Harem: A Threshold Space

Harem Bus Terminal, which was once the busiest bus terminal on the Anatolian side of Istanbul, has now had to lose its former density and charm due to the proliferation of alternative routes. Although the bus station, which was opened in the Üsküdar district in 1970, is known as the last stop of the journeys from Anatolia to Istanbul, it has been used as a natural plateau in many films due to its location and view. It is said that the Harem area got its name from the Ottoman sultans bringing their families from the harem apartments to this area by phaetons. Today, Harem inhabits a space between function and memory. The buses still come and go, but fewer than before. Rumors of demolition linger. Travelers still pass through, but most now bypass it altogether. Once a hub of movement, it has become a monument of waiting. A threshold space, both geographically and temporally, suspended between past and present.