The TCF Culinary Arts Center (YESAM - Yemek Sanatlari Merkezi) has launched its website this month. The YESAM website features information on Turkey's culinary culture, as well as information on YESAM events and special projects. The mission of YESAM is to research, document and revive the tangible and intangible culinary heritage and traditions of Turkey. Located at Armaggan Nuruosmaniye in Istanbul, YESAM is led by renowned chef and culinary expert Vedat Basaran.

In January, YESAM will organize two events on Turkish cuisine. On January 18, YESAM will host a lecture by Nedim Atilla and cooking demonstration by Hanife Yenidogan on the Culinary Culture of Bartin-Amasra-Safranbolu. On January 26, Nevin Halici will hold a seminar on the Evolution of Turkish Cuisine. Both events will be held at YESAM and will be presented in Turkish. For more information and to register, please visit the YESAM website.

In January, the TCF Istanbul office hosted two lectures in the TCF Lecture Series in Turkish Culture and Art. Dr. Alper Maral of Yildiz Technical University, Art and Design Faculty spoke on "Classical Music" in the 21^st Century? Problematics in Perception, Description and Politization” on January 11. Dr. Evren Kutlay of Koc University presented on "European Music in Ottoman Istanbul” on January 12.

The February lectures will feature Prof. Dr. Isenbige Togan, Honorary Member of the Turkish Academy of Sciences and Lecturer at Bogazici University, who will speak on “Early Chinese-Turkic Encounters in East Asia” on February 20. Prof. Dr. Ahmet Tasagil, Chair of the Department of History at Mimar Sinan University will speak on “The Birth of Chinese Civilization and Relations with Ancient Turks” (Lecture is in Turkish: Cin Uygarliginin Dogusu ve Turklerle Iliskiler) on February 21.

The TCF Istanbul Lectures can be viewed online, with "Turkiye'de Halk Muzigi" by Melih Duygulu; "Origins and the Role of Trade in Designs of Kutahya Ceramics" by Yolande Crowe; "Istanbul in Byzantium Period" by Engin Akyurek (in English and Turkish) newly added. For upcoming TCF lectures, please visit here.

The nationwide educational program by the Turkish Cultural Foundation in cooperation with the World Affairs Councils of America (WACA) has been launched. This year's program featrues 25 WACA councils around the country and the Birmingham International Center. The participating councils are located in the following cities: Albany, Birmingham, Brookings, Burlington (Vermont), Cleveland, Dayton, Denver, Greater Reading, Harrisburg, Hawaii, Jacksonville, Las Vegas, Longwood (Florida), Manchester (New Hampshire), Memphis, Minneapolis, Missoula, Palm Springs, Portland (Maine), Poughkeepsie, Raleigh, Rochester, Santa Fe, Seattle, and Washington, DC. The 3-part program will include 26 teacher workshops on Turkey, three TCF - sponsored and organized Teacher Study Tours to Turkey in the summer of 2012 and public programming on Turkey in the fall. Now in its sixth year, the program has reached nearly 2,300 educators through the teacher workshops and thousands of Americans were introduced to Turkey through cultural programs. Thus far, TCF's Teacher Study Tours have taken 348 American educators to Turkey.

Dr. Nurhan Atasoy, TCF Senior Scholar in Residence, is heading a project by Istanbul University to restore the historical Beyazit Bath (Hamam). As part of the project, the historical bath will be transformed into an exhibition hall and a museum on the history of traditional Turkish baths. Dr. Atasoy is also helping the University to develop its Library, which houses the Yildiz Palace Library, into a museum and heads a project to catalogue the illuminated Turkish, Arabic and Persian manuscripts in the Yildiz Palace Library.

A scientific article by Dr. Recep Karadag, Head of the TCF Natural Dyes Research and Development Laboratory - DATU, and his project team was accepted for publication in the Journal of Colouring Technology. DATU continued the transcription project of Treasury records and archival documents concerning Ottoman textiles in the Topkapi Palace Museum. DATU also helped the General Directorate of Foundation's Calligraphy Museum of Istanbul to verify the authenticity of an object in its holdings. 50 samples from the Topkapi Museum and 7 samples from the Istanbul Maritime Museum were analyzed as part of the Restoration and Conservation of Sultan Costumes Project and Technical analysis, colour measurements and microscopical measurements of twenty six art objects were done with non-destructive methods in the same project. In line with its mission to preserve Turkey's cultural heritage, TCF - DATU provides these services for free to the Institutions. Please visit the newly updated DATU website for more information.

For the fourth year, a major TCF grant will support the organization of the 4^th Annual Nazim Hikmet Poetry Competition and Festival organized by the American Turkish Association of North Carolina. The Festival will be held on April 15, 2012 at the Page Walker Arts & History Center in Cary, NC and celebrate the life and poetry of Nazim Hikmet, regarded widely as the greatest Turkish contemporary poet. A poetry competition precedes the festival, whose finalists will be invited to read their poetry at the Festival alongside other noted poets. Poetry submissions for the Festival are accepted until February 3.

TCF has provided a grant to the Turkish American Friendship Society of the United States (TAFSUS) to support the TAFSUS ATA School.

TCF has donated a work by Malik Bulut, Turkish sculptor and TCF-sponsored SOFA artist, in support of the Minnesota International Center's project to celebrate Turkey in 2012 through a variety of educational and cultural programs.