Turkey Alight

Turkey Alight is a historically significant photo book. It portrays images of Turkey from an era long gone.Turkey Alight brings together all the photographs in Istanbul Alight & Anatolia Alight. The book will showcase to the reader the beauty of historic Istanbul and Edirne and of mystical Anatolia in all its exquisiteness and complexity. Istanbul's renowned landmarks and hidden corners are presented giving special insight into this enchanting and exotic city where centuries old Bazaars, Mosques, Castles and Forts make up this great city.Istanbul has always been a crossroads for many civilizations, cultures and religions. Thracians, Greeks, Romans, Ottomans and lastly the Turks have all have contributed to the makings of and left their mark on the heritage and legacy of this exotic city and its peoples. This is where the East meets the West. Europe, Asia, the Balkans, the Caucasus, the Middle East meet each other in one space and augment each other to present an exotic and unique experience. The experience is often one of organized chaos which somehow comes together in one extraordinarily beautiful albeit chaotic scene. Anatolia also known as Asia Minor is the land mass that makes up the majority of Turkey. The region borders the Black Sea to the North, the Mediterranean Sea to the South and the Aegean Sea to the West. The Marmara Sea connects the Black and Aegean Seas through the Bosphorus Channel and the Dardanelles straits thereby separating Anatolia from Thrace on the European mainland. A cradle to numerous civilizations Anatolia also hosted the Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Seljuks and Ottomans. The Turkification of Anatolia commenced with the Seljuk Empire in the 11th century and further intensified under the Ottoman Empire. The chapters on Anatolia start with Bursa and Canakkale and take the reader to Izmir and Aydin, Denizli, Antalya and Alanya, Cappadocia, then to the South East of Turkey to Sanliurfa, Kilis, Corycos and Tarsus and ends at the capital Ankara with a visit to the Mausoleum of Ataturk the founder of modern day Turkey and the countries first President. The ancient sites of Ephesos and Aspendos, the settlements of the early Christians and the travertines of Pamukkale are of course the highlights of Anatolia Alight and they are supplemented with less known and visited destinations.There are also plenty of photographs depicting the everyday life of the peoples in this unique destination. The pictures stem from a time period about two decades after WWII.When viewing the pictures in this book please remember that these photos are over 50 years old and are representative of an of relatively basic photo lenses and darkroom developing technology.The photos in this book have been digitized to best reflect the qualities of Kodak Ektachrom Film that was used.Whereas the book consists nearly exclusively of 1960's era photos, photos depicting Golden Horn, Leandros Tower (Kiz Kulesi) and the famous Istanbul Ferry Boats shot from the Anatolian side of Istanbul (Uskudar) and from South East of Turkey are from a later period.Why buy a book of historic or vintage photography? Historic and vintage photos allow a trip into the past and into a time of less development and less people.Not necessarily into a better time or place but a time reflecting a moment in time that was perhaps unspoiled and less used if you will. Photography is both an art and a science. A mix of light, opportunity, time and space. It is to be at the right place at the right time as well as with the right subjects and objects. Sometimes what is in front of the camera is just as interesting as who is behind the camera. The photo represents an outcome that consists of all social and cultural paradigms both in front and behind the camera as well as technical and social skills of the photographer.