Istanbul: music bemusement (Armenian? Turkish?)

With a group of Armenian friends (from Armenia and Diaspora), we were passing through this really cool square towards the end of Istiklal avenue in Istanbul, and there was very good vibe there, with mainly young crowd of people seating on the floor, drinking, chatting and singing. Funnily enough, when we reached them, for at least a minute or so, we could not understand if they were singing in Armenian or Turkish. Perhaps, it's a kind of Turkish dialect they were using which has Armenian influences, or music was similar to Armenian, but we were bemused at our confusion and similarities.

"Turkish viagra"

I spotted "Turkish viagra"at one of market stalls in Istanbul.  I was told it's herbal, although not entirely sure what it is made of.

Istanbul MoMA: photo exhibit with Armenian touch

I will post more pics from this photo exhibit and Istanbul Museum of Modern Art in my upcoming posts, but here is a selection of Armenian-themed photos from the "ON THE ROAD / Images of Turkey from the Nar Photos Archive". I spent more time exploring this exhibit than anywhere else in the museum. Pay attention to the description that accompanied each photo.

*"A citizen of Armenia fixing his car on the way to Yerevan. Situated at the crossroads between Turkey, Armenia and Iran, 5 165 meters high Mount Ararat can be seen from all three countries. Yerevan, Ermenistan, 2008" [Unzipped: Interestingly, in English they use “Mount Ararat”, in Turkish “Agri Dagi”]

*"From the “Horovel” project carried out in villages on the Turkish-Armenian border; interview with Tigranuhi Asatryan, a survivor of 1915. Tigranuhi, who was 100 years old when the interview was conducted, shows a picture of herself when she was young. Gumru, 2010"

*"Ceremony held at the Balikli Armenian Cemetery after the march attended by over 100 000 people following the assassination of journalist Hrant Dink. Istanbul, 2007"

*"The Church of the Virgin Mary, adorned with Easter eggs to celebrate one of the most important days for Christians. It is believed that Jesus Christ was resurrected on this day, which is called Surp Zadik by Armenians. Istanbul, 2007"