Friday, April 26, 2019

ORHAN PAMUK’S ISTANBUL -- 12

NEW YORK TIMES WORDS/STEVE WRIGHT IMAGES
Tucked off one steep avenue is an alley of government-sanctioned brothels guarded by the police.

The Karakoy area conjures vivid memories for Mr. Pamuk of his childhood. 

He pointed out a row of bicycle shops, where his father bought him his first two-wheeler. 

A bit farther on is a passageway leading to the Tunel, one of the world’s oldest subterranean transit lines. 

The two-stop subway, built by French engineers, began in 1875 and still links Karakoy Square with the embassy district in the central Beyoglu district.

In its early incarnation the train consisted of a steam engine that pulled two wooden cars, with separate compartments for men and women.

“The empire fell apart, and there was no other subway line in Turkey for 120 more years,” said Mr. Pamuk, who loved riding the trains with his parents as a child.

-Joshua Hammer

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