Architectural heritage tells a tale of two cities
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Vercihan Ziflioğlu
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Ocak 28, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - Istanbul is home to many minorities and Hasan Kuruyazıcı has been unearthing the architectural heritages of old non-Muslim neighborhoods.
In a quest to discover the unknown designers behind several of Istanbul’s mosques, churches and wooden houses, local expert Hasan Kuruyazıcı’s investigation bore some interesting results.
A scholar of architectural history, Kuruyazıcı uncovered the names of some 850 architects, most of whom were Armenians, Greeks and Levantines.
"I could only find one Turkish architect from the beginning of the 1900s. His name was Vedat Tekin." Kuruyazıcı started his research firstly by looking over and analyzing the trade yearbook "Annuaire Oriental" between the years 1868 to 1930.
Apart from the yearbooks, which were like his guide, Kuruyazıcı also took advantage of the meticulous records kept by the Freemasons at the Masonic Lodge Foundation.
Talking to Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review about his research, Kuruyazıcı said he prepared his project for the Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture with the cooperation of the International Hrant Dink Foundation, established by the friends and family of assassinated Armenian writer and journalist Hrant Dink.
Different perspectives on Istanbul’s neighborhoods
"The project has not yet been accepted by the European Capital of Culture Agency. I cannot say if the project will be accepted or not but no matter what the answer of the agency, the International Hrant Dink Foundation plans to realize the project in 2010. There will be a huge exhibition. We are planning to display models of the historic architectures of those 850 architects," Kuruyazıcı said.
Not able to find sufficient data on buildings and structures built in the 19th and 20th centuries, Kuruyazıcı decided to focus on the period’s architects. "There are two Istanbuls: One of them is a non-Muslim city, the other one is a Muslim one. Muslims mostly settled inside the city walls and Üsküdar, a district in the Asian side. Non-Muslims settled in Kurtuluş, called Tatavla back then, Pangaltı, Şişli, Pera, Tarlabaşı, Cihangir and Tunnel neighborhoods," Kuruyazıcı said, adding that the differences in lifestyle were also reflected in the architecture of the settlements.
According to his research, non-Muslims interacted more with the West, reflected in their style of living. It was in the 19th century that the city first witnessed multi-storied buildings.
The damage is great in the Şişli and Pangaltı districts
"The awareness of the need to protect historic sites and assets appeared pretty late in Turkey. The most damaged districts are Şişli and Pangaltı and neighborhoods in between them. These areas are where annuity is high that is why the destruction is notable," Kuruyazıcı said.
Tarlabaşı is another desolated and wrecked district, according to Kuruyazıcı’s research, and many buildings were demolished in Süleymaniye, a historic area.
Another topic Kuruyazıcı paid attention to during his investigation into the buildings was the epigraphs on the structures that helped him identify the architects. Yet he said most of the epigraphs had been ruined. Giving the example of the Itır pharmacy, located near Taksim Square, he said: "The building, the ground floor of which is home to the pharmacy, was built by Dimitri Çiledis. His name had been covered up by an orange plaque. As if this was not disrespectful enough, the people living in the building put up the foundation’s epigraph. This is just a small example."
Kuruyazıcı contacted both Armenian and Greek societies living in Istanbul to dig deeper into the topic. Articles he published in community newspapers helped him receive feedback from people and while he was continuing his research, an Armenian woman who was in her 90s called Kuruyazıcı and said her granddad was a palace architect.
Kuruyazıcı categorized the names according to their ethnicities within particular years, but the hardest part for him was separating those who were Catholic Armenians and those who were Levantines, because of the similarity of the names.
A scholar of architectural history, Kuruyazıcı uncovered the names of some 850 architects, most of whom were Armenians, Greeks and Levantines.
"I could only find one Turkish architect from the beginning of the 1900s. His name was Vedat Tekin." Kuruyazıcı started his research firstly by looking over and analyzing the trade yearbook "Annuaire Oriental" between the years 1868 to 1930.
Apart from the yearbooks, which were like his guide, Kuruyazıcı also took advantage of the meticulous records kept by the Freemasons at the Masonic Lodge Foundation.
Talking to Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review about his research, Kuruyazıcı said he prepared his project for the Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture with the cooperation of the International Hrant Dink Foundation, established by the friends and family of assassinated Armenian writer and journalist Hrant Dink.
Different perspectives on Istanbul’s neighborhoods
"The project has not yet been accepted by the European Capital of Culture Agency. I cannot say if the project will be accepted or not but no matter what the answer of the agency, the International Hrant Dink Foundation plans to realize the project in 2010. There will be a huge exhibition. We are planning to display models of the historic architectures of those 850 architects," Kuruyazıcı said.
Not able to find sufficient data on buildings and structures built in the 19th and 20th centuries, Kuruyazıcı decided to focus on the period’s architects. "There are two Istanbuls: One of them is a non-Muslim city, the other one is a Muslim one. Muslims mostly settled inside the city walls and Üsküdar, a district in the Asian side. Non-Muslims settled in Kurtuluş, called Tatavla back then, Pangaltı, Şişli, Pera, Tarlabaşı, Cihangir and Tunnel neighborhoods," Kuruyazıcı said, adding that the differences in lifestyle were also reflected in the architecture of the settlements.
According to his research, non-Muslims interacted more with the West, reflected in their style of living. It was in the 19th century that the city first witnessed multi-storied buildings.
The damage is great in the Şişli and Pangaltı districts
"The awareness of the need to protect historic sites and assets appeared pretty late in Turkey. The most damaged districts are Şişli and Pangaltı and neighborhoods in between them. These areas are where annuity is high that is why the destruction is notable," Kuruyazıcı said.
Tarlabaşı is another desolated and wrecked district, according to Kuruyazıcı’s research, and many buildings were demolished in Süleymaniye, a historic area.
Another topic Kuruyazıcı paid attention to during his investigation into the buildings was the epigraphs on the structures that helped him identify the architects. Yet he said most of the epigraphs had been ruined. Giving the example of the Itır pharmacy, located near Taksim Square, he said: "The building, the ground floor of which is home to the pharmacy, was built by Dimitri Çiledis. His name had been covered up by an orange plaque. As if this was not disrespectful enough, the people living in the building put up the foundation’s epigraph. This is just a small example."
Kuruyazıcı contacted both Armenian and Greek societies living in Istanbul to dig deeper into the topic. Articles he published in community newspapers helped him receive feedback from people and while he was continuing his research, an Armenian woman who was in her 90s called Kuruyazıcı and said her granddad was a palace architect.
Kuruyazıcı categorized the names according to their ethnicities within particular years, but the hardest part for him was separating those who were Catholic Armenians and those who were Levantines, because of the similarity of the names.