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Jennifer Hattam

@jenhattam.bsky.social

Freelance journalist in Istanbul covering enviro, social, urban issues + art/culture/food/travel: https://www.jenniferhattam.com (You may know me as TheTurkishLife on Twitter) Subscribe to my arts+culture newsletter: https://istanbuletcetera.substack.com

2,082 Followers  |  564 Following  |  355 Posts  |  Joined: 01.01.2024
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Posts by Jennifer Hattam (@jenhattam.bsky.social)

Also both excellent choices :)

01.03.2026 04:46 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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With Ancient Ruins and Striking Landscapes, Turkey's Lakes Region Is a Hidden Gem Between the big city bustle of Istanbul and the beaches of the Mediterranean Sea lies another Turkey β€” one of tradition, history, and divine landscapes.

Big fan of the lakes region! www.travelandleisure.com/trip-ideas/t...

28.02.2026 11:18 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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The Madness and Magic of Folia Contemporary art staged in a historical mansion creates a surreal enchanted garden in the heart of Istanbul.

Since September, there's been a magical and at times menacing garden growing inside a magnificent mansion in Istanbul. Ahead of its final weekend, I wrote about the "Folia" exhibition for the new MENA edition of T: The New York Times Style Magazine:
www.arabianbusiness.com/t-magazine/a...

27.02.2026 13:20 β€” πŸ‘ 5    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Money saved by taking public transportation from Istanbul airport instead of the airport bus: 340 TL

Not have the first thing you encounter in the city being a barrage of "taksi taksi taksi taksi" at the bus stop: Priceless

26.02.2026 11:37 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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β€˜Don’t go to the US – not with Trump in charge’: the UK tourist with a valid visa detained by ICE for six weeks Karen Newton was in America on the trip of a lifetime when she was shackled, transported and held for weeks on end. With tourism to the US under increasing strain, she says, β€˜If it can happen to me, i...

"I am not a dangerous criminal. I don't even have parking tickets," says 65-year-old British tourist handcuffed, shackled and detained by ICE for a total of six weeks on US visit despite traveling with a valid visa.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

21.02.2026 15:49 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Pressure on foreign media, too, is increasing in Turkey. Today, seasoned Deutsche Welle reporter Alican Uludağ was detained for "insulting" president Erdogan. He should be released immediately. #DW #JournalismIsNotACrime

20.02.2026 16:18 β€” πŸ‘ 8    πŸ” 8    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Turkey: EFJ demands immediate release of journalist Alican Uludağ Deutsche Welle correspondent Alican Uludağ, who was detained Thursday evening in Turkey, was brought before a detention judge on Friday. The prosecutor ...

#Turkey: We join our affiliates TGS, TGC, DİSK Basın-İş and GCD in demanding the immediate release of @news.dw.com journalist @alicanuludag.bsky.social.

Uludağ's arrest relates to an X post where he criticised the Turkish government.

Read more ‡️

20.02.2026 16:22 β€” πŸ‘ 9    πŸ” 3    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Turkey: Media freedom and human rights groups urge authorities to release and drop charges against journalist Alican Uludağ – IPI Turkiye Website

FMA joins other journalism and #pressfreedom organizations in calling for the release of award-winning Turkish journalist @alicanuludag.bsky.social and an end to judicial harassment of journalists reporting on matters of public interest. #GazetecilikSuçDeğildir turkiye.ipi.media/turkey-media...

20.02.2026 16:36 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 4    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Very cool 🀩

17.02.2026 17:07 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Rebuilt, but not recovered: Hatay’s quake survivors still face limited job prospects HATAYβ€”Three years after twin earthquakes struck southern Turkey, many homes and urban centers have been rebuilt, but a return to normalcy continues to evade locals who struggle with limited job prospe...

While statistics show the number of workers returned to pre-quake levels in impacted areas, they mask a shift in job quality.

β€œThere are many people who are well educated and are working in construction right now in Hatay,” DISK's Mehmet Emin Doğruel said.

@nimetkirac.bsky.social reports:

10.02.2026 21:31 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

In a cabinet reshuffle, Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akın Gürlek, who has headed up controversial investigations into Istanbul Mayor İmamoğlu as well as previous prosecutions of CHP official Canan Kaftancıoğlu and former HDP co-chair Demirtaş, has been appointed Turkey's Minister of Justice.

11.02.2026 08:26 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Working on a new piece about dissident Russian-language writers living outside Russia and looking to discover new voices.
Who are the contemporary authors in exile or diaspora that you’re reading right now? Recommendations very welcome.

11.02.2026 06:52 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Istanbul concerts by two metal bands, one from Russia and one from Poland, banned by Beşiktaş District Governorship as "incompatible with societal values" and ALL events at the venue, Zorlu PSM, banned for the two days this week that the shows would have occurred.

10.02.2026 13:30 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Post a banger that's not in English - UΓ§kun, Mabel Matiz feat Hello Pshycaleppo) (TΓΌrkΓ§e)
youtu.be/siSlPpH9m-4?...

10.02.2026 09:00 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 0

Post a banger that’s not in English: m.youtube.com/watch?v=cpp6... (TΓΌrkΓ§e)

10.02.2026 05:45 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 2
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Passionate about art (and its intersections)? Hyperallergic is hiring for several roles on our Editorial and Publishing teams. If you want to work in independent media, we’d love to meet you. buff.ly/kPh13gC

09.02.2026 19:19 β€” πŸ‘ 16    πŸ” 17    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 2

Challenge accepted πŸ˜…

09.02.2026 20:55 β€” πŸ‘ 27    πŸ” 3    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Donate to Support for Washington Post international employees, organized by Michelle Lee Among the hundreds of journalists laid off by The Washington Post on … Michelle Lee needs your support for Support for Washington Post international employees

Former Washington Post journalists have launched a GoFundMe to help repatriate fired staff members who are effectively stranded in foreign countries.

One of the richest men in the world fired them from the paper and didn’t even pay to ensure they got home.

Abolish the billionaire class:

08.02.2026 04:37 β€” πŸ‘ 7168    πŸ” 3742    πŸ’¬ 167    πŸ“Œ 466

Miss you too! Yes, in Istanbul for the foreseeable, hope our paths can cross again someday xo

07.02.2026 09:42 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Welcome to the One-Man Regime β€” The Dial The US looks a lot like Turkey.

Trump's attacks on universities & media, capture of the judiciary, and inflammatory rhetoric against "others" looks very familiar from the Turkish perspective - @kayagenc.bsky.social writes for @thedialmag.bsky.social on how the two countries now mirror each other www.thedial.world/articles/new...

07.02.2026 09:10 β€” πŸ‘ 5    πŸ” 4    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

β€œHundreds of women are recorded every year as having taken their lives by β€˜throwing themselves from a high place’. Their grieving families say these figures conceal cases where women did not jump but were pushed.” Important report by @ruthmichaelson.com @berileski.bsky.social on femicides in Turkey

31.01.2026 17:08 β€” πŸ‘ 10    πŸ” 5    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

I haven’t seen it yet but really want to, especially with your stamp of approval!

29.01.2026 11:41 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Run to see Jafar Panahi's latest film "It was just an accident" or Simple Accident. Secretly filmed in Iran. Such poignant themes today about the human desire for revenge and reconciliation, the complexity of human emotions, the reverberations of torture/PTSD, and the resilience of ordinary people.

29.01.2026 11:06 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

The MAGA movement moved from "we shouldn't fight Russia's imperial aggression" to "we should mimic Russia's imperial aggression" with startling alacrity.

29.01.2026 11:13 β€” πŸ‘ 62    πŸ” 25    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0

Congrats @meganeaves.com this looks like a great read!

29.01.2026 11:39 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Why ICE, The IDF, & Iran Murder With Glee Whether in America or Mideast, a fascistic will to power is driving the killing.

"The state or state-backed perpetrators of violence blame victims for their own deaths... to collateralize & dehumanize political opponents... [with] special rage directed at those committed to documenting the violence." @borzou.bsky.social on ICE, the IDF & Iran
borzou.substack.com/p/why-ice-th...

29.01.2026 08:23 β€” πŸ‘ 7    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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ICE Denies Detainee's Request to Attend His Son's Funeral, Attorney Says Maher Tarabishi was the primary caretaker of his son, Wael Tarabishi, 30, who died on Friday, Jan. 23, from complications related to Pompe disease.

Maher Tarabishi, who has been detained by ICE since October, was the primary caretaker of his disabled adult child, Wael.

On Jan. 23, Wael died from complications related to Pompe disease, a rare genetic condition.

ICE has now denied Maher’s request to attend his funeral, his attorney says.

27.01.2026 23:49 β€” πŸ‘ 1889    πŸ” 1151    πŸ’¬ 89    πŸ“Œ 202