Projects
Back to the list of Projects
Back to Tea, Tavla and Tall Tales
Research material gathered as the foundation of the Tea Tavla and Tall Tales project, and as inspiration for the invited artists.
Overviews
» Sykai, Galata, Pera, Karakoy, Persembe Pazari, a pass through history
Greek Village
Sykai, place of the figs, was the most important ancient settlement in the north
shore, it was made the 13th ward of Constantinople during the reign of Theodosius II (r. 408-50).
A report dated 431 stated that Sykai had 431 houses, a church, a forum, public baths, a theater, a
harbor and was surrounded by a defense wall. Tiberius II (r. 578-82) built the Castle of Galata,
which held one end of a giant chain that was attached to the Golden Horn and was lowered when
attacked by sea.
Transitions
The Venetians and Latin knights of the 1st Crusade attacked Constantinople
and captured the Castle of Galata in 1203 and then seized Constantinople. The next year, the
Latins came, holding the city, and Galata for the following 57 years. Then in 1261 the Greeks,
with their alliance with the Genoese, regained the city.
Genoese Town
The Genoese were awarded Galata as their base and harbor, to be run as an
independent city with its own governor, appointed annualy by the senate of Genoa. Even though
they were allowed to fortify Galata, they did so anyways, also adding to the town for the next 1.5
centuries. In 1348-9 they built the Tower of Christ (Galata Tower), as the upper-most part of their
defense system. Galata Port was one of the principal ports in Levant, handling three times more
trade than the Byzantines in Constantinople. The upper part was commonly called 'Pera'.
In come the Ottomans
The Ottoman Turks conquered Constantinople in 1453, after a siege of
7 weeks. The Genoese Galata remained neutral, so their town was spared the 3 day sack that
Constantinople endured. The new sultan refused to accept Geonese ownership of the city, but let
them remain, keeping their possessions, trades and commerce. By the 17th century many foreign
powers built embassies in the area, forming separate 'nations', complete with their various
churches, populations, hospitals and shops. During this time Galata was divnded into wards : 8
Moslem, 7 Greek, 3 Frank, 1 Jewish and 2 Armenian, with 1,160 streets and 200 taverns and
wine-shops.
Modern Times
The population is now almost exclusively Turkish. When the city was given street
signs for the first time in 1864, some of the historical names for the streets were lost, others
changed and some remain the same. There are still some churches and synagogues in the
neighborhood, though some have been converted into mosques. The area is now formally part of
the Beyoglu Municipality, the area surrounding Galata Tower is considered 'Galata'. Above this
is still called 'Pera', and below this area, towards the water is considered 'Karakoy', with one small
part called 'Persembe Pazari'.
» Karakoy history
- the entry on Wikipedia
» A short history of Galata
- an overview of John Freeley's "Galata" book
» Galata History
- in the website of the Galata House Restaurant located in the old British Jail
Buildings and Structures
» Voyvoda Caddesi
Also known as Bankalar Caddesi, or Street of the Banks, this street was home to the
headquarters of the Ottoman bank and many other International banks. Today all the major
banks still have branches here.
- History of each building on Voyvoda Street
» The Ottoman Bank
Officially christened as the Ottoman Bank in 1892, and was used as the bank's head office until
the end of WWI when it became the official state bank of the Turkish Republic until it became a
commercial bank, established as a corporation in 1993. The building was designed by the French
architect Alexandre Vallaury.
- The Ottoman Bank on Wikipedia
- The Ottoman Bank Museum
events, research center, museum, library, publications, building history (Note: the museum is
NOT open despite what it says on their website. It is practically empty and preparing for
renovations in 2010)
» The Zulfaris Synagogue
One of the three synagogues in the area, built in 1923, now is open as a museum of the Jews
of Turkey.
- The Quincentenial Foundation Museum of Turkish Jews
history of Turkish Jews, museum, archives, events (open every day but Saturday)
» The Arap Camii
A mosque that was based on a former 6th century Dominican Church, destroyed and rebuilt
several times and converted to a mosque between 1475-78. In the Ottoman period, it was
taken from the Genoese, converted to a mosque and given to the Muslims of Spain who
arrived fleeing the Spanish Inquisition. Several fires later, it was restored to become how it
appears today.
- Arap Camii History on Wikipedia
- Documentation of Latin paintings in the Arap Camii
» Rustem Pasa Hani (Kursunlu Han)
A caravansarai-type 2 story building built by Mimar Sinan for the grand vizier Rustem Pasa just
before 1550. It is said to have been built on the foundations of the Latin church of St. Michael.
» Camondo Stairs
Most of the Camondo real estate was in Karakoy, around Voyvoda (Bankalar) Street. The sons
of Abraham moved their residence to the building in Camondo Street (Banker Street) No. 2-6,
right behind their office building. Today it is the Galata Residence Hotel. To reduce the distance
between their home and business, they built the Camondo Staircase. Its in the art nouveau style.
- Camondo Stairs, photos and information on Albtranslator's blog
» Yeralti Camii (the Underground Mosque)
The only Byzantine remnant in the area is a vast substructure believed to be the dungeon of the
Castle of Galata. It was converted into a mosque in 1757 by Kemankes Mustafa Pasa. It is below
the Kemankes Mosque.
» The Old British Jail
First it was the civil prison of the British Empire from 1904-1919, then the British military
police station, afterwards it turned into residences, lodgings and offices for various individuals.
It is now home, office and Georgoan Restaurant of architect / planner Nadire & Mete Goktug.
- The Galata House Website
- History of the British Jail
Hearsay and Rumors
» Galata Port Project
In following tradition with many other port revitalization projects throughout the world,
Istanbul seems to have wanted to do the same with the area of land from Karakoy Port to
Tophane. Various different plans include an expanded cruse ship port, restaurants, an
aquarium, hotels, shopping centers, walkways, concert halls and various other recreational
facilities.
- The Galata Port Plans of Studios Architecture who this particular was commissioned by is not clear
- Waterfront Revitalization as a Challenging Urban Issue in Istanbul by Bas Butuner, ISoCaRP
Congress 2006
» New Hotels
Apparently, the LUSH hotel will open a swanky new second location in an ex-bank on Bankalar
Caddesi. (current location on Siraselviler in Cihangir)
» Leonardo Bridge
In 1502 Leonardo da Vinci produced a drawing of a single span 720-foot (240 m) bridge over
the Horn as part of a civil engineering project for Sultan Bayezid II. The vision was resurrected
in 2001 when a small footbridge of Leonardo's design was constructed near Ås in Norway,
lead by painter and public artist Vebjørn Sand.
In 2006, it was announced that the prime minister of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan
and the mayor of Istanbul Kadir Topbas had decided to resurrect the Leonardo da Vinci Bridge
project.
The Turkish architect put charge of the construction was Bülent Güngör, known for the
restoration of the Çiragan Palace, the Yildiz Palace, and the Sümela Monastery. The Bridge was
suppose to have exact copy of da Vinci's design, unfortunately the project has been cancelled.
- Leonardo Bridge Project Website
- Leonardo Bridge Project on the website Vebjørn Sand
Commerce
» 'Re:fuse'
- International collective Xurban's 2005 proposal: 'Re:fuse', an investigation into three areas of
activity in Karakoy: the brothels, the chandelier makers and the ablution space in a mosque.
» Banking
In the last decade of the 19th century, Karaköy developed itself to a banking district. The
Ottoman Bank established its headquarter on Voyvada Cad, Italian and Austrian insurance
companies opened branch offices. Every major bank operating in Turkey still has a
branch on Bankalar Cad.
» Shipping / Trade
Karaköy experienced a second wave of Christian inflow when British, French and Italian forces
of the Allies came to Istanbul to fight in the Crimean War (1854-1856). The lack of piers made
the unloading of troops and military equipment difficult. A French company obtained 1879 the
concession to build the quay in Karaköy, which could be accomplished in 1895 only.
With the increasing trade activity in the early 20th century, the port was extended with
customs buildings, passenger terminals and naval warehouses. Karaköy became also famous
for its Greek taverns located along the quays.
» Sex Trade
Since its days as a port town, Karakoy has been home to brothels and bars, servicing guests and
locals, travelers, traders and under-employed. There are as many as 20 brothels still in operation,
though there are many rumous that many of these (some state owned) will be closed or moved.
- Time of Uncertainty on a Notorious Street an article about brothels on Zurafa Street.
Hurriyet Daily News, 2009.
» Tourism
Karakoy is a passageway from the tourist area of the Golden Horn, into Galata and the bars
and restaurants around Istiklal Caddesi. Tourists will often stop by the Fish Market,
sometimes wandering through the hardware shops on their way up the hill to Tunel.
» Medicine
During its heyday as a port town, each country operated its own hospital to treat its citizens. The
hospitals were located in a belt between the port and the living quarters higher up the hill. Most of
these hospitals are still in operation today, though under private management.
- the history of St. George's Austrian Hispital
» Manufacturing / Distribution
Today the area his home to dozens of mechanical, electrical, plumbing and electronic parts
suppliers.
Things to Eat
» balik / ekmek (fish / bread)
A few small shops have sprung up inside the Fish market by the water. Others can be found on
the lower, pedestrian part of the Galata Bridge that crosses to the Golden Horn.
» baklava
The most famous baklava maker in the area is with out a doubt Karakoy Gulluoglu, the company
of a family from Gaziantep in South East Turkey, famous for the sweet nutty layered dessert. This
shop produces 2.5 tons of baklava per day.
» other restaurants
Our friends with the food blog Istanbul Eats have features on four places in and around
Persembe Pazari...we too can highly recommend all of them.
- Karakoy Lokantasi
- Akin Balik
- Mutfak Dili
- Grifin
Major Disastrous Events
» 1696 and 1731 Great Fires of Galata
» 1872 Cholera Epidemic
Ancient Mythology
» Io and Hera
There was once a maiden named Io....
- Story of Io and Hera and how the Bosphorus got it's name (Cow's Passage)
» Amphiaraus Temple
Byzas the Megarian, the founder of Byzantium supposedly erected a temple in the area that is now
Galata, dedicating it to the hero Amphiaraus, a seer who was swallowed by the earth, together
with his chariot.
Infamous Characters
» Matild Manukyan
Manukyan is an Armenian businesswoman, most famous for her brothels in Karakoy. In all she
owned licensed brothels, 70 business centers, 500 apartments and dozens of other hotels,
businesses and properties.
Matild Manukyan on Wikipedia
» Abraham Salomon Camondo
Camondo was a part of the Ottoman urbanization process. He was a member of the 'Commission for
City Orderliness', formed in Pera (Beyoglu), selected as a pilot region in 1855. It became the first
modern municipality of Istanbul. When Camondo died, the stock-market and all financial institutions
took a day off, the merchants in Galata and Halic closed their stores. The Funeral procession was
followed by two military detachments, the Imperial Band, the upper class members of the Empire
and a large group of mourners from the Istanbul Jewish community.
- Abraham Salomon Camondo on Wikipedia
- Abraham Salomon Camondo in the Jewish Encyclopedia
» Mustafa Güllü
Güllü, a fourth generation baklava-maker came from Gaziantep to Istanbul in the 50s, opening the
first baklava shop in the city. He created commercial films at the Atlas Cinema and placed ads in
newspapers and magazines in an effort to teach Istanbulus about the baklava.
Mustafa Güllü in an article about baklava (towards the bottom)
In the recent news
» A little less sex in Istanbul
About the demolition of the Karakoy brothels abd short history of area's state-sanction and illegal
brothels
Ethnic Groups
» Jewish
From 1500 on, more Sephardic Jews settled here, who escaped from the Spanish Inquisition. As
recently as the 20th century one could hear Ladino (Judeo-Spanish) spoken on the streets. Many of
the Jews became prosperous merchants, and many worked as physicians.
- History of Turkish Jews and here.
- Jewish Sites in Galata
» Armenian
Armenians were active in the trade of Ottoman Galata as well as working as administrators in the
banking sector. Their living quarters centered around St. Gregory the Illuminator Church, established
in 1391. Armenians also served as shopkeepers, artisans, and sellers of timber, flour, soap, tobacco
and oil.
- Armenian sport life in the pre-WWI Ottoman Empire
» French
The French had trade history with Istanbul starting in the 18th century. They were importing cloth
and manufactured goods from the West. Many buildings in Karakoy were designed by French
architects.
- French trade in Istanbul in the eighteenth century, preview of the book by Edhem Eldem
» Genoese
Around the year 1000, the emperor of Byzantium granted to the merchants of Genoa the
permission to settle and do business at this location. The district developed rapidly, and the
Genoese built sturdy fortifications to protect themselves and their warehouses. Fragments of
the Genoese walls are still visible, but the Galata Tower, the highest and strongest point in the
walls, is the most visible of all. In the 15th century, Galata looked just like an Italian city.
» Greek
During Ottoman times, the most numerous in the area, the rich Greeks were mainly merchants,
the others tended to be artisians, tailors, weavers, bakers, porters, tavern keepers or owners of
bozahanes (places selling boza, a drink made from fermented millet)
» Russian
After 1917, thousands of White Russians fleeing the Bolshevik Revolution landed here and
settled in the area.
Random Things
» Animals of Istanbul
Leeches, spiders, dolphins, cats, dogs, cockroaches, sheep, pill bugs, camels, pigeons
mosquitos, horses, scorpions, cows, donkeys, cranes, jellyfish, seagulls, fish, humans.
- More about all these animals on Attila Pelit's Blog
