Balat is not a neighborhood you would visit in the standard tour to Istanbul. If you want a real taste of Istanbul and the people who live there, wander around a smaller craftsman, artisan, coffee shops and second hand clothing shops on cobblestone streets in the neighborhood of Balat.
What makes Souk El Tayeb in Lebanon remarkable is not only its insistence on local, seasonal produce, but its belief that dignity and sustainability must go hand in hand. Farmers are paid fairly. Villages are uplifted. Traditional recipes are kept alive not as nostalgia but as knowledge systems: real food is carbon-light, waste-free, and is adapted to the land.
We have the opportunity at Anact, as a nimble and emerging brand, to set the standard for how things should be. This is the beauty of being a start-up in an industry that has great potential to impact sustainability with hemp and regenerative practices. We are creating an ecosystem that is value-added for farmers, employees, customers, banks, and more, which will only be made possible with capital investment and supportive policy.
Many Muslims avoid beer because Islamic law forbids all intoxicants, yet drinking habits vary across cultures. Green Prophet explores the religious basis, real-world exceptions, and the rise of alcohol-free trends like mocktails and kombucha among Muslim and non-Muslim drinkers.
In a world where screens dominate our time and digital experiences often replace tangible ones, there’s something profoundly refreshing about using your hands to create. Imagine stepping away from the virtual world for a week and immersing yourself in the craft of boat building—transforming raw materials into something both beautiful and functional.