Model neighbourhood?

I was in Istanbul on business last week, it was a last minute arrangement so I didn't pay much attention to the hotel, that is until I arrived. It was oddly positioned turning left from the entrance there was an upmarket business and residential area of the city, but turning right led directly to a street with car repair shops and small, run down industrial premises.

What was really odd, just past the garages was this collection of businesses selling shop mannequins.

There were probably ten or a dozen shops and showrooms, but no sign of an associated clothing trade.

It would have been interesting to find out the history behind this collection of similar businesses, but I only passed through in the taxi and my Turkish is non existent.

Business travel sounds glamorous, but the reality is usually: airport, hotel, office, different office, hotel, airport home. It was my third visit to Istanbul and I still haven't managed to see the Blue Mosque, it wasn't all bad, we had dinner in a restaurant with fantastic views of the Bosphorus, on the European side looking across the water is Asia.