Istanbul: Direct line to Turkey's past
A walk along the ancient walls reveals the city's convoluted history, says Tristan Rutherford
Tristan Rutherford
Saturday 26 November 2011
On the lower shores of the Golden Horn – the oozy inlet of the Bosphorus that divides European Istanbul from its touristy historic centre – I witnessed my favourite fiddle. The trick is known across the Mediterranean as the gold ring scam. You'll be strolling along when a fellow walker stumbles over a gold signet ring, which he assumes must be yours. Handle it and your new friend will want a finder's fee. Or a willowy accomplice might spring from a side street claiming it was hers all along, and only a crossed palm of silver will resolve her indignation.
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