Istanbul's Galata Bridge has spanned the Golden Horn since the
sixth century AD, connecting the old city with the more Western
districts to the north. But the bridge is a city in itself, peopled
by merchants and petty thieves, tourists and fishermen, and at the
same time a microcosmic reflection of Turkey as the link between
Asia and Europe. Geert Mak introduces us to the woman who sells
lottery tickets, the cigarette vendors, and the best pickpockets in
Europe. He tells us about the pride of the cobbler and the
tea-seller's homesickness. And he describes the role of honor in
Turkish culture, the temptations of fundamentalism and violence,
and the urge to survive, even in the face of despair. These stories
of the bridge's denizens are interwoven with vignettes illuminating
moments in the history of Istanbul and Turkey and shedding light on
Turkey's relationship with Europe and the West, the Armenian
question, the migration from the Turkish countryside to the city,
and the demise of the Ottoman Empire.
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