Turkey: The nation that straddles Europe and Asia is also torn between secular and Islamic views of government, between cultural stability and terrorist violence. The direction Turkey takes will say much about the future of both regions | Jill Nelson
BODRUM and ISTANBUL, Turkey–It is 10:19 pm in the bustling resort town of Bodrum on the southwestern coast of Turkey, and the call to prayer sounds from a small mosque surrounded by several couture shops. Less than 10 men—summoned for the last of the five prayers said each day by devout Muslims—are praying inside its open doors, and those on the streets pay scant attention to the beckoning loudspeaker.
A few blocks down the street, the Bodrum Marina Yacht Club begins a call of its own. Popular Turkish and American tunes draw more than a -hundred people to an outdoor stage to listen to a five-piece jazz band and a popular Turkish singer. Like other night clubs in Turkey, its music will pulse several hours past midnight. Although Bodrum lies in the Asian portion of Turkey, this town feels more a part of the West than the East.