Istanbul: definitely not Constantinople
Wow, Istanbul. As noted in my previous post, I have been in Istanbul before, in 1997. The city has changed tremendously, but remains fascinating.
First, it has grown significantly; in one conversation we had, with a man I’d guess to have been in his 60s, he remembered an Istanbul of his youth of around 600,000 people; it now is estimated at over 18M, and growing. Imagine the infrastructure needs of running a city with that kind of growth rate! Many of these immigrants come from the country, from less-developed areas, bringing with them different social mores and tremendously mixed skill-sets. Somehow, though, Istanbul has thus far managed to integrate them into its (fast-changing) culture and structure.
Istanbul has also, in my view, grown up considerably. My memory – admittedly not great, and traveling then as a college-aged back-packer (as opposed to a professional on a highly organized tour) – is of a far more chaotic city, a dirtier city, a city where we felt ourselves to stand out as tourists. Today’s Istanbul has (as our guide described it) too many tourists, almost overwhelming its infrastructure (the two main tourist attractions, the Aiya Sophia and Blue Mosques, draw an average of 12,000 visitors every day of the year), it has all the major brands (Diesel, H&M, MAC, Sephora, and of course all the usual fast food restaurants, including quite a few Starbucks), and its prices have gone up. Even the Grand Bazaar, which I recall as having been a chaotic, developing country-esque shopping experience of bargaining for hand-crafted goods, now has the requisite tourist-oriented handicrafts, but also highly glossy jewelry stores, leather shoes wearing the Prada and Boss logos, and numerous other shops. And here, too, the prices have risen with the gloss.
The mosques remain amazing; the Hagia Sophia was built in the 3rd century as a Greek Orthodox Church (interestingly, the Greek Orthodox Church’s headquarters remain in Istanbul, a hold-over from its days as Constantinople), modified in the 6th century, and eventually became a mosque. Following the creation of the Turkish Republic in 1923, the church became a museum, and it serves as a fascinating exhibit. Similarly, the Blue Mosque, still in operation as a mosque but likewise dominated by tourists, is an incredibly beautiful building decorated in large part with blue tiles, from whence comes its name.
The city remains fascinating, and just chaotic enough to still feel somewhat out of the ordinary. While there, I explored some of the backstreets, we had meetings with various leaders (including, in my case, the founder of the Turkish Slow Foods movement), learned a good deal about Turkish culture, and had more amazing food. Indeed, our final night in Istanbul featured a spread fit for a king, with a seemingly endless stream of mezzes accompanied by Raki (a local drink similar to Ouzo, the licorice-flavored Greek alcohol that becomes cloudly when mixed with water), and accompanied by great conversation. Phew! I'm now in Warsaw, having been in Krakow between the two cities, but move on tomorrow to Paris.
Photos below include:
1) first lunch in Istanbul, with my colleagues Bob Aber, Tamara Prather, Turkish MMF program coordinator Ceylan Akman, Turkish program assistant Petek (?), Anna Schleunes, and Elizabeth Aguilera.
2) the Blue Mosque
3) the kitchen of the founder of the Turkish Slow Foods movement
4) The mezzes (appetizers) at our dinner the last night in Istanbul.
