Live, Work and Rest in Istanbul - A Visitor's View
By Alf Thomas
For many people their first experience of a city is arriving at a train station. At Sirkeci station, a woman in traditional Islamic dress walks through the picture and into the city of Istanbul. There she joins her fellow citizens in a ‘megalopolis’ which straddles two continents, has seen many pivotal historical events, and is now one of the world's most dynamic cities. Although not (yet) citizens of the European Union, the many millions of residents of Istanbul present a very diverse picture as they go about their ordinary lives in Turkey’s largest and – in the eyes of many although it is not the capital – most important city.
In many areas of life, Istanbul shows us Muslim traditions with a specific twist. Although this group of young women have adopted a dress style which obeys religious rules on modesty, they have also given it their own interpretation, with brightly coloured headscarves, matching the animation of their conversation. We don’t know why they have come together as a group, but perhaps they are students at a private university, where they are free to wear the veil. In contrast, under Turkey’s secular constitution, wearing the veil at public universities is controversially banned.
Not all aspects of Istanbul represent a “culture shock”. The main shopping street of Istiklal Caddesi, across the Golden Horn from the Old City resembles in many respects those of dozens of other cities across Europe, with a mix of global brands and local shops jostling for the attention of consumers who have increasingly large amounts of disposable income as the Turkish economy grows. Moreover, as they always have done, a huge number of women of all ages dress identically to those we see in city squares, cafes and shop windows throughout the continent.
Istiklal Caddesi also reflects some of the paradoxes of Turkish life. Standing in front of a fashion shoe shop, this woman is herself the model for a photographer, also dressed quite conservatively. In Istanbul, different styles and images co-exist comfortably side by side.
The Old City of Istanbul has a tourist oriented economy, focused on delivering what you want, where you want it. Myriad water sellers provide bottles of ice cold water on the street, and street sellers offer slices of water melon for refreshment. The competition is fierce, keeping prices generally low, even in tourist hotspots. But we know that the tourist economy is rarely glamorous, with long hours and low wages the usual accompaniments to the task of keeping the visitor happy.
Hand-woven carpets are an iconic item produced for tourists. Submitting to the photographer’s gaze, this woman calmly stares back as her hands, familiar with the loom where she has probably sat for many thousands of hours, continue to blend the strands of wool together. It emphasises how often the tourist economy sits at the cusp of exploitation and consumer production.
Even less glamour attaches to the work of the many men who traipse the streets, picking through skips and rubbish bins to find anything that can be recycled. Their hand-pulled carts grow heavier as the day goes by.
It surprises many visitors to find that Turkey has had, since 2008, bans on smoking in places such as bars, cafes and restaurants that are tougher than in most other parts of the Balkans. A sight familiar to many is that of the workers in hotels and restaurants standing outside for their fix, and catching up on the latest gossip.
For the visitor, the overwhelming first impression which Istanbul gives – especially in comparison to ‘western’ European cities – is its energy, vitality, youth, noise and colour. But it also has space for quiet contemplation, shown by these men sitting outside a mosque, perhaps waiting to respond to the Muezzin’s call to prayer.
Football is as important a religion in Istanbul as Islam. This young man is minding a stall of football shirts and other goods outside the Spice Bazaar. But his attention is on the news – perhaps the news about the latest football transfers – as he absent-mindedly chews his gum and blows his bubbles. But it wouldn’t take long for his attention to return to the job in hand, if the prospect of a sale came close. In the words of one over-enthusiastic market trader in the Spice Bazaar: ‘Let me help you spend your money!’
Updated on: 1 August 2011
