Sub-machine guns, security checkpoint at the entrance, another checkpoint for personal belonging, and a third checkpoint at the gate. This was what greeted Steve and I during our final hours in Turkey at Ataturk Airport. The Turks take no chances anywhere there are mass gatherings of people. The security protocols were thorough, the soldiers manning them extremely serious. This made us feel safer, rather than less secure. We were satisfied with the many safety precautions taken in the country for the safety of tourists. At no time had either of us felt threatened or feared for our safety. Turkish hospitality went a long way in alleviating concerns. The only rudeness we noticed was nothing out of the normal. Our only worries about safety were reserved for petty crime, mainly pickpockets. Those who I had told about our trip before departing voiced other concerns.
Going in the right direction – Ataturk Airport (Credit: Matt@PAK)
“Is It Safe” – The Usual Precautions
When I first told family and friends that I was traveling to Turkey, there would be a pause on the other end of the phone line. Their next words were predictable, “Is it safe?” This was followed by, “Are you sure?” My friends and family knew very little about Turkey other than that it was in the Middle East. In 2008, we were not that far removed from the September 11th terrorist attacks which had their origins in the Middle East. That Turkey had nothing to do with the attacks and took a hard line against terrorism hardly mattered. In America, the Middle East only makes the news when there are wars. America’s war on terror, especially the war in Iraq had once again made the Middle East a flashpoint for Americans.
I was not really worried about these issues affecting American tourists in Turkey. There is a big difference between the Middle East and the Near East. Those terms are imprecise. The two regions overlap. Turkey is part of both, but more Near Eastern, then Middle Eastern. Whereas in the Middle East, the major geopolitical issue centers around Arabs and Jews. The biggest issue for the Turks is relations with the Kurdish minority which lives in the eastern part of the country. American involvement in Turkish-Kurdish relations has been on the fringes and never central to the issue. The war in Iraq and American support for the Kurds in northern Iraq did cause problems, but Turkey continued to be an American ally.
There was plenty of armed security at all the heavily trafficked historic sites we visited in Turkey. For instance, the security presence at Topkapi Palace was noticeable. Soldiers with a look of stoic sternness stood on guard at the entrance. Only a fool would tempt fate with these men. The look on their faces said, “shoot first, ask questions later.” They made American soldiers and police look easy going. I found the seriousness of Turkish soldiers a confidence booster. No wonder, they had been at the forefront of NATO operations for half a century.
Ready & waiting – Turkish soldier guarding a historic site in Istanbul
Rubbing Shoulders – Beyond Crowd Control
Tourism is also an economic imperative for the Turkish government. The country’s service economy is heavily reliant on the tourism industry. The government has a compelling interest in keeping Turkey in the top 10 most visited countries in the world. That Turkey has built up such a robust tourism industry is partly due to its track record of keeping tourists safe. This is quite remarkable considering it borders Iran, Syria, and Lebanon, which have all seen their fair share of civil and geopolitical strife from the late 20th century up through the present. Keeping the peace in the Near East has never been easy. That task would only become more difficult in the years after our visit. Eight years after our visit, a terrorist attack by Islamic State killed 45 people and injured 240 at the international terminal in Ataturk Airport. Even in a country as security conscious as Turkey, terrorist attacks still happen.
My main safety concern in Turkey involved the threat of petty theft, but I was never aware of any issues. Of course, I had interior pockets and a money belt. Despite this, there were certain heavily touristed areas of Istanbul where the crush of people was so great that I could not have stopped a would-be thief. Underpasses, the Grand Bazaar and Spice Market were extremely crowded. Literally rubbing shoulders with hundreds of strangers in a single day was disconcerting. For the most part, I found the lack of personal space more irritating than threatening. This was not the fault of Istanbul’s inhabitants. They were in the same predicament as tourists. There was simply not enough space in the historic parts of the city to accommodate 14 million inhabitants, plus thousands of tourists on a daily basis.
Istanbul (Constantinople) historically has been one of the world’s most populated cities for 1,500 years, but it was never anywhere close to as populated as it has become in the 21st century. For me, the most worrisome aspect of this overcrowding was the possibility of a stampede caused by any sort of panic. Like most fears these proved to be unfounded. Only two perceptible threats to personal safety arose during the trip. These involved angry locals who lost their temper in public. The first one was somewhat warranted since a vendor in the Grand Bazaar believed another man had tried to steal from him. I doubt the alleged thief will ever try it again with this same man. This was one of the few times in my life I had seen someone so angry that I believed they might commit a lethal act of violence.
Open for business – At the Spice Bazaar in Istanbul (Credit: Ray Swi-hymn)
War & Peace – Taking It Personally
The other instance was as bizarre as it was intense. A woman at a tram stop exploded at a member of the opposite sex. Her anger was so fierce that people standing along the street stared in amazement. I assumed that she had suffered some deeply personal affront, perhaps of the romantic variety. Her ferocity lasted for nearly ten minutes. None of the onlookers knew whether to be fearful or impressed. Fortunately, there was no assault, only words. I assumed that such things happen in a city where millions of people are crowded together. Considering the amount of people in the city, Istanbul was amazingly safe. Things never got out of control, If they had, there were plenty of Turkish soldiers, policemen, and security personnel who knew how to keep the peace.
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Europe Between East And West 