Reading the Middle East

Regional developments are pacing faster than in a long time, at least, even though we have yet to see anything like substantial progress. Read some commentary here (Bitte Hammargren in Svenska Dagbladet), here, here and here (all from BBC World).

Re:Orient

This year's Stockholm Re:Orient-festival takes place 7-10 June and reportedly in several downtown locations. I am sooooo looking forward! The schedule is not clear quite yet, though.

The walls of Diyarbakir

The black basalt stone walls of old Diyarbakir - dating from Ottoman times??? - surrounding the old sity can here be seen from the distance.

Overlooking the Bosphorus

The last sight from our Istanbul weekend...

Photos from Afghanistan

The Museum for the Near East and Antiquity (? well, Medelhavsmuseet in Swedish) has a photo exhibition from Afghanistan this week. I will not have the opportunity to see it myself, but encourage all others interested to go!

Turkey and Europe

Ingmar Karlsson is speaking in Stockholm tonight (scroll down) on his new book, which is as yet not translated, as far as I know: "Europe and the Turk".

Dagens Nyheter reviews it enthusiastically, but also problematizes issues not fully explored in the book (at least according to the reviewer). The Svenska Dagbladet reviewer doesn't fully agree with his views though, even if he appreciates the factual content.

Previously Karlsson has published this article on the same theme.

Other reading on Turkey here (on Swedish business).

All the links are in Swedish, by the way.

Angles on the Suleimaniyye

Two slightly more unusual shots of the Suleimaniyye, one taken from the row of restaurants next to it and the other from the upper floor of the IMC Carsisi down towards the Atatürk bridge.

On the Bosphorus

Life on the Bosphorus on a Friday afternoon in early February - very beautiful and peaceful-looking. Birds, fishing, very few (extraordinarily so) passing boats.

All the pictures are taken from Emirgan, from a bench on the quay outside the Sabanci Museum (Atli Kösk).

Istiklal caddesi

Something funny happened to a previous post - the photo disappeared. So I republish it...

The far (or near?) end of Istiklal Caddesi, the one near the Tünel and at the other end from Taksim. It's pretty much my Istanbul haunt, I guess. And you can see the tram approaching here too.

Bosphorus piloting system

The white tower you see among the buildings behind the line of shoreside villas is a part of the electronic piloting system of the Turkish straits - installed a few years back only. I may have had pictures of similar installments near Canakkale to show you last summer - they span the full length of both straits.

Bridging the Bosphorus

I showed a lot of bridges not so long ago. Now, this time it is the second (upper) Bosphorus bridge, the Fatih bridge, between Rumeli Hisari and Anadolu Hisari, about halfway up the Bosphorus. See the steady stream of passing cars... and glimpse the fortress behind on the European side.

Congratulations, EU 50 years!

The EU celebrates 50 years this weekend! You may not all appreciate it to the full, but it is the best we have and an great achievement for peace and stability in Europe. The transforming power it extends to Europe's vicinity is also very compelling and not yet utilized to the full - so we have more work to do in coming years. The formal celebration takes place tomorrow in Berlin, but already today a range of activities take place all over Europe. One important initiative is a youth meeting in Rome.

Read more media comments here (Swedish Dagens Nyheter) and here (BBC World). The Swedish primeminister & EU-commissioner write this joint declaration for a deepening cooperation in Europe. The commissioner develops her vision further here.

Sunday addition: these views from EU commission president (also in Swedish).

Tram!

We spent a very sunny February weekend relaxing in Istanbul. This is the newly reopened tram on Istiklal caddesi.

Aleppo Gate

It was almost dark when we reached Harrans Aleppo Gate (Halep Kapisi). As I think I have previously indicated, the historical economic and social ties to Aleppo and regions across the border is strong.

A prize for Cordelia

Previous Svenska Dagbladet Israel-correspondent Cordelia Edvardsson (one of Sweden's best renowned and most humane Middle East correspondents) has today been awarded a culture-prize by Natur & Kultur publishing house. Congratulations, Cordelia!

Moulid

BBC today has a photo gallery from a Tanta moulid - a sufi saint's festival (sort of) - that I would encourage you to take a look at.

Castle nooks

More interior details from my ramblings around Harran castle.

More from Harran castle

The Harran fort was a real paradise for adventurers and curious visitors, with towers, caravansarays, stairs, vaults and courtyards all over the ramshackle construction. Standing on the plain with no ticket-booth, no signs, no real entrance, just some goats and some kids' graffiti, it was an amazing tribute to forgotten history - and very exciting!

Harran castle

I spent half an hour or more climbing around in the castle ruin at dusk - quite an experience!

From Harran in the sunset

Standing on Harran castle (a mainly Mamluk structure, I believe) in the last minutes of daylight.

I will show more of the castle itself also later. But that is then the last of this trip (which has filled these pages for some time now - later over to other cities and experiences).