As a child, two mystical islands kept visiting my dreams: the
islands of Yassıada and Sivriada. To me they were islands in
the back of beyond. They were scarcely visible through the mist of
our island, Burgaz. There are things that dwell in my memory: the
currents are strong around there so you can't swim, it's
too dangerous; the water there is at least 1 or 2 degrees colder
and it's hundreds of metres deep- there's no way you can
anchor in that water. And they get loads of sharks there anyway.
What's more, if you get anywhere near Yassıada you will
get shot because it belongs to the military.
These two islands are like two elegant silhouettes that glide
over the water. Sometimes they will shine in glamour; other times
they will hide behind a clear screen, and eventually become
invisible. As a little boy I thought the imposing 1950s-style
military buildings, which were erected on either side of
Yassıada, were fortresses. I would try to work out why and by
whom such
