Photo of the Day

Mannequins wearing knock-off designer jeans in the Turkish half of Nicosia, the divided capital of Cyprus. Ever since a downtown border crossing was opened up in the city on April 3, 2008, Greek Cypriots have been coming over to the Turkish side to buy fake, yet cheap, Dolce & Gabbana and Armani jeans, while Turkish Cypriots have been going over to the other side to buy the more expensive real thing. June 1, 2008. 

(Photo by Yigal Schleifer)

Photo of the Day

A child walks in front of a home being demolished in Istanbul's predominantly Roma Sulukule neighbhorhood, located just inside the city's Byzantine walls. Sulukule, a Roma enclave for centuries, is being completely torn down and its residents are being moved to the outskirts of town, some 40 kilometers (26 miles) away. More pictures and an audio feature at Eurasianet. (Photo by Yigal Schleifer)

Torn Between Two....

The recent crisis in Georgia has left Turkey in a tight spot, torn between its obligations to NATO and its alliance with the west, and its growing trade and energy relations with Russia. My story in Eurasianet.

Photo of the Day

Three boys at a Sunnet (circumcision) party in a village on Turkey's Karaburun penninsula. August, 2006. 

(Photo by Yigal Schleifer)

Iftar Rising

My article in today's Christian Science Monitor about how iftar, the traditional dinner that breaks the daily Ramadan fast, is turning from a family affair into a lavish, corporate event in Turkey and other parts of the Muslim world.