Impressions of Istanbul, Part 2

I spent this past weekend in Cappadocia, a region of incredible natural beauty in central Turkey. The earth in Cappadocia is a very soft volcanic rock (almost the texture of balsa wood - you can crumble it in your hand). The erosion of this rock has created giant, stalactite-like rock towers that dot the landscape, sometimes reaching 30 or 40 feet in height. For around 1400 years people have carved dwellings out of these rock towers, and there are ancient cities preserved as parks (think Mesa Verde) as well as contemporary buildings to see. In addition, the soft rock allowed the creation of completely underground ancient cities, which you can also. Finally, the soft rock allows easy access to natural hot springs. Unfortunately, while Cappadocia was beautiful, and certainly worth seeing if you come to Turkey, the trip was horribly organized. We spent the night in a poorly-built, fly-infested hotel close to two hours away from the main sights, squandered time on secondary attractions like pottery and wine tastings, and were perennially behind schedule. I don't have nearly as much to report about Cappadocia as I did about the Aegean Coast. However, Cappadocia did show me a different side of Turkey: a side that is relatively, poor, remote, and traditional. The bleak towns of Cappadocia seem like they are in a different country from bustling, cosmopolitan Istanbul and Izmir.

I have said that Turkey is a country at a crossroads. At any crossroads, the view depends on the direction you are approaching. Arriving in Istanbul from the United States and Europe, I noticed many of the ways in which Istanbul differs from the West. Returning to Istanbul from Cappadocia, I noticed the many ways in which Istanbul is a part of the West, and I suspect that comparing Turkey with the Arabic Middle East would similarly cast Turkey in a Western light. For example, women are very present in the public sphere in Istanbul - working, shopping, dancing, and traveling. In contrast, I saw very few local women working in shops or restaurants in Cappadocia. I was curious to see whether the head scarf was more common in Cappadocia, but I did not enough local women to assess this. Likewise, public restrooms in Istanbul (and the Aegean) are the same as those in the United States or Europe. In Cappadocia, the restrooms were almost always filthy and foul-smelling, and often lacked Western toilets. Many of Istanbul's buildings could use a fresh coat of paint, but the buildings in the city center are basically constructed to modern standards. The hotel in Cappadocia seemed like it was built by amateurs: the floor was a bit uneven, the grout was unevenly applied, and the shower was poorly designed. Sure, coastal Turkey has its idiosyncrasies: headscarves are a daily sight, men and women are seated separately on long-distance busses, and the streets aren't cleaned that regularly.

The importance of perspective in understanding Turkey also applies to politics. Compared with Western Europe, Turkey has a questionable commitment to human rights and democracy. It restricts the cultural independence of its Kurdish minority, bans political parties denies that there was an Armenian genocide (although it acknowledges that the Turkish army committed war crimes), deals with repressive regimes in Iran and Syria, and has increasingly cooled to Israel. The current government bullies media conglomerates with massive fines and the opposition attempts to have the ruling party banned. The military has overthrown democratically elected governments four times since 1960 and the public views these "military interventions" (they are never referred to as "coups") in a generally positive light. But compared with the Middle East, Turkey is still a glowing example of responsible government. Political demonstrations are a frequent occurrence, free and regular elections with multiple parties regularly result in peaceful changes of government, human rights violations by the police and the military are investigated, and the government recognizes Israel and maintains extensive diplomatic and military ties. Some political commentators in the US have noted their concern with the policy shifts of the current (AKP) government away from Europe and argued that Turkey is transforming into Syria or Iran. The policies of the AKP merit debate, but painting Turkey with the same brush as repressive Middle Eastern autocracies is the simplistic result of an extremely skewed perspective. Turkey may not be the West, but nor is it the East.