To The City: Life and Death Along the Ancient Walls of Istanbul

by Alexander Christie-Miller

Walking along the crumbling defensive walls of Istanbul and talking to those he passes, Alexander Christie-Miller finds a distillation of the country’s history, a mirror of its present, and a shadow of its future.

Caught between two seas and two continents, Istanbul lies at the centre of the most pressing challenges of our time. With environmental decay, rapacious development and tightening authoritarianism straining its social fabric to breaking point, it represents the precipitous moment civilizations around the world are currently facing.

In and around its crumbling Byzantine-era fortifications, Alexander Christie-Miller meets people who are experiencing the looming crisis and fighting back, sometimes triumphing despite the odds.

To the City seamlessly blends two the story of Turkey’s tumultuous recent past told through the lives of those who live around the walls, and the story of Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II’s siege and capture of the city in 1453. That event still looms large in Turkey, as Recep Tayyip Erdoğan like a latter-day sultan invokes its memory as part of his effort to transform the country in an echo of its imperial past.

This is a meditation on the soul of Istanbul, a paean to its resilience and fortitude. Walk with Christie-Miller and see the danger, beauty and hope.

Genres: Travel, History, Nonfiction, Memoir

417 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 15, 2024

Reviews

[dantelk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kitap tam beklediğim gibi cikmadi ama dert degil, gene benim icin ‘okunmaya deger’ denebilecek konular barindiriyordu, yazarın tarzını da begendim.

Ben surlarin ve sur mahallelerinin daha tarihsel bir değerlendirmesi ile kqrsilasmayi bekliyordum. Onun yerine, yazarın Istanbul’la ilgili gözlemleri, yasadıkları, ve konuştuğu çok çeşitli kesimlerden insanları okudum.

Turkiye’de güncel siyaseti takip etmek ve olan bitenden gerçekçi cikarimlar yapmak zor is: gerek ulusal gerekse uluslararasi boyutta ne olup bittiğini anlamak icin çok farklı haber kanallarından takip edilmesi gereken pek çok farklı mesele var. Liderlerin, partilerin, ideolojilerin esiri olmadan bagimsiz bir perspektifle yaklasmak imkansız herhalde: çünkü neredeyse her tartışma konusunun tarihsel bir sureci var, burada kim hakli kim haksiz anlamaya calismak bazen bosa olabiliyor. Onemli olan tek şey var galiba. Adil olmak. Adil olmak çok zor sen, çünkü tartisilan konuyu tum taraflarin acisindan anlamaya calismayi gerektiriyor.

Kendi adıma, ailemde siyasal yelpazenin pek çok cephesinden kisiler olduğu icin sansliyim sanırım: koyu sayılabilecek kemalist/ulusalci, akpli, komünist tipler var! Ustelik hepsinin donanımlı insanlar olduklarını düşünüyorum. Bu kadar çeşitli fikirlerin arasında kritik düşünme pratiklerini uygulamak nispeten kolay oluyor.

İste bu şartlar altında, kitabin tasiyici sütunları olan Gezi, 15 Temmuz, kentsel dönüşüm, soylulastirma gibi konularda yazarın her ne kadar anti-AKP bir dünya görüşü oldugunu sezsem de, farklı kisi ve fikirlere yeterince yer verdigini gordum, bu da beni ziyadesi ile memnun etti. Orman yangınlarından otel yangınlarına, savastan barışa devamlı “cunku öbürleri çok kötüler o yüzden bunlar oluyor!” propagandası okumaktan artık çok sikildigim icin, bu kitabin daha ayakları yere basan bir üslubu olmasina sevindim.

Nereden buraya geldim… Ha iste, diyeceğim o ki, Istanbul’da yürümenin en zevkli olduğu rotalardan biri, eski surlar. Buraları tekinsiz gorunur doğrudur, ama şimdiye kadar başıma bir is gelmedi. Burada her yürüyüşte bireyler değişir, evler dikilir yenisi yapılır, surlar coker, bir zaman kamusal olan yerlere parmaklık çekilir falan filan. Surlar bolgesi 100 sene sonra bugünden çok farklı olacak, akli olan burada bol bol yürüyüp, yasadigimiz su donemde surun başına gelenleri gözlemler, çünkü yarin dünkü halinden eser kalmayacak.

Instagramda ‘suricininsesleri’ hesabini takip etmenizi öneririm, hem AKP hem CHP yönetimine öfke duyan akli başında bir hesap.

Kitapta ‘kuzey ormanları savunmasi’ grubundan bahsedilmesine güldüm, ve yazarın saftrikligine hayret ettim: bu grupların cevre mevre umurlarında bile degil. Belediye CHP’ye geçtiğinden beri IBB’ye bir kere eleştirileri olmuş mu Kuzey ormanları savunmasının. Kemerburgaz Kent Ormani acilirken itiraz etmişler mi! Uckagitcilar...

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely well written with an engaging, daring, profound theme. Effortlessly threading together people, memories, and hope of a civilization.

[Ajk · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really fascinating book that was not quite the book I expected. It uses the gates of the Theodosian walls to tell a story of 21st century Istanbul. So while being very respectful to the Byzantine and Ottoman history of the city (I’m in love with the place, so if you’re not your mileage may vary), it’s really a story of urban/political/social change during the Erdogan era.

So it’s all about urban renewal, social conflict, and piety-as-politics. Really fascinating stuff! And because it is very embedded in particular communities, I found the book’s look at Covid restrictions incredibly powerful: you are sitting with these individuals and communities in times of change, rather than simply dropping in to existing networks and seeing the carnage. There’s context, instead.

I think even folks who don’t have an appetite for history or care about Turkey would be fascinated by the desciption of how authoritarianism takes hold. But also, man, the author’s descriptions of 2010s Istanbul are just vivid and gorgeous. The city’s not gone, is never gone, but is always changing in a way that Alex caught a particular glimpse of.

[Nic Cokis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enchanting blend between history and contemporary political and social commentary on Istanbul. Author has a great deal of talent.

[Alec ⟠]

Although this book went over a LOT of history of Istanbul, I loved reading about the different figures and how their lives intertwined, and how various political changes impacted them. A beautifully-written look into the city and made me feel like I was really there. I also enjoyed the different words used throughout in Turkish, as they really added to the exploration of Istanbul, especially as I have not yet visited. An excellent read!

[Evan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well-written portrait of an overlooked part of the one of the world's great cities, along with an excellent series of deepish dives into many of the other main currents in contemporary Turkish history. Overall, an excellent introduction to the city and country written with admiration and insight.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you enjoy history and that type of stuff whether it be ancient history or more modern history there’s definitely something to read here. Instanbul is one of the most ancient cities on earth and definitely has a long history as expansive as it is interesting.

[Joanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moves fluidly between the Byzantine age and some of the most recent events in Istanbul’s history, anchored by the geography of the city’s land walls and the neighborhoods surrounding them. Beautifully written.

[Hugh O · Rating 4 out of 5]

Evocative portrait of the city.

[Yesim Nicholson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed Alexander's in-depth and unique perspective of a city that I *thought* I knew well.

[Annarella · Rating 5 out of 5]

A love letter to my favourite city in the world: history, atmosphere, places
A fascinating read
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

[Jane Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read after The Ghost Empire