Hatice Utkan
Published in City Brief
The bridges of Istanbul stand with their large columns, going deep into the Bosphorus. They have important significations for locals. They are the main transport facility of the city. They bind Asia and Europe.
However, considering that everything in life has two aspects, or two sides, such as negative and positive, bridges come as cruel “property” of the city.
Inhabitants of Istanbul are proud of their bridges, which say welcome to the Asian or European side.
Even though Istanbul’s bridges are a transportation facility, even though they provide easy transport, combining people from Europe and Asia, they also have a negative aspect.
The bridges of Istanbul are more than they seem. They do not result in only positive things. They are maybe the most destructive forces in the city, as they host despair and anguish and agony, welcoming hopeless people. The bridges of Istanbul feed the cruelty of a cosmopolitan city while they also feed the suicidal attempts of the hopeless.
Bridges are essential for people to go from one place or another, but they are also essential for those of the city who want to get away from their troubles. In Istanbul, within one year, thousands of suicide attempts happen, and most of them of take place from the bridges.
Many times the police find an abandoned car by the road resulting from a bridge suicide. The colorful waters of the Bosphorus welcome them during the night or day. Jumping from the bridge seems like a perfect way to commit suicide for hopeless people.
Again, Istanbul stands as a cruel city, which does not give value to her children or let them down.
Bridges do not only signify positive things, they also signify the hardship and sorrow of the city, which comforts some by giving them the chance for a suicide attempt in the Bosphorus.
One must accept the cruelty of the bridges while living in Istanbul. There is no other way. The anguish and despair of people attracts them to bridges, and bridges always know what to do.
Inhabitants of Istanbul often must get used to thinking about these two sides of the bridges.