Personal / Turkey

Istanbul, As Ever

Birds at the New Mosque

I’ve started writing so many pieces this year called “Istanbul Is Safe, Really.”

Then I get distracted, and take a little too long to finish it. And then some event happens in Turkey and I decide to wait and see that the situation is really okay.

And even as the political climate (particularly in the Southeast) gets dicey, Istanbul remains a safe and exciting city I love living in. And I think, I should really finish that “Istanbul is Safe” piece.

Then a bomb goes off in Sultanahmet and I think, damn it.

Is Istanbul Safe

Tuesday was terrible. I was nowhere near the explosion– more than one friend sent me messages that said something like “I know you’re too cool to hang out in Sultanahmet, but wanted to make sure you were okay anyway”– but I work for a travel company that did have people there that morning. They are fine. I spent the day exhausted emotionally, eventually giving in to the overwhelming urge to just get back under my covers and turn off all the screens.

Today, with a fresh brain, I find that I’m actually not really worried about my safety here. No more than I ever am, actually. I’m worried about my company’s business. I’m worried about tourism. I’m worried about the country’s long-term stability. But not about my safety.

Because here’s the thing: people have this idea that Istanbul is inherently less safe because IT’S THE MIDDLE EAST (sort of?) and IT’S NEAR SYRIA (partially?) and IT’S MUSLIM (technically?) but really, the issue is that for many people, Turkey is far away and unfamiliar. And the unknown is scarier, always.

Is Istanbul Safe

But three years ago, Boston was bombed, and we’re not scared to visit Boston. When I was in California, there was a shooting in San Bernardino– a city outside of LA, where my sister lives– and yet we’re not scared of Southern California. The attacks in Paris were much more terrifying and much more coordinated, and yet Paris isn’t inherently frightening. Je suis Paris, etc.

Here’s what I’ve done since a bomb went off in Sultanahmet: I had a cappuccino at a trendy cafe with a couple of my readers. I bought groceries from the family-run market on my block. I drank a Guinness in a crowded Irish pub with a friend. I listened to David Bowie and took a ferry at sunset from Asia to Europe. I gave a talk to a group of visiting students. I ate Syrian food in Taksim Square. I wore red lipstick.

I lived my lovely jam-packed life and didn’t feel unsafe.

Is Istanbul Safe

Please don’t fear Istanbul. Please don’t cancel your trips. Please don’t let the news convince you that Turkey is a scary country.

Yes, the attack was horrific. But Istanbul is full of life and love and light. Don’t let a stupid terrorist convince you otherwise.

And when you come to visit, I’ll be here.

Is Istanbul Safe

(I want to encourage you to read my friend Emily’s post, which really gets at what I was feeling much more gracefully and directly. Seriously, read it, it’s excellent.)

My thoughts about all this seem to be shifting hourly, and I nearly didn’t post this– but this is how I felt when I wrote the piece yesterday evening, so I’m letting it stand. I’m more curious, how do you feel? Are you in Istanbul now, too? Are you planning to visit?

8 Comments

  • Eric
    January 14, 2016 at 6:16 PM

    My wife and I are planning to visit in February. We live in Washington, D.C., where there was a horrific shooting at the Navy Yard a couple years ago.

    I think we’re still going to go. But we’re definitely feeling a little frightened. This shooting was in one of the very spots we intended to be. I think it’s easier to feel frightened when you’re going to a foreign place and feel less comfortable and less at home already.

    Of course, the daily drum beat of negative coverage in the media doesn’t help. I have to make a conscience effort not to lump the region together in my head.

    Reply
    • Katrinka
      January 15, 2016 at 2:52 PM

      Eric, I’m glad you’re still planning to visit Istanbul. It’s natural to feel a bit frightened, but you’re exactly right– terrible things can happen anywhere, even in the US. The news never talks about the normal stuff of life that continues to go on here. And in a city of nearly 18 million people, there’s a lot of normal stuff of life. (When I visited my parents in the US, I made them promise to shut off the television news while I was home. It makes everything more stressful.)
      If you have questions or concerns before you come here, please feel free to reach out to me!

      Reply
  • Andrew
    January 14, 2016 at 9:16 PM

    I will definitely still visit! Always wanted to. The history and mix of cultures fascinate me. The world is not really a safe place anyway, to be honest, I don’t think Turkey is any more dangerous than Israel or my country South Africa. Or Germany or Britain even. I look forward to my visit. 🙂

    Reply
    • Katrinka
      January 15, 2016 at 2:54 PM

      You should certainly come to visit! I read the news about stabbings in Israel over the last few months and found it frightening– and yet, the people I know there continued to live their normal lives. Unfortunately, we live in an age where something can happen anywhere; I feel as safe in Turkey as I do in US cities, where there are many more guns. You will love Istanbul!

      Reply
  • Mary
    January 15, 2016 at 1:25 AM

    Going in October! Carefully, inquisitively, diligently, respectfully, and excitedly going. (also, love your blog. and thank you for this wonderful and honest post).

    Reply
    • Katrinka
      January 15, 2016 at 2:55 PM

      Hooray! You will love Istanbul. And thank you for your kind words! I’m glad you liked the post!

      Reply
  • Jason
    January 15, 2016 at 10:05 AM

    I respectfully disagree. I have Turkish friends in Istanbul who don’t feel safe. They fear that Turkey is at the beginning of a sustained period of insecurity and terrorism. ISIS bombed the tourist heart of Istanbul just 3 months after the Ankara bombing. Give me a year of sustained peace in Turkey’s most important cities and maybe I’ll believe the Erdogan government can provide security. Until then I’ll take my family elsewhere. It’s sad to write this because I love Istanbul.

    Reply
    • Katrinka
      January 15, 2016 at 3:00 PM

      Thank you so much for your comment, Jason! I was hoping that someone would chime in with this side, actually. Though most of the time I feel the way I wrote in this post, I have low moments where I worry that you’re right and Turkey is slipping into a dark period. I hope it’s wrong, but it’s hard to maintain optimism 100% of the time. Ultimately, I can’t know, which is why I nearly didn’t post this– I would hate to reassure people that Turkey is completely safe, and then have something terrible happen. But days after the bombing, my day-to-day life has changed very little, and I hope it continues to remain like that. And that’s worth considering, too. Ultimately, we all have to decide what makes us most comfortable! I am sorry you’ll be leaving Istanbul, but it’s not a wrong decision– you have to do what’s best for you and your family and I wish you all the best. I hope when it’s time for me to leave Turkey, it’s a choice that isn’t made due to security concerns. But in this day and age, I can’t know.
      Thank you again for sharing your point of view!

      Reply

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