Meanwhile, over at the British Consulate in Istanbul, the Crimean Memorial Lectures, a four-part lecture cycle to commemorate the First World War with local British and American historians, are bringing together an eclectic crowd under the chandeliers of Pera House's ballroom, and all for a good cause. The first lecture in February, by Professor Norman Stone, focused on England and the Middle East in the First World War, while the second, by Dr James Alexander (also of Bilkent University), explored TS Eliot and the poetry of war.
The third will be delivered by Dr Sean McMeekin, an American historian who teaches at Koç University, who will discuss the subject of his book 1914: Countdown to War. The final lecture will be on June 23 by Philip Mansel.
All proceeds will be divided between the Crimean Church (Christ Church)'s refugee hostel and a fund for pensioners in Istanbul who have fallen on hard times.
Tickets are 50TL each (35TL for concessions: over 60s, refugees and students) and are available by emailing crimeanmemoriallectures@gmail.com. All details of the lectures are on the blog.