In the name of regeneration, the old historic neighborhood of Istanbul, Tarlabaşı, will be confined to the memories of Istanbullites very soon. It used to be inhabited mostly by the Greeks since the mid 1800s and by migrants from Anatolia since the 1960s. Despite opposition from many different interest groups, the demolitions are dazing the district to the ground to give room for high-end projects. The transformation taking place in the city is sometimes beyond my imagination. My mind does not get it. I needed to go and see it myself. We could hear the humming bulldozers in the background when we were there. Urban transformation tagged photos are my vain attempt to create a personal and collective cultural memory for the city.

 

 

 

 

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PS. Photo # 1 featured in my photo exhibition, Revisiting the City.

For more photos on the evacuation process of Tarlabaşı: Ali Öz’s photography book “Ayıp Åžehir”