headquarters in Levent.
Unfortunately, people protesting Israel vandalised the sculpture, so then it was off the grid for some time, at least until a couple of years ago, when it was moved to a location where it is visible from the third floor of the Yapı Kredi Culture Art building that was newly constructed on İstiklal Street. I think it's the most awkward location for such a mesmerising sculpture to lie, but it's protected, it's isolated and you can talk with her as quiet and undisturbed as possible.
This is Koman's best known monumental sculpture. It's of a woman with arms spread wide, ‘Akdeniz/Mediterranean’, nicknamed by fellow artists ‘the spaghetti woman’.
This sculpture is a beautiful way to perceive the modern art productions of Turkish Art History.
Find your way with 237 Insider Tips from our Local Spotters
From internationally acclaimed jazz masters to dynamic dance performances, the CRR Concert Hall consistently offers top-notch entertainment.
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"Homemade Aromaterapi" is a small, beautiful shop in Kuzguncuk, Istanbul. Come here for cold-pressed essential oils, cleansers, soaps, toothpaste & more!
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"Kuzguncuk" in Istanbul is a uniquely beautiful neighborhood with old colorful houses, mansions and friendly shopkeepers - a sense of connected community.
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The "Chandeliers in Istanbul's Hagia Sophia" have their own little recent story which is good to remember whenever you pay a visit... Lighting is key!
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With it large garden and lovely ambience, "Primitif Birahane" in Istanbul resembles 'biergartens' in Germany, though here you will find plenty of cats...
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The "Pera Museum" is for you if you're into art from the life of Istanbul and the Ottoman world between the 17th and early 20th century...
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"The Shoe-shine boys" is a very typical Istanbul sight. Having your shoes painted and polished is a nice experience, just be careful who does it for you!
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The "Fenerbahçe Steamboat" has carried passengers across Istanbul's Bosphorus over 55 years. Now you can see this historical ship in Rahmi Koc Museum.
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"Holy Fragrance" sellers sit just outside mosques and provide refreshing perfumes. I would recommend the ones in Istanbul's Beyazit and Yeni mosques.
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"Kurucu Ali Baba Restaurant" is one of the restaurants that serve haricot beans just outside Suleymaniye in Istanbul. Great service, worth the money...
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