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Istanbul porters still necessary - 3rd December 2021

These men are porters in Istanbul. They arrive very early at the old market.

The men carry clothes to the market shops. They can carry 200 kilogrammes on their backs.

Hundreds of years ago, there were porters too. Shop owner Kamil Beldek uses them. He thinks porters are important.

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."

Lots of shops moved away from the bazaar. Now, people are afraid the porters will lose their jobs.

Mehmet Toktas' uncle was a porter too. He says that young people can't do this heavy job.

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."

Necdet Sakaoglu is a history expert. He knows lots about the history of porters. He writes about them. He says porters were worried in the 1800s too.

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, a way of not losing their job."

Porters only work with one or two sellers. They stay in one part of the market.

Sakaoglu says porters mustn't be afraid. The market will always need them.

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."