This one focuses on one of the best admirer of the City, Ahmed Hamdi Tanpınar, whose “Time Regulation Institute” has been recently published in English. The recent revival of his accounts about the city stems from his unique position as a unique and genuine talent, who was not part of contemporary shallow political conflicts. The binary concept of “East & West” (and their most striking encounter in this very city) finds its refined narrator with Tanpınar. Beyond that, he defines the whole concept of modernity by making the time visible through the space all-around the Old City and Bosporus.
A good collection of places will be visited, from a Mevlevihane (Sufi Dervish Houses) to Naval Museum, as we follow his distilled version of Istanbul between 16th to 20th century.

For a review on his famous novel “the Time Regulation Institute” from NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/05/books/review/the-time-regulation-institute-by-ahmet-hamdi-tanpinar.html?_r=0