‘Ghostly and melancholic’: Bustling Istanbul is muted by quarantine
Normally buzzing with activity, Turkey’s timeless city is now a harbor of resilience.
Seagulls fill the sky above Istanbul, Turkey, seen here from the Karakoy neighborhood.
PHOTOGRAPH BY EMIN OZMEN, MAGNUM PHOTOS
5 MINUTE READ
BY ONUR UYGUN
PHOTOGRAPHS BY EMIN ÖZMEN
PUBLISHED APRIL 29, 2020
The Bosporus, the narrow strait running through the heart of Istanbul, flows at the intersection of Europe and Asia. It’s both a watery highway and a metaphor, uniting social life in this city of 15 million people. On a typical spring day, Istanbullus— from sweatshirt-wearing students to grandmothers in headscarves—pack the city’s waterside parks, sunning themselves to a soundtrack of seabirds. At rush hour, a cacophony of car horns resonates from the sahil yolu (seaside road).
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