TABLE
OF CONTENTS
|
The City of Eur-Asia
By Jane Wiseman
Istanbul
is a fabulous
city. Not only is it chock-full of things to do but it's full to the
brim with
culture
and history. As the previous capital of three world empires Istanbul has
been through a lot. Everywhere
you go are remnants of time gone by. One thing I saw (and of course
took a
picture of) is a stone pillar called “Million”. It is all that
remains of a
giant Roman arch of the Byzantine Empire
from
which all road distances in the empire were measured. It sits a few
meters in
the ground where street level used to be and is one of the many
artifacts that remind visitor's of Istanbul’s
history.
While the many historical artifacts slap you in the face, the
more
subtle things in Istanbul are the
differences
between the Europe and Asian sides of
the
city. While both sides of the city are
crowded with people, as Jenny White talked about in her article "Bridge
between Europe and Asia," the Asian side has a much more
city-like feel to it. There is a much more “downtown” area which is
composed of
giant skyscrapers. While on the European side, you tend to find
smaller, more vernacular
streets. Even the way people dress is different depending on which side
of the Bosphorus
River you’re
on.
However, both sides are
alike in that they both represent what it means to be part of a
transnational
city. Both sides of the city contain international, corporate chains
(Pizza Hut
and
Starbucks) and the quaint areas are starting to get taken over by the
more
modern indoor-mall setup. Istikal
Street in Taksim Square is a good example
of this.
It is closed to motor traffic and is composed of places to eat, shop,
and spend
time with friends. However, as you walk along the street you notice
that there
are some chain stores that might be found anywhere in the world. While
talking to a Turkish man I met during my visit, he
lamented this gradual loss of Istanbul’s
history, leaving in its place the modern, stainless steel McWorld.
|