For When You're Feeling Nostalgic
Sometimes the first note of a song carries you back years. This list has the family tables of Yeşilçam (the golden age of Turkish cinema), songs from the cassette era, books you read as a child and the ferry piers of old Istanbul. Longing can be a little bittersweet, but it warms the heart all the same.
Films
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1 Film
Hababam Sınıfı (1975)
A rowdy class and a patient teacher show that love can soften even the most stubborn heart.
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2 Film
Neşeli Günler
A story that reminds us of the warmth of family even amid quarrels, and of how a smile can make peace.
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3 Film
Bizim Aile
Watching a big family's noisy but loving ways, you find yourself missing your own dinner table.
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4 Film
Mavi Boncuk
The adventures of an inept but kind-hearted gang, a friendship story as good for the heart as a blue evil-eye bead.
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5 Film
Back to the Future
A fun adventure reminding you that you can build the future with your own hands.
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6 Film
The Sandlot
An unforgettable summer on a dusty baseball field, and a warm nostalgia for childhood friendships.
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7 Film
Only Yesterday
A calm, tender journey in which Taeko, off to the countryside, makes peace with her childhood memories and chooses a new life.
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8 Film
Sing Street
An energetic coming-of-age film about a boy who starts a band to impress a girl and finds freedom in music.
Songs
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9 Song
Dönence
An epic song about the turning of the world and the cycle of life, ending in hope.
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10 Song
Kalamış
A song as calm and graceful as a Bosphorus evening, for those who come to find sweet peace on the shore at Kalamış.
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11 Song
Bodrum
A song that brings the salt, sun and ease of a summer holiday to your ears.
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12 Song
Ah Bu Ben
A sweet bit of self-reckoning about making peace with your own quirks.
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13 Song
Benimle Oynar mısın
A simple invitation that touches the heart, asking you to live life lightly and lovingly, like a game.
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14 Song
Take On Me
An 80s classic whose unforgettable synth riff and sky-climbing chorus make you giddy inside.
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15 Song
Daydream Believer
A song like morning sunshine about the sweetness of daydreaming.
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16 Song
Waterloo Sunset
The quiet peace of watching the sunset in the bustle of the city.
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17 Song
Can't Take My Eyes Off You
A timeless song that shouts the magic of love with an exuberant chorus.
Books
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18 Book
My Sweet Orange Tree
A warm classic that lets you feel childhood's innocence and sadness at the same time.
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19 Book
Boğaziçi Mehtapları
A memoir that brings back the music heard from boats on the moonlit Bosphorus and the elegance of old Istanbul.
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20 Book
Geçmiş Zaman Köşkleri
Writings that wistfully bring back the gardens, dinner tables and quiet days of old Istanbul's mansions.
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21 Book
Totto-chan: The Little Girl at the Window
The true story of a free-spirited girl and a school that loves children just as they are.
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22 Book
İstanbul Bir Masaldı
A novel that tells the many-voiced memory of Istanbul through the story of a family across generations.
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23 Book
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Mischief and adventure on the banks of the Mississippi, with the free spirit of childhood in every page.
Paintings
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24 Painting
Çengelköy Pier
A pier reaching into the still waters of the Bosphorus carries the calm of a seaside morning where time moves slowly.
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25 Painting
Bostancı Sea Baths
Swimmers on the Bostancı shore and a sweet laziness; the cool breeze of old Istanbul summers.
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26 Painting
Taksim Square
Stylishly dressed people out for a stroll around the Republic Monument; a bright snapshot of 1930s Istanbul.
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27 Painting
Moda
The sparkling air of the Moda shore and the sea breeze refresh you with Impressionist touches.
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28 Painting
Children's Games
A cheerful square where hundreds of children playing over eighty games awaken the child within us.