Spirit of Istanbul
Reportages

Spirit of Istanbul

A city that exists in at least two tenses at once

Bosphorus light and suspension. The strait as the actual subject: everything on either side of it is defined by what it is not. Thirty-two images from a city that has been negotiating its own contradictions for longer than most cities have existed.

31 images
Istanbul, Turkey
The Bosphorus at dawn, tankers in the distance, the light still horizontal 1 / 31
Fishermen on the Galata Bridge, rods over the railing, the city behind them 2 / 31
The Blue Mosque dome seen through a gap between apartment buildings 3 / 31
Grand Bazaar interior: a corridor of hanging lamps, the depth infinite 4 / 31
A tea vendor in a narrow Fatih alley, the tray balanced without hands 5 / 31
Taksim Square at evening, crowds in movement, the statue still 6 / 31
Galata Tower from below: the conical cap against a blue sky 7 / 31
A carpet shop doorway, rugs hanging in the street, a figure inside the dark 8 / 31
Ferry crossing the Bosphorus, water churned white behind it 9 / 31
Hagia Sophia in flat midday light, pigeons crossing in front of the façade 10 / 31
A spice market stall: sacks of colour arranged by height 11 / 31
Looking down from the Galata Bridge toward the water and the mosque beyond 12 / 31
A muezzin's call broadcast over a neighbourhood at dusk 13 / 31
Street cat on a warm wall in Balat, regarding the camera without concern 14 / 31
A barber's shop window reflection: the street and the interior superimposed 15 / 31
The Süleymaniye Mosque at dusk, the illuminated minarets against deepening blue 16 / 31
Rooftop terrace in Beyoğlu: the city running in all directions below 17 / 31
An old man reading a newspaper in a park beside the Bosphorus 18 / 31
Çırağan Palace façade lit at night, the water in front of it 19 / 31
A baker carrying a tray of simit rings through a steep cobbled street 20 / 31
Inside Hagia Sophia: the light from the high windows falling in columns 21 / 31
A game of backgammon in a Sultanahmet café, the players unhurried 22 / 31
The Bosphorus Bridge from below at night, cables lit, traffic streaming above 23 / 31
A woman in traditional dress at the entrance to a bazaar 24 / 31
Kapalıçarşı at opening time: the gates lifting, the first light entering 25 / 31
The Asian shore from the European side, the gap between them always visible 26 / 31
A tulip garden in Emirgan, the formal beds in full spring bloom 27 / 31
Children playing football in a narrow Fener street, the walls close on both sides 28 / 31
Sunset over the Golden Horn: the colour between orange and pink 29 / 31
Istanbul from the ferry looking back: the skyline silhouetted against the last light 30 / 31
Final image: the Bosphorus at night, a single light on the opposite shore 31 / 31
Reportages
← previous Feel Bruges next → Morocco: Al Magrib
← All Reportages