Istanbul to host traditional shadow plays
ISTANBUL
Within the scope of the much-awaited fifth edition of the Istanbul Karagöz Festival that will kick off tomorrow, a famous traditional Turkish shadow theater will be staged for Istanbul residents in the upcoming week.
The festival, which will last until Nov. 21, aims to make the art of shadow play more visible and bring all the colors of this historical tradition to audiences.
Shadow plays, workshops and online talks will be held as part of the event as well.
Nine different Istanbul districts, located both on the city’s Asian and European sides, will host events during the eight-day festival.
The traditional shadow theater, known as Karagöz play in Anatolia, is one of the oldest forms of Turkish art and was added to UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009.
The plays mostly involve two-dimensional figures, Karagöz and Hacivat, in the shape of humans, casting their shadows on a screen.
