Horses of Istanbul islands - Turkish Daily News May 26, 2007 (original) (raw)

The island municipality knocked down the ramshackle stables and promised to build new ones within a year. Though new stables are ready, the inaguration has been postponed twice. Two years on, the horses stil reside in temporary tents

TOMMASO NELLI - NAZLI TOP�UO�LU

ISTANBUL - TDN

Locals in Venice or Florence would not be seen dead in a gondola or a horse-drawn “carrozzella”: it has become far too kitschy and expensive. But to tour the Princess Islands, especially B�y�kada – the largest of the islands – on a springy “phaeton” chugged by horses, sipping an Efes beer under the shade of the awning and watching the scenery unfold is not only the prerogative of foreign tourists. It is a national institution, and has provided fanciful leisure since the early days of the Republic. Ferries from Bostanc�, Kad�k�y and Kabata� are crowded with families and sweethearts of all classes as soon as the sun rises.

There are currently 229 phaetons, traditional horse-drawn carriages, on B�y�kada, 30 in Heybeliada, and 21 in Burgazada. But providing shelter for the 1,000 or so horses on B�y�kada has become a bone of contention between the Chamber of Phaetons and the municipality of the islands, based on B�y�kada, which licenses the phaetons.

Insufficient space

When the island municipality told the Chamber to knock down their ramshackle stables, and promised to build new ones within a year, the association accepted gladly. �smet, who coordinates the Phaetons from a watch post above Ada Meydan�, the public square, says they tore the old ones down two years ago, at their own expense. Two years on, the horses still reside in temporary tents.

The municipality only built 140 allotments in a drive to reduce their numbers, leaving 69 phaetons without shelter, says H�seyin ��lban, vice-president of the Phaeton Chamber, IMKTVEO.

A Mixed Blessing

“We are happy about the new stables. But why did they leave out 70 of them? Why did they promise them to us in one year?” asks �smet, the former phaeton driver who mans the “control room” with a 180-degree view of the square where the vehicles queue for customers. He came from Malatya 50 years ago. His son operates a phaeton.

At the slightest whinny from the thronged square downstairs, �smet shouts numbers into the microphone, “31! 28!” and the carts are promptly brought to order. When the commotion is particularly bad he calls the drivers by first name, and they shout back their apologies.

“The municipality rents out this square for YTL 50,000 per year through a company called Milli Emlak, [National Estate]” explains ��lban. The municipality reassures us that more stables will be built to house the remaining phaetons, but many drivers fear for their future. “We have decided to reduce our number to 180 on a voluntary basis,” says ��lban. “Those giving up their business want a YTL 35,000 compensation.” The places in the new stables, he says, will be allocated by lottery.

The New Stables

The new Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality project also plans to build stables on Heybeliada. “When the new stables are completed, property will move to �SPARK, which runs parking lots in Istanbul,” says ��lban. “The stables have swinging doors like saloons. We are not cowboys. This is not Texas, this is B�y�kada,” he adds. His father came to the island from Erzincan, by foot. Most drivers are first or second generation islanders.

The coat of arms of the Istanbul Municipality is emblazoned at the entrance of the eerily empty new compound at K�z�lc�k, which nestles in a bend on the coastline. Kadir Gurbet�i, general manager of �SPARK, says that it cost around YTL 3-4 million. “We are waiting for the mayor of the islands to determine lodging for the staff. We will open in two weeks time,” says Gurbet�i. The tidy flowerbeds in bloom corroborate. But the inauguration has already been postponed twice.

As in a parking lot, each unit is numbered. Each new chamber should accommodate four horses. The horse-owners will have to pay water, gas and electricity bills, as well as monthly rent, not exceeding YTL 25, as decided by The Chamber committee. But Gurbet�i considers this “unacceptable,” saying such rents would not even pay 10 percent of staff salary. “It is impossible to run the place with adequate security and hygiene on YTL 3,500 per month.” He expects 600 horses and 150 trainers.

Strangers in paradise

Aya Nikola, the site of the current stables, is a raggle-taggle encampment. Crows and pigeons feast on refuse, violets grow on dung heaps, and a pram sits inexplicably atop a tent. One thousand seasonal workers have been attracted here from as far as Turkmenistan. They live on site. The water has to be brought in from the center of the island. The horses are bought in the markets of Urfa, Diyarbakir, and Adana, and can cost from YTL 1,000 to 3,000. Many drivers sell their horses at the end of the summer and buy again in spring to make a deal and save on fodder during winter.

Murat �ahin, a stable boy from Van, has been here for two years. He looks forward to moving to the new housing near the stables, but is aware that not everybody will get a bed. “Everybody knows each other in the camp, and if there are problems, they can be easily resolved,” he says. He fears that streamlining this loose system will create jealousies and thefts among the workers.

Transport sector

“They want to reduce us to something nostalgic, but we are a transport sector on the island,” says ��lban. “Phaetons used to do ambulance duty, policing and transportation, and to some extent continue to do so.” A limited number of vans are now allowed to perform routine functions on the island. Motorboats have been allowed to pick tourists up from the quay and drop them directly on the beaches, and phaetons no longer do beach to beach service, but only island tours. Some islanders see the phaetons as a protected, Luddite cast. The short tour costs YTL 40 and the long one YTL 60. Prices fluctuate wildly depending on season, and are subject to negotiation, though the base price is fixed by the Center for the Coordination of Transport, Istanbul, UKOME.

“We are terrified of scooters and bicycles,” ��lban confesses. At one stage, someone came up with the futuristic idea of using golf buggies, like on the Istrian island of Brioni. “That was the ‘deep state' of the island's administration,” he jokes, summoning the specter of ISPARK. Phaetons also carry water and Aygaz canisters, though when the natural gas pipeline reaches B�y�kada, there will be no need for the latter service.

A disappearing trade

In Greek mythology, Phaeton was the son of the sun, who rode his father's chariot, and the word was a 19th century term for a sporty carriage. Phaetons need repairs twice a year. The recent asphalting of the roads on the island damages the chassis and makes the horse's job more difficult. Only four workshops still produce new phaetons: one is in Bostanc�, the other three are on B�y�kada. One is run by the Erdo�an brothers who inherited their father's craft. Here an old artisan is stripping and re-varnishing a wheel, the tanned skin of his hands is worn down to raw pink due to constant thudding against the radius of the wheel. The Erdo�an brothers can build eight to ten phaetons a year. During the summer they only do renovations. A phaeton takes about forty days to build, and costs around YTL 15,000.