The suicide bombing that killed at least 10 people in Istanbul this morning struck at the heart of one of world's most popular historical districts. Hundreds of millions of tourists visit Istanbul's Blue Mosque, Hagia Sofia and Grand Bazaar every year, sites all within a 10-minute walk of each other.
Cigdem Cure was on the first floor of the Hotel Sultanahmet when the blast went off, shaking the entire building, she said. “Straight away I went outside and crossed the street to the Hippodrome area. There were body parts everywhere, it seemed like there were 15 or 20 people dead but I couldn’t tell easily,” she said. “I’ve been working here for 10 years and nothing like this has ever happened.”
Jurgen Seufert from Germany and his partner Julia, from Washington DC, had planned on visiting the Blue Mosque and surrounding area this morning but were delayed by getting their two-year-old toddler ready to go out. “It was the first thing on our agenda to visit there today,” said Seufert, who at the time hadn’t heard there were fatalities nor that several, it is believed, were fellow Germans.
A woman from London who asked not to be identified suddenly found herself separated from her hotel and luggage, now located inside a police-manned security cordon.
“I went out to use the cash point when I heard the explosion go off. We have to fly back to London today but we can’t even reach our bags,” she said. When asked if she would feel safe coming back to Istanbul she said: “All this would make you think twice, wouldn’t it?”
Turkish tour guide Orhan Cetin Alkan said his office windows were saved by the square’s huge size.
“The whole building was moving, just like an earthquake,” he said. “People started to walk towards the explosion site, there was a great silence – that was the strangest thing for me,” he said.
“The bomb was detonated close to the Obelisk of Theodosius, which is an ancient Egyptian monument brought here by the Byzantines 1,600 years ago,” he said. “This is symbolic; they are trying to destroy history; they are trying to change the history of Istanbul. But they are not going to succeed.”
For some, the true cost of the attack is only beginning to unfold and local business people are concerned by what the attack may mean for their livelihoods in an area hugely dependent on Turkish, Arab and international tourists.
“We haven’t had any cancellations yet but they will come for certain. How many? The next 10 hours will tell a lot. This is not just for a few weeks, this may take six months to get over,” said Cure, staring out across Sultanahmet square. “This is the same as the Paris attacks, but our government will work on it, they will find the sources.”
Others said their perception of Turkey wouldn't be affected by the attack. "It's still a beautiful country; I don't feel any differently about Turkey or its people," said Julia from Washington DC. "We'd come back for sure."