Mixed Signs on the Economy

In economic terms, I was expecting Istanbul to resemble one of the newly prosperous climbing-out-of-the-Third-World cities I've visited, like Cape Town or Santiago, Chile. That is, a wealthy, Westernized area in the core with expensive shops and restaurants, surrounded by shantytowns, and permeated with the aroma of inadequate pollution controls.

That's not what it's like, though. We saw no shantytowns or other overt signs of poverty, either in Istanbul or during our day trip to the ruins of Ephesus, near Izmir. The air was as clean as in any Western European capital. In fact, the level of economic development appeared to be close to or maybe a bit better than Lisbon, certainly way above Naples. There were some shabby buildings and peeling paint, but not a lot.

Look harder, though, and more subtle signs appear that Turkey has not yet caught up with the rest of Europe. I did not see a single Turk using a smartphone the entire trip, for one thing. They don't dress in a particularly flashy or expensive way as the Italians or French do (though the men often have nice haircuts).

And all over the city, you see groups of idle men at cafes ...

in shopping areas ...


or just out on the streets ...


or, especially, playing backgammon in the middle of the afternoon:

Now, some of the men in these pictures are clearly of retirement age, and others may have been merchants talking to their friends while keeping an eye on their market stall. But many looked young enough to work but not obviously employed. Dealing with that will be one of the country's challenges in the years ahead.