The group was founded by oud player Mehmet Cemal Yeşilçay (b.
[1] The name "Pera" comes from the old Greek name (literally "across") of the cosmopolitan Beyoğlu district on the European side of Istanbul, Turkey.
The instrumental ensemble includes oud, qanun, kemençe, and European medieval and baroque instruments: viola d'amore, viola da gamba, theorbo, shawm, and percussion.
Mehmet Cemal Yeşilçay himself is also known as a member of the German-Turkish ensemble Sarband.
[2] A larger project, co-funded by the Turkish and German governments, includes Sufi, Sephardic and Armenian cantors and choirs in reconstructions of Muslim, Jewish, and Christian music of the Ottoman Empire.