Emirates launches flights to Sabiha Gökçen Airport, Istanbul

Emirates has launched daily flights to Istanbul with new flights to a second Istanbul gateway, Sabiha Gökçen Airport, for a total of 18 flights per week. Emirates’ new daily service to Sabiha Gökçen will also offer up to 12 tonnes of cargo per day in each direction.

The new daily flight is operated by an Airbus A330-200 aircraft in a three-class configuration offering 12 seats in First Class, 42 seats in Business Class, and 183 seats in Economy Class. Emirates flight EK119 will depart Dubai at 17:15 and arrive in at Sabiha Gökçen International Airport Istanbul at 20:15 daily. The return flight EK120 will leave Sabiha Gökçen International Airport Istanbul at 22:05, arriving in Dubai at 04:20 the next day. As with all Emirates flights, passengers enjoy baggage allowances of 50kg in first class, 40kg in business class and with 30 kg in economy class.

Istanbul is Emirates’ third international city to benefit from a dual airport operation, following London and Tokyo. In addition to the daily flight to Sabiha Gökçen International Airport Emirates also operates 11 weekly flights to Istanbul Atatürk Airport.

Located on the Asian side of the bi-continental city of Istanbul, Sabiha Gökçen International Airport offers travellers convenient access to the city’s cultural and historical sites. Passengers heading to the European side of Istanbul can take advantage of regular coaches that operate between Sabiha Gokcen and Taksim Square every half hour, taking approximately 45 minutes.

“We have been operating flights to Istanbul for more than 28 years and in that time have seen demand for our services grow exponentially. We are confident that both the passenger and cargo demand (are) strong enough to warrant Emirates operating to both of Istanbul’s airports,” said Adnan Kazim, Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President, Strategic Planning, Revenue Optimisation and Aeropolitical Affairs.

“As well as providing our passengers with greater flexibility in their travel plans to and from Turkey this new flight also signifies the introduction of First Class to our flights to Istanbul. There is high demand for this route and we are already seeing strong booking levels across all cabin classes from across our network.”

Gökhan Buğday, the CEO of Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen Airport said, “With the launch of Emirates new daily flight we now have 51 airlines operating from our rapidly growing airport. This year we expect 28 million passengers to fly through Sabiha Gökçen and Emirates’ launch signifies yet another important and exciting milestone for us.”

The UAE and Turkey enjoy a strong trade relationship that is estimated to reach US$15 billion this year. There are currently more than 500 Turkish companies operating out of the UAE, including a number of Turkish construction companies who have played a key role in the construction of many of the buildings that make up Dubai’s skyline.

Joint Qatari-Turkish art exhibition at the Istanbul Archaeological Museums in November, December

The Visual Arts Department of the Qatar Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage has organised Gallery (10 * 10) at the Istanbul Archaeological Museums from 18 November to 11 December 2015, the Qatar News Agency has reported.

The exhibition, part of the ongoing celebrations of the Qatar Turkey 2015 Year of Culture, will feature the work of ten Qatari and ten Turkish artists. Qatar's Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage, HE Dr. Hamad bin Abdul Aziz Al Kuwari, was quoted as saying that the meaning of communication between peoples requires the exchange of human cultures and all forms of fine arts.

The Qatar artists taking part in the exhibition are Ahmed Al Hamar, Ahmed Nooh, Jameela Al Ansari, Jawaher Al Mannai, Hassan Al Mulla, Dana Safar, Ali Al Mulla, Mohammed Al Atiq and Hanadi Al Darwish, while the artists from Turkey are Asim Yucesoa, Hekmat Astanakaya, Saban Tuncer, Kameel Aslanger, Sauna Giorschew Konishlo, Haluk Hatpoglo, Celine Singer Gul, Fateeh Kahya, Nuray Karrapo Lott and Ahmed Sula.

Two Turkish destinations are in TripAdvisor's Travelers' Choice 2015

The top 25 TripAdvisor destinations in the world for 2015 include three in Muslim countries.

Source: TripAdvisor website. Istanbul.

Turkey is the only country with two locations listed, Istanbul (no. 3) and Goreme (no. 14) while no. 24 is Dubai, UAE.

If visiting Istanbul, TripAdvisor recommends visiting the Suleymaniye Mosque, the Kariye Museum, and the Sultanahmet District.

Goreme is well known for the Goreme National Park, Zemi Valley and the Goreme Open-Air Museum.

And for Dubai, TripAdvisor reviewers say not to miss the Dubai Fountains, Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding, and the Burj Al Arab.

Interested?

View the 2015 Travelers' Choice top 25 travel destinations

Taj Mahal, Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre and Hagia Sofia Museum among top landmarks globally

TripAdvisor's Travelers' Choice for the top 25 landmarks include three with Islamic history:

Source: Taj Mahal website.

Ranked no. 3 is the Taj Mahal in Agra, India. The memorial, built by the 5th Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan (1592 – 1666) to house the grave of his wife Mumtaz Mahal (also named Arjumand Banu Begum, 1593 - 1631), is considered the best of example of Mughal architecture, which combines elements from Persian, Indian, and Islamic architectural styles. In 1983, the Taj Mahal became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It received an 'excellent' rating from 8,807 TripAdvisor reviewers, and a 'very good' rating from another 1,329 reviewers, out of a total of 10,515 reviews.

Source: the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre website.

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre in Abu Dhabi, the UAE is no. 4. The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is visible from the three main bridges connecting Abu Dhabi island to the mainland, and aims to highlight the heritage of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. The late Sheikh, first President of the UAE, is buried beside the mosque. It received an 'excellent' rating from 7,269 TripAdvisor  reviewers, and a 'very good' rating from another 1,037 reviewers, out of a total of 8,476 reviews.

Source: Hagia Sophia Museum website.

At no. 15 is the Hagia Sophia Museum in Istanbul, Turkey. This building was first used as a church for 916 years, then converted into a mosque following the conquest of Istanbul by Fatih Sultan Mehmed. The Hagia Sophia remained a mosque for 482 years and was turned into a museum by the order of Atatürk and the Council of Ministers in 1935. It received an 'excellent' rating from 1,302 TripAdvisor reviewers, and a 'very good' rating from another 3,821 reviewers, out of a total of 17,957 reviews.

Interested?

View TripAdvisor's top 25 landmarks

500 years of Turkish Coffee remembered at the Topkapi Palace Museum

Source: Topkapi Palace Museum website.

The Topkapi Palace Museum is hosting A Drop of Pleasure: 500 years of Turkish Coffee in collaboration with the Turkish Coffee Culture and Research Association. 

The exhibition is on till June 15 2015, and was inspired by the entry of Turkish coffee culture and tradition into the UNESCO "Non-Material Heritage" list in 2013. 

The museum separately announced that the first and third halls of the Treasury Section will be closed to visitors till August 14, 2015 for restoration.

Exhibition featuring the works of Kadıasker Mustafa İzzet Efendi on till March at the Topkapi

Source: Topkapi Museum website.

The exhibition Kadıasker Mustafa İzzet Efendi: Callıgrapher, Nay (Oblique Flute) Player, And Composer is running at the Topkapi Museum in Istanbul till March 10, 2015.

"No master musician ever reached the level of Kadıasker Mustafa İzzet Efendi in no calligrapher ever reached the kadiasker's degree of achievement in music," says M. Uğur Derman, author of  Letters in Gold: Ottoman Calligraphy. A kadiasker is a chief judge during the Ottoman empire, and Kadıasker Mustafa İzzet Efendi, 1801-1876, was much respected for both his calligraphy and his flute playing.

Kadıasker Mustafa İzzet Efendi is responsible for much of the calligraphy found in mosques in Istanbul, and more besides. The calligrapher wrote the inscriptions for the medallions in the dome at Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. Each of these is 25 ft in diameter. An inscription, sent by the Ottoman government to grace the Washington Monument in the US, also contains jalī ta'līq calligraphy by Kadıasker Mustafa İzzet Efendi. 

A hilye, or religious text written in a standard format during Ottoman times, by the Kadiasker can be viewed on Wikipedia here. His copy of text from the Quran is in the Sakıp Sabancı Museum in Turkey, and is available for viewing through Wikimedia here.

Global Islamic Marketing Conference calls for papers

In cooperation with Qatar University, the International Islamic Marketing Association is calling for papers for the 6th Global Islamic Marketing Conference (GIMAC6). The 6th conference will be held in Istanbul from 6 to 8 May.

Participants receive a year's free membership in the Islamic Marketing Association, have their paper considered for publication in one of the journals that publishing special issues from the conference, and may compete for the Excellence in Islamic Marketing Awards, as well as attend the Mini MBA in Islamic Marketing.

Papers should be submitted by January 20 and can cover a wide gamut of topics, including Islamic marketing, branding, and business ethics; Muslim consumers, commercialising Islam, and Islamic Social responsibility. All aspects of the Islamic economy are considered, from the halal market to hospitality and tourism, logistics, law and marketing practices. A full list of topics is available on the website, and pictures from previous GIMACs can be viewed on Flickr here.

Starch industry eyeing Middle East

Source: StarchWorld MidEast website.

The city of Istanbul will host the StarchWorld Mideast: Starch Derivatives, Sweeteners & Polyols conference against the backdrop of the Middle East being the highest F&B growth area and a big market for halal products. 

The conference, which runs from 4 to 5 November at the Elite World Istanbul Hotel, aims to draw industry attention to emerging opportunities in starch, food and industrial markets in the Middle East.

The Middle East region represents the highest growth area for the food and drink industry in the world. The rapidly changing demographics in the region and the growth of consumer choices presents an exciting opportunity for the food ingredients world to offer new products and solutions. 

Starch can be used in many applications, including emulsifiers, stabilisers, thickening agents, and coated papers.  Increasing applications within the food and beverages sector is the strongest driver for the global modified starch market, but there are also opportunities for starch in industrial use.

Starch producers from Turkey to Egypt are expanding their production capacities to take advantage of the regions’ untapped opportunities. One of the highlights in the industry last year was the news that Cargill and Arasco had created the first starches and sweeteners joint venture in Saudi Arabia, Middle East for Food Solutions Co (MEFSCO). 

The summit kickstarts with a Global Overview of the Sugar Economy, Trade and how this Impacts the Markets for Starch-based Sweeteners in the Mideast Region by Simon Bentley, Senior Consultant, LMC International, and is followed by Nedim Elcheik, Market Development Director of Cargill Tarim Ve Gida San. Tic., who will give an update on corn milling joint venture operations with Arasco in Saudi Arabia in a session titled Regional Starch & Sweetener Markets Outlook.

Other key sessions include:

• Formulating Halal products using Starch Based Gelling Agents by Dr Piet Buwalda, Head of R&D, AVEBE Group (HQ)
• Halal Critical Points for Starch Production and getting Certified in New Markets, by Farhan Tufail, General Manager, Halal Certification Services. 

Click here for registration details. 

New book on private and royal life in the Ottoman Empire published

Blue Dome Press, a publisher of Islamic tradition and spirituality, Islamic history and arts books, has added a book about the Ottoman Empire to its portfolio. 

Source: Blue Dome Press.

The Ottoman Empire was once the biggest empire on earth, reigning over much of Eastern Europe and the Middle East from 1299 to 1923. For much of this period, Topkapi Palace, an architectural jewel on Istanbul’s historic peninsula, was the heart of the Empire. It was where the Sultan lived with his family and made important political decisions.

The new book, Private and Royal Life in the Ottoman Palace* by Ottoman historian and former Director of the Topkapi Palace Museum Ilber Ortayli, deepens our understanding of what life was like during one of the most remarkable empires in human history.

Exploring politics, architecture, and culture, Ortayli gives an unprecedented look at what life was like inside the palace. He explores the parts of the palace where decisions that changed an empire were made, and then looks at how the Ottoman court actually lived, dispelling many misconceptions in the process.

Istanbul-based Ortayli has written numerous books and articles on Ottoman history and is a frequent speaker on history and culture during the Ottoman era. 

*ISBN: 978-1-935295-45-7, paperback, US$11.95, 159 pages, published by Blue Dome Press. Email customercare@nbnbooks.com for more information.

Bright future for QISMUT through to 2018

In a February 2014 newsletter, EY's Global Islamic Banking Excellence Center noted that the strong fundamentals for Islamic finance in Qatar, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, UAE and Turkey, collectively known as QISMUT, could lead to much more by 2018. 

According to EY, some of the favourable drivers for QISMUT include:

• Combined GDP set to cross US$4.8 trillion by 2018
• Average per-capita income range between US$5,500 and US$103,000; 
• a bankable population of 252 million, 
• banking penetration of 90%, and 
• a volume of trade that is expected to increase by 49% in the current decade.

There are challenges, however. Sociopolitical stability is critical, as is regulatory clarity; an Islamic financial regulatory framework is required, covering supply mechanisms, demand management and infrastructure. Islamic banks are relatively small, EY says, and have yet to convert significant megatrends like mobile banking into a business advantage.

According to EY, the misuse of commodity murabahah and tawwaruq practices has also disillusioned proponents of Islamic banking. "Banks, multilaterals and Islamic infrastructure institutions should grab this (small) window of opportunity to help drive and sustain product development efforts," EY said in the newsletter.

In an analysis of the challenges for various countries in QISMUT, EY said the primary risk for Dubai in the UAE is the "quality of execution". In Istanbul, Turkey, it is a "supply-side bottleneck" that is the challenge; more regulatory clarity and additional financial institutions are required for growth. EY believes that financially independent Islamic subsidiaries will help to sustain strong performance in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

EY forecasts a CAGR of 19.7% through 2013 to 2018 for QISMUT, with total assets reaching US$1.6 trillion by the end of the forecast period, provided economic stability is maintained in certain Islamic finance markets, the larger Islamic banks transition successfully to a new phase of development; and there is connectivity across high-growth markets and sectors. Globally, EY said the Islamic banking profit pool is projected to reach US$30.5 billion by 2018.

Read the full document here.