Istanbul porters still necessary - 3rd December 2021

Before the sun rises, groups of men come to Istanbul's market, the Grand Bazaar. They work as porters. This job has existed for hundreds of years.

The men transport heavy loads of clothes and materials. These loads weigh up to 200 kilogrammes. The porters carry products to businesses down the bazaar's narrow streets.

Kamil Beldek, shop owner, employs porters.

Kamil Beldek: "They provide logistical support so that the products we sell here reach our customers. They bring the products to our store here, and for that reason they are a part of us that we cannot give up on."

Now, many owners have moved outside to areas with more space. People are worried Istanbul's porter tradition may disappear.

Mehmet Toktas is a porter, just as his uncle was. He thinks the job is too hard for young people today.

Mehmet Toktas: "If someone came to me and said they want to do this job, I would tell them they can't. The young people today can't do this work. It's really heavy. This job is heavy."

But historian Necdet Sakaoglu has studied their role through history. He believes people have always had the same worries about the profession.

Necdet Sakaoglu: "This has been said in every era. In 1835, if you had asked the porters, they would have also said that it was the end of this profession. They would have said 'this profession cannot continue to exist'. It's a way of blocking entry [into the profession], a way of not losing their job."

Among themselves, porters have strict rules about which shops they work for.

Sakaoglu is certain this historical tradition will stay, because the city has no other choice.

Necdet Sakaoglu: "Even today there are a lot of porters, because in Istanbul, because of the structure of the city, the structure of its trade, but also because of its topography, porters are a necessity. The city cannot function without porters."