KarDes 3.1

KarDes is a mobile application that serves as a personal tour guide in Turkish and English, providing users with an opportunity to explore the multicultural heritage and diverse fabric of Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir.

Through KarDes, users can delve into a cultural catalog featuring nearly nine hundred sites including mosques, synagogues, schools, and cemeteries. Walking along routes that showcase this rich multicultural legacy, users can listen to untold stories of the cities narrated by renowned artists.

Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir stand as historical crossroads where various cultures have converged over centuries. Despite the significance of the sites, buildings, and streets in these cities, the narratives often remain obscured by standardized historical accounts.

The "Discover" feature in the application enables users to access information on locations, construction dates, and brief descriptions of cultural sites they may encounter unknowingly in their daily routines. It also provides a detailed inventory of each city's cultural legacy.

With a commitment to unveiling overlooked sites in well-known neighborhoods and sharing their narratives, KarDes offers 30 memory tours. Each tour lasts approximately two hours and presents the multicultural histories of different areas. These tours, meticulously crafted through thorough research, consist of nine to fifteen stops within close proximity. The narratives are voluntarily narrated by artists such as Ahmet Mümtaz Taylan, Ayla Jean Yackley, Banu Güven, Berge Arabian, Berkay Ateş, Ceylan Ertem, and many more.

By focusing on preserving urban and social memories that are at risk of fading away, KarDes provides excerpts from local conversations and oral history interviews. Users can immerse themselves in the tales of neighborhoods and their evolution directly from residents' voices. With an array of approximately 70 oral history interviews, KarDes delivers dynamic narratives recounting the stories behind various sites across different neighborhoods.

Continuously expanding its offerings with new tours, KarDes introduces users to hidden gems like Yorgo's Rose Garden, the Skating Palace, the Bulgar's Meyhane, Atamyan Theater, Apoyevmatini Newspaper headquarters, the Kurd's Tavern, Topalyans' Store, Saint Clement Church, Dedeyan Publishing House; and shares anecdotes about notable figures including Knar Svajian, Hayim Albukrek, Aliye Berger, Zaruhi Kavaljian, Sappho Leondias, Eftalya the Mermaid and Izak Algazi.