I was born in 1968 in Beşiktaş, Istanbul, a city full of history and life. Growing up there, I learned that every place and every person has a story to tell. Istanbul taught me that life is made up of many small moments, each important on its own, and that behind history are real people with real experiences.

I studied Journalism at Istanbul University because I wanted to understand the world better and share its stories. In 1989, I started working as a reporter for Cumhuriyet, where I learned that journalism is not just about reporting facts, but about listening carefully to the people and stories behind those facts. I received awards for my work, but more than that, I learned the importance of paying attention to what often goes unnoticed.

Over the years, my path has carried me through newspapers, television studios, and across continents but the work that matters most to me has taken the form of books: Başka Şehirler (Following Footsteps), Sevgili İstanbul (Dear Istanbul), Park Otel Olayı, and Amerikan Medyasında 11 Eylül. These books are not just about events but about personal memories and history mixed together to help readers understand the world better. Each is a fragment from my journeys, an attempt to weave personal memory with collective history.

Travel has been very important to me. It is not about running away but about learning, searching, understanding for truth. Every trip has helped me see the world differently—not as a map of countries, but as a place full of people, stories, and moments of light and shadow. From Istanbul to faraway cities, I have learned that true understanding comes in the quiet moments between leaving one place and arriving at another.

I see myself as someone who is always searching—not for easy answers, but for deeper questions. Every journey, every quiet moment, every small connection has shaped my work. My writing is a reflection of the beauty of life, seen through open eyes and an open heart. What I try to offer my readers is not certainty, but vision—an invitation to see the world as it truly is: layered, fragile, luminous.

When you read this, you are walking with me—seeing the world through the moments of doubt, wonder, and hope that shape a life spent trying to understand the meaning behind it all. I am a traveler with a pen, always moving, always listening, and always trying to turn what I see and feel into stories that light up the shadows for a little while.