With her red cotton dress, white shoulder bag and flowing black hair, she has become the colour-coded emblem of Turkey's new people-power movement.

Brash and stubborn, Turkey's leader doesn't shrink from a scrap. His voice booms when he gets on a podium and his folksy zingers enthral supporters as much as they repulse opponents. That trademark combativeness, though, is fuelling protests against his G

Editorial: For 90 years, the modern secular state forged by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire has, by and large, served Turkey well.

Taksim Square in the heart of Istanbul became the scene of an angry, frenetic carnival.

Ewan McDonald writes from Istanbul, where tourists sought pleasure while the locals openly defied their leaders.

Liz Light enjoys life in the slow lane on a Turkish island.

Ewan McDonald rambles on about a group of Aucklanders taking a walking holiday with a few differences.

Plans to hold a kick-boxing tournament at Gallipoli on the eve of Anzac Day have been slammed as "totally inappropriate" by the Royal New Zealand Returned and Services' Association.

Istanbul is one of those cities that leaves everyone who’s been there hankering to go back. But if you’re about to make your first appearance, here are five things you won’t want to miss.

Here are some of the world's key doomsday destinations and other places marked by fear and fascination.

Megan Singleton visits a Turkish gem where Bond shines.

Gliding over Turkey, Phoebe Falconer resists reaching out to the intriguing rocks sweeping by.

Syria's neighbours are increasingly being drawn into the country's civil war in a variety of ways, whether militarily or due to an exodus of Syrians fleeing the fighting at home.

Former NZ diplomat Warren Searell called Damascus home until the Arab spring made life far too dangerous. This is his story.

Phoebe Falconer gives her spin on a traditional religious dance ceremony.

A group of Romanians have been prevented from entering New Zealand amid suspicions they were planning a crime spree down Auckland's Queen St.

Reflecting its location, this 19th-century apartment marries Ottoman heritage with modern flourishes, writes Arifa Akbar.

Set on the third floor of a 19th century building overlooking the Bosphorus, this spacious apartment can comfortably accommodate up to six people in its three bedrooms.

For further information see istanbulplace.com.

Would we have been as accommodating of the annual throng as the Turkish people have been?