Tarlabaşı is a vast Istanbul neigbhorhood of dilapidated buildings and narrow, often filthy streets. It is notorious for 'prostitution, drug peddling and rampant thievery'. Inhabited mostly by poor Kurds and Turks from eastern Turkey and foreign migrants, Tarlabaşı's traditional cultures and hardened circumstances form a foreboding, but lively village within a metropolis.

The realities of Tarlabaşı contrast with Taksim, the social and commercial center of the Istanbul, located just next door. However, a controversial ''urban transformation project'' promises change via renovation, demolition and relocation of some residents.