Turkey

Study

Cookery

Cercis Murat Konağı (0482-213 6841; www.cercis murat.com in Turkish at time of research), run by Ebru Baydemir, runs cookery courses in her restaurant in gorgeous Mardin, southeastern Anatolia. Come here for lessons by female chefs – a rarity anywhere in the country, let alone out east!

Gökpinar Retreat (0252-313 3888; www.caravan turkey.com), run by Caravan Travel, offers an all-inclusive week-long cooking retreat in a small village out of Bodrum for €500. There are sometimes other low-key courses running at the retreat simultaneously, such as carpet weaving or belly dancing. Jiggling the waistline may be the perfect antidote to a day’s taste-testing.

Heritage Travel (0384-271 2687; www.goreme.com), based in Göreme, Cappadocia, runs one-week cuisine tours (€1050).

İstanbul Food Workshop (0212-534 4788; www.istanbulfoodworkshop.com; Yıldırım Caddesi 111, Fener, İstanbul) runs small-group workshops in a cosy semiprofessional kitchen. These two- to 20-hour sessions (€20 to €170) are for serious foodies. Add one of their lectures on 15th- and 16th-century Ottoman palace culinary culture, no less, and you’re guaranteed top-class kudos at your next dinner soiree. The Australian–Turkish team have recently started gourmet tours of İstanbul too.

If you’re more interested in a no-fuss introduction to whipping up a few tasty Turkish specialities you’re probably better off with the classes at the Sarnıç Hotel (0212-518 2323; www.sarnichotel.com; Küçük Ayasofya Caddesi 26, Sultanahmet, İstanbul). Four-hour introductions to Turkish cookery in English, French and Dutch cost €40. After the lesson, you adjourn to the rooftop to polish off the results. Group sizes are capped at 10, but work better when there are a few less attendees.

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Belly-dancing

Gökpinar Retreat (0252-313 3888; www.caravantur key.com) runs week-long belly dancing courses from April to November at its retreat near Bodrum from €490, including meals, transfers and 12 hours of lessons. Another option in İstanbul is Les Arts Turcs , where you can have as many or as few lessons as you’d like.

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Language

İstanbul is the most popular place to learn Turkish, though there are also courses in Ankara, İzmir and a few other spots around the country. Tömer and Taksim Dilmer are the most popular schools, but both have their fans and detractors. To lessen the risk of disappointment, ask to sit in on a class before you commit, as the quality of your experience definitely depends on the teacher and your classmates. Prices start from €280 for 80 hours of teaching spread over four weeks.

If you’d prefer private tuition expect to pay from €25 per hour; tutors often advertise in the Turkish Daily News and on the expat website www.mymerhaba.com. Teach Yourself Turkish, by David and Asuman Çelen Pollard, is by far the best of the many books on teaching yourself Turkish.

Schools to learn Turkish include:

EF Language School (0212-282 9064; www.turkish lesson.com; Aydin Sokak S Blok 12, 1 Levent, İstanbul)

Spoken Turkish (0212-244 9000; www.spokeneng lishtr.com; İstiklal Caddesi 212/7, Beyoğlu, İstanbul) A newcomer on the scene offering less intensive courses than its competitors, but relatively untested.

Taksim Dilmer (0212-292 9696; www.dilmer.com; İnönü Caddesi, Prof Dr Tarık Zafer Tunaya Sokak 18, Taksim, İstanbul)

Tömer (0212-230 7083; www.tomer.com.tr; Abide-i Hürriyet Sokak 43, Şişli, İstanbul) Affiliated with Ankara University and with many branches throughout the country.

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Handicrafts

If you’re interested in making pottery, you might like to head to Avanos, the small Cappadocian town famous for its ceramics. There are so many workshops there, such as Chez Galip (www.chez-galip.com), offering informal short courses that it’s best to just go and see what suits.

Travellers interested in learning weaving can also contact Chez Galip or Gökpinar Retreat (0252-313 3888; www.caravanturkey.com). Musa Başaran (0212-517 0099; musabasaran@ihlas.net.tr) offers 10-hour introductions (€80) for small groups in his private studio in İstanbul. Heritage Travel (0384-271 2687; www.goreme.com), based in Göreme, runs 10- to 15-day kilim-weaving tours where you stay in a nomad village and learn all about carpet making (€1600).

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