All eyes are currently on Turkey with Istanbul’s status as European Capital of Culture 2010. It makes it a pertinent moment to take stock and to look at Turkey’s past, present and future, bringing the nation’s cultural renaissance and evolution to the fore internationally. Since the early 2000s, Turkey has undergone a remarkable economic recovery, which has been accompanied by urban development and a cultural flowering. Positioned between an expanding European Union and an unstable Middle East, the country provides a fascinating interface between the Occident and the Orient. Taking into account the current political concerns with consolidating Eastern and Western cultures, Turkey is poised at a vital global crossroads: Tackles aspects of globalisation and the potential threat that a rapid rolling out of an overly homogenised built environment poses to rich local building traditions that are founded on specific, climatic, knowledge and cultural diversity. Provides an analytical approach that highlights specific aspects of Turkey’s rich heritage and current design culture. Features work by established and emerging design practices in Turkey. Contributors include Tevfik BalcIoglu, Gülsüm Baydar, Edhem Eldem, Tolga islam, Zeynep Kezer, Ugur Tanyeli, ilhan Tekeli and Banu Tomruk.