Boatmen

Surviving in Istanbul can be really hard sometimes, especially, if the issue is urban transportation. Even though people are used to the heavy traffic, they cannot escape the gloomy world created by on-going construction areas on their way. Staying at home can be a solution, but it is not a realistic option. When this dilemma surrounds people live in Istanbul, the boats between the two different sides, Sutluce – Eyup, offers cheap and an alternative way for transportation. The Golden Horn was the most popular district of Ottoman Empire. In Ramadan, various entertainments were organized all day and night such as theatre plays, funfair plays and rowing-boat trips. These boats were also the transportation vehicles between two sides of Golden Horn. People used them to access from one side to the other. These boats still continue working as transportation vehicles but day by day, boats have lost their popularity and necessity. Now, they are just the symbols of old tradition. Still, boatmen who continue working between two sides love their job. For them, it is a predecessor job. Also they are very close and old friends. Although, they are working in accordance with a schedule, most of them are in the shelter in their off days. They are chatting, cooking and watching TV. When you are spending time with boatmen, you feel that they belong to the different time. They are peaceful and calm. They are enjoying their jobs and as a passenger you share this joy with them. And you can easily understand why this job is important in this crowded city. You feel alive when you get in boats. However, that job isn’t accepted a part of our modern age. The disappearance of this transportation way is very close, unfortunately.