7 Best Performing Arts in Istanbul, Turkey

Sponsored by one of Turkey's largest private banks, the six-story, multipurpose Akbank Sanat (Akbank Art Center) hosts regular classical music and jazz concerts, including the Akbank Jazz Festival, held over several weeks in the fall. More than 700 other events are held at the center each year, including modern dance performances, theater productions, film screenings, and art exhibitions.

Located near the Lütfi Kırdar Congress Center off Cumhuriyet Caddesi, between Taksim and Nişantaşı, Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall is run by the Istanbul Municipality and hosts a wide variety of performances, from classical music, opera, and the occasional jazz and pop concert to ballet and flamenco.

Located in the basement of a parking lot near Galatasaray Square, Garajistanbul is an experimental venue that hosts an eclectic array of concerts, as well as contemporary dance and theater, and literary and artistic events.

Housed in a nicely restored, 15th-century hammam, the Hodjapasha Culture Center hosts whirling dervish ceremonies most nights of the week. The hour-long event starts with a performance of classical Turkish music before the dervishes whirl. Though some are captivated by the whirling, others may find it excessively slow and hypnotic, so consider whether this sort of cultural experience is your cup of tea. Note that photography is not allowed during the sema ceremony. Hodjapasha also offers a different dance show called "Rhythm of the Dance" that is considerably more lively.

The Mevlâna Education and Culture Society (MEKDER) is one of the local dervish groups and cultural associations that holds sema ceremonies at 5 pm each Sunday at the Galata Mevlevihanesi. The ceremonies last about an hour and include traditional Mevlevi music and ritual whirling.

This complex in the Maslak business district is home to the Volkswagen Arena, a top-of-the-line concert venue that draws big-name touring acts like Bob Dylan and the Pixies. The bar-restaurant-café-lounge, Tamirane, hosts jazz concerts every Sunday afternoon. There's also an open-air theater, along with various shops, restaurants, and gallery exhibition spaces. The closest metro stop is İTÜ Ayazağa.

Turkey’s largest performing-arts venue, located inside the Zorlu Center shopping mall, has a state-of-the-art, 2,000-seat main theater that hosts everything from Broadway and West End musicals to rock concerts and operas. The complex also contains a small “city stage” for free public shows by up-and-coming local performers, as well as exhibition spaces for contemporary visual art. The center is accessible by metro via the Gayrettepe station.