How Hot Is it In Istanbul? Part 2

These guys gathered a small crowd

of cheerleaders at the bottom of the stairs

News comes from America that it has been the hottest July on record. I believe it. Truly, it had to have been equally hot here in Istanbul. The heat has made animals and people alike want to move as little as possible. Only 5% of Istanbul is air-conditioned.

But what if it is your job to work outdoors in this crushing heat? These workers were moving a generator up to the 5th floor of the building being renovated on the right on one of the most intensively hot days of the summer. A crowd of us gathered at the bottom of the stairs as the guy on the lowest stair used a wood board for a lever and they slowly moved the generator up one stair at a time through team work as coordinated as a coxswain and rowers. Us office gawkers were a bit horrified at the level of intensity required on such a hot day. Add in that it was Ramazan here, and these men could possibly be fasting from sunrise to sunset. We all let out a cheer when they cleared the landing. It seemed appropriate to acknowledge the effort under such circumstances!