Sunday, 8 December had Haydarpaşa Station hosting a danceathon like no other. The tango, swing and salsa communities of Istanbul staged what can only be described as a dancing demonstration, defending against the privatization of this iconic building.
Being something of a newcomer to Istanbul (2 months that weekend), I decided that this would be an ample opportunity to mix with the locals and learn a bit more about what makes this city tick. Living so far out (Beylikduzu) means that I often do not make the time to venture that far outside of my woman cave. Any excuse for a dance.
I pulled some people together and off we went on a journey of ridiculously sizeable proportions, sticking out the Metrobus pretty much from one end of the city to the other (I live at the third to last stop on the European side), due to it being the most sensible option, albeit less romantic (and comfortable) than the ferry. We still managed to catch a nice view as we crossed over the Bosphorus Bridge to the other side. Does this city ever have a dull sunset?
On approach, this somewhat foreboding building seems something of an architectural anomaly, in contrast with the distinctive, dome filled cityscape that seems to almost define the city. Upon further inspection I discovered that German architects Otto Ritter and Helmut Conu designed the building. Makes sense.
Making our way through the back, empty trains occupy a couple of tracks, giving the illusion of a fully operating station, although the last train departed in 2012. The station, once a literal gateway between civilisations and the busiest station in Turkey, currently has no functional use other than to act as eye candy to those approaching Kadikoy via ferry.
It seems a shame. Walking into this station, I was more than mildly impressed by its splendid grandeur with echoes of a time now past, preserving a certain glamour and romance reminiscent of scenes from old Hollywood movies. It may be over a hundred, but it’s still got it. Transported to an episode of Poirot, I felt I had made my way East from Paris on the Orient Express, to Sirkeci Station. From there, I would make the short hop over the Bosphorus by ferry to Haydarpaşa ready for whatever twist of fate Agatha Christie had in store for me.
“Haydarpaşa Station
spring 1941
3 o’clock.
Upon the steps, sunlight
fatigue
and confusion. “
(Nazim Hikmet’s Human Landscapes From My Country)
When you delve deeper you will discover that this station is in fact not just that bit of eye candy espied on the ferry, but is also a proud part of Istanbul’s cultural history. The above quoted Human Landscapes From My Country is but one example. Its epic journey like many others, both real and fictional, begins at Haydarpaşa. The more you look into it, the more you can understand why this station means so much in this city.
Originally said to be closing down for the purposes of reconstruction, a fire in 2010 halted this process and now it is clear that there are no current plans to restore the station to function in the way of its original intent. There are murmurings of a conspiracy theory regarding this incident. As with most things, the whats and the whys will never be known. Although, just this month the whos have been found guilty of ‘recklessly causing the fire and risking the general safety’.
Despite this, Haydarpaşa continues to be a public building, belonging to the people of Istanbul. That is for the time being. As with many things in this world, the lure of private investment in the form of a hotel cum shopping centre may be too difficult to resist. This is the very thing the swing, tango and salsa communities of Istanbul are dancing to defend against. For them it is a free and open space and should remain that way so that anyone, including a few yabancı gatecrashers, on a Sunday night, can enjoy it in all its glory. Enjoy it we did. Not wanting to show the dancers up (wink wink), we chose to watch from a comfortable distance. We were more than mildly impressed at the way their sentiment was expressed. To have this sort of passion for your city and the things that make it unique, and to be able to come together and fight for what you think is right in a way that can only be construed as positive, is eye opening indeed.
Photo Credits: Louise McStravick and Katrinka Abroad.
