Istanbul Squared Stories

How many colors, how many districts, how many eras, how many emotions of the world's oldest metropolis can fit into a story book?
What makes pigeons and seagulls, street vendors, sunsets, and people who have migrated from other lands belong to a city? Are the people, animals, waters and houses of a city similar to each other when they live side by side? Or is the secret of Istanbul that it offers all these the opportunity to live together without being similar to each other?
The pilgrim, the worker, the Greek, the Armenian, the pumper, the madman, the murderer, the storyteller, the sculptor, the restaurant owner, the runner. What do Syrians, Roma people, Boğaziçi people and singers eat, drink and live for? What does he worry about? How does he love? What does he long for the most? How and how deeply does Istanbul affect all of these?

What did it mean to be from Istanbul centuries ago? A hundred years ago? In the 1950s? As we get to know our fellow citizens who lived before us better, will we understand ourselves better? In which era of this city would we be happier? How much of that era can we keep alive today?

Is the smell of Istanbul more intense on the Bosphorus or in Eminönü? Is Küçükpazar or Tarlabaşı more spooky today? Is Suleymaniye's memory stronger or Sultanahmet's? Are more foreign languages spoken on the streets of Galata or Kumkapı? Does Balat or Sulukule miss its former residents more?
While searching for answers to all these questions and many more, Tolga Gümüşay first photographed the historical districts, unique views, back streets and quiet people of Istanbul, which he was passionate about, and then wrote stories for them.
Istanbul Squared Stories intertwine the reality of photography with the possibilities of literature, revealing the various states of being in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. He transforms scenes from Istanbul's daily life into stories that reflect the magic of living in this city.

(From the Promotional Bulletin)

Dough Type: Coated

Number of Pages: 200

Size: 20 x 20

First Printing Year: 2018

Number of Printings: 1st Edition