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The first thing that comes to mind when you think of Turks might be the glorious doner kebab. But although it’s become indispensable to London life, rotating meat isn’t by any means the major Turkish contribution to the city. Turkey is the only country to rest on two continents, a bridge between Asia and Europe. Turks arrived in England as early as the 1600s thanks to the good relations between Elizabeth I and the Ottoman Empire. Later, Turkish coffee houses became social centres of London.
These days, after waves of immigration, a quarter of a million Turks call London home, mainly populating north London and often running small businesses: from restaurants and lifesaving 24-hour offies to tailors. The annual Turkish Film Festival and Arsenal’s Mesut Özil, a third-gen Turk, are just two examples of how the country’s rich heritage is enjoyed today by Londoners. Esra Kanbur
Did you know? The famous Turkish novelist and activist Elif Şafak currently lives in London. Her novels have been translated into more than 20 languages.