As so many historic and sentimental sites are plowed under by the bulldozers of AKP / Toki progress, is it worth asking if perhaps that the luxury tourist hotels that will rise up on their graves will attract tourists who want to see a city of gleaming glass and concrete instead of the once preserved, ancient capital of legend? Will the much revered shopping malls, mostly designed to attract European and American high-end brands, find enough locals toting shopping bags full of costly goods, or will they all simply swell the lines of the cheapest shops in the Food Courts? This is the New Turkey that the Patron has promised, a city without parks and green space or any semblance of quality of life on a human scale, a city as dry and desiccated as a desert where rocks and sand are replaced by rebar and concrete. Not only have the 10 heritage sites mentioned in this must-read article been plundered in the name of development, but elsewhere in today’s news, we learn that “historic” SultanAhmet Lane, which is located between Topkapı Palace and Aya Sofya, will be leased to investors who want to change it into (want to guess?) more luxury accommodations for wealthy tourists. (The same fate befell Maiden’s Tower last year). And Turkish Airlines will redevelop two heritage properties on the Bosphorous for their “VIP travelers.” It’s already a Platinum Card city now, soon to be upgraded to Black Card status. The Malls and Hotels in the city that are sprouting up like weeds in an asphalt driveway are anchored to Condominiums - Condominia? :-) - under the classic “Multi-Use” business model that brain-dead bankers automatically “green light” because of their multiple revenue streams even while housing sales are reported to have dropped by 12% over last year. And the word poised on the lips of nearly every sentient being here these days is “housing bubble.” Meanwhile, a few thousand kms away, Syria and Iraq are in the grip of ISIS’s fantasy of an Islamic Theme Park, as city after Iraqı city fall under their control and the borders between Turkey, Iraq, Syria and Jordan have become largely permeable. Oh and BTW (or is it FYI?) Iran is calling up more troops to active duty. As Cole Porter wrote What a Swell Party This Is Back here in Oz, everyone is caught up in (1) The World Cup or (2) the latest episode of Game of Thrones. Others of a more religious bent (and I do mean bent) are parading around in beach resorts guilt tripping women in swimsuits into covering their sinful skin and obeying their husbands. In other resort news, the lovely city on Alaçatı on the Aegean Sea known for its good life and hospitable atmosphere (parties) has been placed under a religious authority … and no one knows what that means - because no one tells anyone anything. But there will be protests I hear :-) Is this the “New Turkey” of Erdoğan’s dreams? Is this what people want? Is this why the Gezi Park II demonstrations were attended by fewer people than the ones lined up on the opening day of the Apple Store? Will a proxy candidate / Islamic scholar manifested at the last minute out of a makeshift alliance of 2 opposition parties seeking to play the “religious card” be enough to stop the AK Juggernaut in time for uh … August? (I mean seriously???) I don’t think chanting Allah Koru will be enough. But what do I know?
Posted on: Thu, 26 Jun 2014 08:03:21 +0000