Saving Istanbul's Historic Houses

"The effort to save the disappearing wooden shore houses called yalis , which have defined the character of the Bosporus waterfront for more than 300 years, has become the rallying symbol of a growing movement to preserve the past amid the pressures of modernization in one of the world's fastest growing megacities....Activists describe the attempts to preserve the character of the villages and yalis of the Bosporus, which severs the city of Istanbul between the Asian and European continents, as a war of frustration. Each time new laws are enacted to protect the fragile historic zone, developers, homeowners and even government agencies quickly find ways to circumvent them."

Thanks to Abhijeet Chavan