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Streets Of Istanbul

Rüyama Gel Bu Akşam - Hareket Halinde Türkiye 7 - FLV Excerpt from the film

Synopsis

Around 27% of Istanbul’s 15 million inhabitants call themselves Istanbulians. All others come from towns like Kayseri, Sivas, Muş or any other one of Turkey’s 70 odd provinces. Among those who proudly proclaim themselves as being from Istanbul are the Romany of the Sulukule, who have lived in their district called Sulukule at the foot of the ancient city wall for over hundreds of years. But they now have to go due to alleged urban redevelopment.

People from all walks of life originating from different areas of Turkey are introduced in this episode to give us an idea about the complex human configuration of this metropolis.

An outsider who is spiritually bound to the city between two continents, the Albanian poet and painter Erwin Hatibi, claims that there might also be other motives for moving in to Istanbul beside yearning for money and power. He introduces us to non-material aspects of Istanbul, e.g. to its multicultural life throughout centuries.

The last episode of “Turkey on the move” also focuses on the general motive of “being on the move”, namely hope; hoping for better living standards, hoping for a home, for returning back home, the hope for love and understanding. The theme of hope is visually underlined by an amazing mass movement of pilgrims to one of the Prince Islands nearby Istanbul.

Tens of thousands of people, mostly Muslims, climb the steep hill to pray at the Haghia Yorgi Monestary in Büyükada, on its church name day.