Siddharth Jain

or a very brief introduction to the country with a few selected images..

Turkey is quite beautiful. In these few days I visited I saw Istanbul,Avyalik,Izmir and Ephsesus through the Mediterranean with its sparkling blue water following me throughout the journey. In the land during Aug-Sept the sun starts slipping by mid afternoon and lingers on till late evening giving one enough opportunities to photograph in its glow.And with it one can see the different shades of blue.

Every now and then a shaft of light strikes through the maze of streets and the astonishing architecture of Istanbul ,illuminating your next step and reflecting upon many influences that have made an indelible mark in all districts of the city.What is striking about this land is the mix of history and modernism. It is a metropolis expanding its boundaries beyond land but at the same time holds its history with long and winding streets. And then, its on the edge of Asia with its spice bazaar, and but now has an international community of expats, business and its own Taksim square. I had my dose of history while visiting all the listed monuments like Hagia Sofia, Top Kapi Palace, Galata Tower and other structures of Byzantine and Ottoman era. But of my particular interest was the ancient city of Ephesus,Turkey. It was an ancient Greek city, and later a major Roman city, on the west coast of Asia Minor, near present-day Selçuk, Izmir Province, Turkey.

The Turkish people are quite liberal in their attitude as it seems and one could see the elan and poise with which the women cross the streets.It gives you a kind of happy feeling knowing your photography frames will at times remain attractive. Also that something might happen in your frame and .But of course the most dynamic of place is the Golden Horn. It really is the melting pot of the world. Street vendors, people crossing through the ferries, a few folks fishing from the bridge and then a few restaurants underneath the bridge where one can drink at leisure , the differential skyline with mosques of grand size overlooking you ,gives you a shock from its grandeur. The buzz from that environment still lingers in my memory as I think of Golden Horn . One can only imagine what it must have been in ancient times. Truly as Napolean Bonaparte said " if the earth was a single state,Istanbul would be its capital " .And it cannot be travelled in just one visit.

These are photographs taken during a visit to Turkey this Summer.