Faruk Pekin is the founder of Fest Travel. He is a cultural tour specialist, art historian, traveler and writer who has realized many projects to protect the historical texture of Turkey, especially in Istanbul, and pioneered several restoration projects. He is also in the Board of Directors of Foundation for Developing Cultural Awareness and in the Executive Committee of Istanbul 2010 the European Capital of Cultures Initiative.
You have long been organizing tours of Istanbul for people from all over the world, including Istanbulites. How did this begin?
We founded a travel agency in 1985 to serve people mostly coming from abroad. We started with the aim of doing something different from what everybody did. We tried to present the real cultural values of Turkey and especially of Istanbul.
After domestic tours, we started to organize tours for Istanbulites as well. We never cancelled our tours due to rain or snow. We tried to impose a tour discipline for travelers from Istanbul.
Did you have difficulty building up this discipline?
In those days, cultural tours were new to Istanbul. Our claim was huge: To show Istanbul to the Istanbulite! The main concept of the tours was urban awareness. That is to say, to bring the Istanbulites and Istanbul together, and to tell them the city in which they live with its stories, novels, loves and miseries.
We started with classical tours, and then gradually added thematic tours to our program. Now the number of our Istanbul tours has reached ninety. As you see, Istanbul is a city that can be toured ninety times. This is not peculiar to every city on earth.
At first our job was not easy at all but it settled down in time. People who took part in our tours even founded district associations. We have recently calculated that we showed 35.000 people around Istanbul in 20 years. Apart from tour organizations, we established the Foundation for Developing Cultural Awareness and started working with everybody who volunteer to give support to Istanbul. The point that we have reached is quite satisfying.
For instance, there are now several entities that execute the same kind of projects as ours. There was not a book on Istanbul in the past. Now they are being published one after another. They can even achieve reprints.
Metropolitan Municipality and other municipalities have taken these things seriously. Maps and brochures were printed and arguments were made about which values of this city needed to be maintained.
There are many things to maintain in Istanbul...
Yes, this city is not 2007 years old. We always say that, but it also has a history that dates back to 5000 BC. If we take Yarımburgaz Cave into consideration, it is even possible to go further back.
Besides, Istanbul is quite old. It experienced several earthquakes and fires, it was invaded. Despite all these, it is still resisting and it is still beautiful.
What has the Foundation for Developing Cultural Awareness done up to now and what will it do?
Our biggest project is the ‘Culture Ants Project’. In this project, we are organizing those paid tours for adults voluntarily for children now. We are showing primary school students around Istanbul and trying to create urban awareness in them. These tours last for three years with the same students.
We have another project called “Ants Walking to 2010”. Here again, children from different neighborhoods of Istanbul will have the chance to meet the European Capital of Culture.
We also want to prepare special identification plates about all the historical places in Istanbul, without causing plate pollution. And we are working to create a new walking route between Edirnekapı and Ayvansaray.
There are also many buildings that need to be restored. We are producing new projects in view of this.
Urban transformation projects are carried on with the support of municipalities. What are their benefits for Istanbul?
Everybody can have a dream for Istanbul. But these dreams have to be realistic. Everybody must have their feet on the ground.
Why am I telling these? I’ve been having people travel around Istanbul for nearly 20 years. I’ve had many observations during this time. What have been admired, what not admired? Which parts of Istanbul can be marketed? We have to maintain the historical fabric, especially the Historical Peninsula.
We have always thought about these while touring in Istanbul. We are still doing researches thinking whether we can offer a new thematic tour. But in the meantime, the city is flowing like lather from within our hands. Therefore we need to integrate the residents of the city into the projects.
You are also organizing tours in English. How is the profile of the attendants? Where are they mostly interested in?
Two kinds of people come from abroad: Those with a group and those who come consciously.
For those who come with a group, we determine the spots that they need to see. We try to extend these tours to three or four days. We don’t just stick to Sultanahmet but have them to see Süleymaniye, Kariye Museum, the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus.
Those who come consciously are more demanding and they want interesting tours.
Istanbulites are mostly interested in the Golden Horn, Beyoğlu, Galata and Sultanahmet tours.
What are your concerns when determining the routes?
What is important about the routes is to choose places that everybody sees but does not think about or care. Surely you also need to choose unknown places. For example, when we say “There is an Orthodox Patriarchate in Galata”, people are incredibly surprised, because the only one they know is Fener-Greek Patriarchate. And they mostly mistake it for Fener-Greek School rather high up. Most of the dwellers in Istanbul are not aware of the place in which they live. We especially pay attention to this point.
The guide who takes you on tour is of course very important. He or she must have a great enthusiasm and energy while touring the city, and reflect this enthusiasm to the participants as well. This way, the participants can love Istanbul with the same level of enthusiasm.
Once you start to love, the rest comes by itself, because ‘love’ and ‘preserving’ have a very important connection.
Are thematic tours popular?
Yes. The most popular ones are architectural works. Sinan, the Architect tours and religious places are among the most popular tours.
Do you think Istanbulites have developed an urban awareness?
There has been an increase in people’s level of claiming Istanbul as their own for the last 15 years. Cultural tours, several publications about Istanbul, and increasing devotion of foreigner’s to Istanbul... These are quite hopeful steps for more people to claim Istanbul as their own.
We are talking about history, but on the other hand Istanbul is a modern city. Its modern face attracts many people. The Historical Peninsula on one side, and İş Kuleleri (İş Towers) in Levent on the other... As you can see, the modern face of the city is gradually standing out.
Which places do you like as an Istanbulite?
The Historical Peninsula and the Bosphorus. The Bosphorus represents the purity of Istanbul, and the Historical Peninsula represents its history. As for the buildings, The Pillar of the Goths and Topkapı Palace are among the important places for me.
In the architectural sense, always Hagia Sophia comes first. Apart from it, I like the “Church Mosque” in Vefa. I like it at least because it expresses the overlap in this city. Of course the Golden Horn is also in my list. It has a different fabric in itself. If I am asked to make a ranking, I can say Hagia Sophia, Topkapı Palace, The Pillar of the Goths and the Church Mosque in Vefa.
You have traveled to many places in the world. What can you say in comparison with Istanbul?
From an aesthetic point of view, Istanbul is still at the top for me. Many of the ancient cities do not exist today. The famous city of its time, Ephesus, and many more cities that are traveled today as touristic sites could not survive. This is why Istanbul’s reaching our time with its uninterrupted life is so important. Of course it is also important not to lose many things while keeping this continuity.
There is an unrivalled nature and a unique history in Istanbul. Every city that has water flowing within is beautiful, but this city has a sea instead of a river. Istanbul is also a multicultural city. You go to Prague, it is like a curio. But how old is Prague? What does it have in its culture? One day they asked me about Rome. I said, it had a single culture. They were surprised.
Turkey’s multi-cultural structure is reflected on Istanbul. We can understand this from Istanbul’s cuisine. Albanian style liver, Damascus dessert, Caucasian pie, Circassian chicken, and the list goes on. Why? Because, once everything’s best came here. But this city consumed rather than produced. It has existed that way.
Napoleon says, “If I were to found a world state, its capital would be Istanbul.” This is not said accidentally. Napoleon was aware of the fact, too. And I would not exchange Istanbul for anything.
