Istiklal Street: Istanbul's beating heart reels from deadly blast

The video was short, but graphic. Sunday-afternoon crowds suddenly scattered by the sound of an explosion. Orange flames and black smoke rising into the air as people ran for their lives.

Hours later, Istiklal Street is busy again. Two tables have been placed on either side of the street, draped with cloths and heaped with red carnations. These islands make people slow down, and pause to look. The videos showed them exactly what happened here on Sunday. The mood now is solemn.

Already, the grey pavement tiles have been scrubbed clean. At ground level the physical signs of the carnage have been swiftly removed.

A low velvet-covered podium has replaced the shattered bench where police believe the attacker hid the bomb before walking away. But when you look up, shattered windows tell the story of what happened here.