"Continental Divide
Bridging Europe and Asia, Turkey again tests whether Islam can coexist with democracy
By Jay Tolson
Posted 5/27/07
ISTANBUL—Walk down the pedestrian-jammed Istiklal Street in Istanbul's fashionable Beyoglu neighborhood day or night, and you sense the tremendous energy that has been unleashed in Turkey during the past decade. Founded by Italian merchants in Byzantine times, this vibrant district, rising above the northern shore of the Golden Horn, was until recently one of the city's shabbier quarters. But since its conversion into a mostly car-free zone in the late 1990s—one of the many shrewd calls made by the city's then Islamist government—Beyoglu has taken off. The maze of narrow streets branching off the boutique-lined Istiklal buzz with trendy cafes, clubs, and restaurants, while apartments that sell faster than they can be refurbished appreciate at the clip of about 25 percent a year."
More:Turkey Tests Whether Islam Can Coexist With Democracy - US News and World Report
