We went on a tour of the Bosphorus this afternoon with Dr. Ercan Balci’s class of University of Illinois students who are also in Istanbul this month. Though we had some soggy weather, we got to see the stretches of Bosphorus coast that are usually difficult to reach – Istanbul traffic can be very heavy!

Some of the architectural standouts we saw were the yalıs – pronounced “Yah-luhs” – which are waterside wooden residences. There are roughly 600 of these primarily 19-century homes, painted in any and every color. Dr. Balci explained that though many are owned by wealthy families, there are many that are shared by several owners. Since the homes are so expensive, owners will try to sell their share of a residence but face difficulty when these multiple owners squabble over who the home will be sold to and how much it will be sold for. This often forces people to remain living in these fabulously expensive homes while they’re living in relative poverty.

Another difficulty these homeowners face is in the upkeep. Since many of the homes are considered to be historic buildings by the country, there are laws about how the homes must be remodeled and restored. Since these particular restorations are often quite expensive and unaffordable, some of the homes fall into disrepair.