publication catalogue3 topkapı palace in illustrated documents topkapı palace museum has one of...

N o n F i c t i o n C a t a l o g u e

P u b l i c a t i o n C a t a l o g u e

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Non Fiction Catalogue

Topkapı Palace In Illustrated Documents

Topkapı Palace Museum has one of the world’s best collections in terms of albums and miniature writing. Almost all the Ottoman sultans highly regarded books, especially to art quality handwritten manuscripts and miniature works of art. On the one hand, while handwritten manuscripts were prepared with unique paintings in the palace workshops, pieces prepared in other regions of the Islamic world were also collected for the sultan’s treasury in the palace of the Ottoman Empire. The book Topkapı Palace in Illustrated Documents includes sections of Topkapı Palace and various ceremonies presented in miniature, as well as engravings of artists who came to Istanbul and photographs from the final period.

Author: Hilmi AydınLanguage: TurkishISBN: 978-605-4595-33-4Pages: 203 Size: 16,5x24 cm Year of Publication: 2011

A Panorama of the Great War

The First World War was one of the most cataclysmic periods in Ottoman history in which the Turks had to struggle to survive. The book titled A Panorama of the Great War reveals through photographs and illustrations the events that happened during the war, the situation of the Ottoman army and its allies, and the conditions of both the people living in the Ottoman territories and the soldiers in fronts. This book, which contains 264 photographs and 10 illustrations displaying the developments in the fronts of Central Powers from 1915 to the end of war, is a remarkable work on the First World War.

Editing: Fatih Dalgalı Language: TurkishISBN: 978-605-9132-40-4Pages: 223Size: 24x24 cmYear of Publication: 2015

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Author: Prof. Dr. Ahmet ŞimşirgilLanguage: Turkish, ArabicISBN: Turkish 978-605-4595-37-2 Arabic 978-605-9132-74-9Pages: Turkish 231 Arabic 304 Size: 13x21 cmYear of Publication: 2016 (3rd Edition)İsta

Fethin 560. yılında Prof. Dr. Ahmet Şimşirgil’in kaleme aldığı İstanbul, Fetih ve Fatih adlı kitapta İstanbul’un kadim tarihini, fethin önemini ve

fetih hazırlıklarını, II. Mehmed’i Fatih yapan unsurları ve Fatih’in şahsiyetini bulacaksınız.

Konstantiniyye’nin tarihi ve ona sahip olma mücadelesiyle başlayan, fethin gün gün anlatıldığı, fetihten sonraki ilim ve imar faaliyetlerinin öneminin

üzerinde durulduğu kitap beş bölümden oluşmaktadır.

Genç yaşta dünyayı yeniden şekillendiren Fatih’in, İstanbul aşkını bulacağınız İstanbul, Fetih ve Fatih adlı eser, akıcı üslubuyla bir solukta okuyacağınız kitaplar arasında yer alıyor.

Prof. Dr. Ahmet Şimşirgil

Prof. Dr. Ahmet Şimşirgil

İSTAN

BU

L

İSTANBULFetih Fatihve

Fetih

Fatih

ve

Kültür - Medeniyet Serisi - 2

Istanbul, Conquest And Fatih

In Istanbul, Conquest and Fatih, which was written by Professor Dr. Ahmet Şimşirgil on the 560th anniversary of the conquest, the history of Istanbul, the importance of and preparations for the conquest, the elements that transformed Mehmed the 2nd into Mehmed the Conqueror, and an examination of the personality of Fatih are all discussed. The book consists of five parts, starting with the history of Constantinople and the struggles to possess it. It describes the conquest day by day and stresses the importance of the developments in science and public works that happened after the conquest. Fatih reshaped the world at a young age, and Istanbul, Conquest and Fatih tells the story of Fatih’s love for Istanbul in a way you will read in devour.

II. AbdülhamidSultan

Vahid Çabuk

Kültür - Medeniyet Serisi - 17

Sultan II. Abdülhamid, son zamanlara kadar hem kendi milletine, hem de dünyaya farklı tanıtılmak istenmiştir. Onun demokrasi ve halk düşmanı zalim bir sultan, kendi tabirleriyle “Kızıl Sultan” olduğunu savunanların, bu anlayışı bizzat Sultan Abdülhamid’in kendi milletine kabul ettirmeleri, üzülerek belirtmeliyiz ki bir vakıadır.

Hâlbuki medeniyetimize düşman olanlar eğer bir tarihi şahsiyeti kötülüyorlarsa, bir amaçları var demektir. Nitekim o düşmanlar, Sultan Abdülhamid’in tahttan indirilmesinden sonra koskoca imparatorluğu kısa zamanda yıkmaya da muvaffak olmuşlardır. Fakat onun, büyük bir devlet adamı olduğu ve insanlığa büyük hizmetler ettiği, bu konuda tarafsız ve duyarlı yayınların çoğalmasıyla artık herkes tarafından kabul edilmektedir.

İşte, değerli tarihçi Vahid Çabuk tarafından, Sultan II. Abdülhamid’in hayatı, siyasi faaliyetleri ve kişiliği hakkında kısa ve öz olarak hazırlanan, yalın ve akıcı bir dille yazılan bu çalışmanın, o dönem tarihinin doğru anlaşılmasında okuyuculara yararlı olacağı ümidindeyiz.

2.baskı

Sultan Abdülhamid II

Sultan Abdülhamid II, whose personality, ideas and politics were widely discussed in his own period, has been subjected to heavy accusations by some people and accepted as a great ancestor by others, and has become a political personality that is still being discussed today by different parts of society. The book Sultan Abdülhamid II describes every phase of the Sultan’s 33-year reign, from domestic and foreign political events, wars, and treaties, to his personality, family and charities in a simple language.

Author: Vahid ÇabukLanguage: TurkishISBN: 978-605-9132-34-3Pages: 256 Size: 13x21 cmYear of Publication: 2017 (2nd Edition)İs

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Ottoman Shaykhs al-Islam and Their Works, Photos and Families

The Ottoman Empire was a Muslim state and the Shaykhs al-Islam would decide whether the laws were compatible with the religion and they were also the highest authority in solving Muslims’ religious problems. Hence, they had a great importance in the Ottoman’s executive, legislative and religious attitudes.

The book focuses on Shaykhs al-Islam, who was a fatwa authority during the first years of the empire, and later on gained an official identity in Sultan Mehmed II’s times and became the highest authority when solving religious issues. You will read about their ideas, about their contributions to the scholarly, architectural and social life, about their own lives, works, family trees accompanied by visuals.

This book was prepared after a long, deep research and fieldwork, and contains visuals of their tombs and works. It is of great help to researchers by listing the Shaykhs al-Islam and their family trees.

Consisting of five chapters, the book mentions the Ilmiye organization in the first chapter, and the Shaykhs are listed while their duties and their institution are described. In the second chapter, we read about the biographies and works of Shaykhs that were based in Istanbul. In the following chapter, we read about the ones who worked outside of Istanbul and also in abroad. In the fourth chapter, different lists are given under different subjects. The last chapter mentions the family trees and pictures of some family members’ tomb stones.

Author: Serhat BaşarLanguage: TurkishISBN hardcover: 978-605-9492-55-3ISBN paperback: 978-605-9492-30-0Size: hardcover: 25x32 cm paperback: 21,5x27,5 cmPages: 444Year of Publication: 2017

OTTOMAN SHAYKHS AL-ISLAM 8 OTTOMAN SHAYKHS AL-ISLAM 9

MEHMED EBUSSUUD EFENDI(b. December 30, 1490, Metris, Istanbul – d. August 23, 1574, Istanbul). Also known as Hoca Çelebi, he was a renowned scholar of Islamic jurisprudence and exegesis, and the fourteenth şeyhülislam of the Ottoman Empire (1545-74).

He as the son of Şeyh Muhyiddin Mehmed Yavsi, who was in the close circle of Bayezid II and built for himself a lodge in Istanbul, and also the great-grandson of Mustafa el-İmad and Ali Kuşçu. He was instructed by his father, Müeyyedzâde Abdurrahman Efendi and Mevlânâ Seydi-yi Karamâni; and served as a müderris (professor) in the medreses of İnegöl İshak Pasha (1516- 20), Istanbul Davud Pas-ha, Mahmud Pasha, Gebze Çoban Mustafa Pasha, Bursa Sultaniye and Istanbul Semâniye (1528-33). In 1533 he was appointed first as the qadi of Bursa, and then the qadi of Istanbul. During his term as

the kazasker of Rumelia, which he had been appointed in 1537, he took part in the campaigns of Bogdan and Hungary, and served as the imam in the first Friday prayer after the conquest of Budapest. In 1545 he was appointed as the şeyhülislam, a post he would continue until his death. People from all Ottoman lands performed his fune-ral prayer in absentia. His final resting place is in the courtyard of a school he had commissioned in Eyüp. He was the one to codify the mülâzemet system requiring müderrises and qadis await their turns in promotion by enrolling in the kazasker defters (registers). Further, the şeyhülislam was authorized to promote high-ranking müderrises and


qadis, and he enacted the Kanunnâme (Code) of İlmiye, according to which it became mandatory to first serve as the kazasker of Rumelia to be promoted as the şeyhülislam. Held in high regard by Suleiman the Magnificent and Selim II, Ebussuud Efendi authored his famous work of Quranic exegesis titled “Irshad al-Aql al-Salim ila Mazaya al-Qur’an al-Azim”, along with more than twenty other works and numerous fatwas. Vehemently opposed to Batini teaching, he labelled Sufi rituals as blasphemy and comparing Sufis to apostate infidels and issued fatwas justifying the execution of İsmail Mâşuki, Muhyiddin Karamâni and Hamza Bâli. A talented poet in Turkish and Arabic languages, Ebussuud Efendi was most renowned for his elegy (mersiye)

which he composed in Arabic for Suleiman the Magnificent. In va-rious neighborhoods of Istanbul he commissioned schools (Eyüp and Şehremini), fountains (Şehremini and Macuncu), hamams (Odabaşı and Macuncu). Further, he also built a külliye (complex) in İskilip, and a mosque in Kaffa and Lepanto. His kiosk was located in Sütlüce, and his mansion house in Macuncu, Eminönü.


MEHMED REFIK EFENDI (b. 1813, Çelebipazarı [present-day Rogatica, Serbian Рогатица, in Republika Srpska], near Sarajevo, Bosnia – d. April, 19, 1871, Istanbul).

He was the 110th şeyhülislam of the Ot-toman Empire (1866-68). He started his edu-cation in Rogatica, and continued in Travnik and Gazi Husrev Beg medrese in Sarajevo after 1825. He was promoted as the clerk of the court of Sarajevo by Hüseyin Efendi (d. 1838), the qadi of Bosnia, who would la-ter be his father-in-law. In 1833 he went to Istanbul, where he completed his education and received his icâzet (diploma) from Mü-zellef Ahmed Efendi (d. 1855). After serving in the offices of Evkaf Teftiş (inspection of pious endowments) and fetvahâne, he was appointed as the qadi of the Eyüp court in 1841. Three years later, in 1844, he was pro-moted as the qadi of Varna. In 1845 he was appointed first as the secretary of the şeyhü-lislam (meşihat kâtibi), and then by Şeyhülis-lam Mekkîzâde Mustafa Âsım Efendi as the fetvâ emîni (custodian of the fatwa), a post he would occupy for eleven years. Starting from


1847 as the molla of Bosnia, he earned the ranks of Izmir, Edirne, Haremeyn and Istanbul, respectively, within a period of seven years. In 1856 he became the inspector of pious endowments (evkaf müfettişi), and the following year the undersecretary of the kazaskers of Anatolia and Rumelia. In 1858 he was appointed for a second term as the fetvâ emîni, which was followed by the post of the kazasker of Anatolia. In 1865 he was granted the rank of the kazasker of Rumelia, and also pro-moted as the president of the Committee for the Selection of Sharia Judges (Meclis-i İntihâb-ı Hükkâmü’ş-Şer‘î) and member of the Subli-me Council for Judicial Ordinances (Meclis-i Vâlâ-yı Ahkâm-ı Adliye). From August 1866 to April 1868 he served as the şeyhülislam, and also as member of the Supreme Council of Reforms (Meclis-i Âli). He is buried in the cemetery of Fatih Mosque. Mehmed Refik Efendi

commissioned a mosque and sıbyan school in Ro-gatica, which have not survived to the present day, and also authored a book titled “Fetâvâ-yı Fevziyye maa’n-Nukûl” (Istanbul, 1850).

Head-stone of Mehmed Refik Efendi’s tomb, cemetery of Fatih Mosque: “All that is on earth shall perish. [Say] a Fatiha for the soul of all belie-vers and for the soul of late Hacı Mehmed Refik Efendi, who was formerly the şeyhülislam and muf-ti of the people and passed away to the eternal abo-de. 29 Muharram of the year 1288 (19 April 1871)”.

MEHMED SADEDDIN EFENDI (HOCAZÂDE)

(b. 1798, Istanbul – d. August, 6, 1866, Istanbul). He was the 108th şeyhülislam of the Ottoman Empire (1858-63), who founded the Committee for Sharia Investigations (Meclis-i Tedkikât-ı Şeriyye). He was the son of müderris Abdulhamid Efendi, a descendant of the for-mer şeyhülislam Hoca Sadeddin Efendi. After completing his educa-tion, he served in several qadi posts in Anatolia. He worked in Aydın, where he fell into conflict with the Karaosmanoğlu family, and also in Manisa as nâib (deputy qadi). Following his duty as the muhassıl (tax collector) of Güzelhisar-ı Aydın, he returned in 1841 to Istan-bul, where he was promoted as clerk to the treasury (mîrî kâtibi) and


member of Council of Agriculture (Meclis-i Ziraat). In In 1846, he assumed duties in the Eastern Black Sea region such as marking of the demarcation line and inspector of pious endowments (evkaf müfettişi) in Trabzon. While incumbent in his position as the inspector, he was granted the ranks of Mecca and Istanbul and also appointed as mem-ber of the Council of Financial Accounts (Meclis-i Muhâsebe-i Mâliye). In 1856 he was conferred the title of kazasker of Anatolia. In 1858 he became a member of the Sublime Council for Judicial Ordinances (Meclis-i Vâlâ-yı Ahkâm-ı Adliye), which was followed by his appoint-ment as the şeyhülislam the same year. He was the one to supervise the sword-girding ceremony of Sultan Abdulaziz. In 1862 he established the Committee for Sharia Investigations (Meclis-i Tedkikât-ı Şeriyye) which functioned as a court of appeal. As an influential member of the Council of Ministers (Meclis-i Vükelâ), he had a say in important political decisions. Due to the disagreement he had with Ali and Fuad Pashas concerning important nominations, he was discharged from his duty on November 23, 1863, and withdrew to his mansion house. He was buried in the graveyard of the sebîl (charity) of Sadeddin Efendi, located in Karacaahmet Cemetery. He was the one to rearrange for prayers the lodge of Sofular (Ekmel) in Aksaray district by adding a pulpit. Further, he also authored a book titled “Defter-i Pâk-i Erbâb-ı Dâniş”, containing information about certain scholars and artists such as calligraphers and engravers.

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An Album of The Wardrobe of The Ottomans With Illustrations By The Tulip-Era Artist Van Mour

Illustrations contain paintings by Jean-Baptiste Van Mour, as commanded by French Ambassador M. de Ferriol, of important members forming Ottoman society, starting with the Sultan and including members of the ruling class, palace officials, and examples from different ethnic groups and clergy. The book contains 102 paintings and their explanations which were presented by Ferriol to King Louis XIV of France after his return to Paris in 1711. In 1714 he published it in Paris, again with the support of the King. Due to the successful paintings of Dutch painter Van Mour, the work was a visual feast, and from the very first day of publication it became a museum of interest to the Parisian people and new printings of the book were made. The interest in this costume album contributed to the formation of the “Turkish Fashion” movement in Europe. It is no coincidence that only 68 years after the publication of this book, Mozart composed his opera “The Abduction from the Seraglio”, which was about Topkapı Palace ...

Editing: Sinan CecoLanguage: French-Turkish-EnglishISBN: 978-605-4595-42-6 Small Size: 978-605-4595-57-0Pages: 336 Size: 33,5x46 cmSmall Size: 20,5x27,5 cm Year of Publication: 2013

The Book of Flowers [Şükûfenâme]

Migrating from Central Asia to the fertile lands of Anatolia, Turks shaped this territory once they adopted here as their homeland. This process manifests itself not only in economic and social developments, but also in cultural activities. Maintaining the cultural heritage it inherited from the previous Turkic states and the Seljuks, the Ottoman Empire enhanced this legacy even more following the conquest of Istanbul.

Bringing men of literature, historians, architects and craftsmen together in Istanbul after the conquest, Mehmed the Conqueror turned Istanbul into a center of science and culture, furnished the city with gardens and adorned it with colorful flowers. Serving as a proof of the might of the Creator beside the function of beautifying the surroundings, flowers occupy an important place in the Ottoman culture and civilization. Just like the flowers themselves, the manuscripts on flowers and floriculture are equally considered as masterpieces both in their content and form. Şükûfenames (books of flowers) provide important information about floriculture and serve as a resource for botany. Dealing with flowers and floriculture, this particular Book of Flowers [Şükûfename] is a collection of eight manuscripts, which are Şükûfenâme-i Ali Çelebi, Ubeydullah Efendi Şükûfenâmesi, Lâlezarî Mehmed Efendi Şükûfenâmesi, Şükûfenâme, Defter-i Lâlezar-ı Istanbul, Takvimü’l-kibâr min Mi’yâri’l-ezhâr, Karanfil Risalesi and Revnak-ı Bostan. It also contains a glossary and index on floriculture, a list of all flowers mentioned in the manuscripts and floricultural methods based on the information given in the said manuscripts.

Author: Seyit Ali KahramanLanguage: TurkishISBN: 978-605-9132-15-2 Pages: 480 Size: 23,5x33 cm Year of Publication: 2015

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PART II: FLOWER GROWING AND CARE

FLOWER GROWING AND CARE:

ŞÜKÛFENÂME

AE 169/170

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Flower Growing And Care Şükûfenâme (AE 169/170)

Author: Abdullah Çelebi, grandson of Mahmud Efendi,

a Ruznâmçeci (Daybook Accountant) of Galata

Growing daffodils

Seed removal

The seed flower should not have any buds, but should rather be a

single bulb. Otherwise, during the seeding time, budding bulbs would

give their strength to their buds and not grow at all or grow only

a little. Seeds should be taken from flowers that blossoming near

summer. Seeds would not grow if taken during the coldest forty days

of winter.

Toward summer, a cheesecloth should be spread over the seed,

which should be placed inside and tied up at the neck so that başmak

insects and pests cannot harm it and ripe seeds would not fall out

and get lost.

A stick should be erected and tied up near the seed. It should be

loosely tied so that the stalk would not break when it gets taller. Then,

the seed must turn yellow and ripen as it grows. If it is pale, then it is

not unripe; what grows from a ripe seed is yellow.

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PART II: FLOWER GROWING AND CARE

FLOWER GROWING AND CARE:

ŞÜKÛFENÂME

AE 169/170

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Seed should be treated with care and one should avoid

picking it unripe. When it is ripe, then it should be taken and

kept. Right in the beginning of August, one should find a brick

with small cells and sift the soil using a very fine sieve until it

becomes like flour. Then the seeds should be planted one by

one like planting onions with a fingerbreadth distance between

each one; they should be covered with soil as high as three

fingerbreadths and watered until it reaches the bottom. Then

they should be covered with straw or sack cloth and watered

with good water once every ten days. One should continue

this routine until November and avoid uncovering them. Once

November arrives, they should be uncovered and no more

water should be given; that should do it.

This way, they will take root and get strong in mid-fall. And

cold cannot harm them in winter. But if one does not water

them and leave them as they are, then they cannot take root

because of sun, will take root near November, and since they

are not strong enough, they will freeze in cold winter and half

of them will be wasted. In the past, it was customary to plant

the seed in earthenware; yet, the method written here is most

suitable because then the soil is warm. If one does is as we

write, the seed will not be harmed. But when the earthenware

is made of stone inside and covered with snow and frost

outside, most of the weak seeds will be wasted, as proven by

experience many times. But if the earthenware can be moved,

then everything changes. In cold winters, it is best to take them

inside the barn. Yet, the insect called the mole cricket should

be absent from the garden. In the presence of this insect,

then it will be compulsory to plant the seeds in earthenware

because mole crickets stir the soil and waste the seeds. If the

garden soil is manured, mole crickets are certainly found there.

But if the soil is not manured, then the seeds should not be

planted in earthenware because there will be no mole crickets

in the garden.

Two-year-old seeds need manuring, which should be very

old. If the seeds are planted for the first time, then no manure

should be used. For with manuring, the soil gets stronger

and will not harm bad bulbs, but decompose the good ones.

When the bulbs of good seeds grow as small as wheat, bad

bulbs grow as big as nuts. Bad bulbs blossom in five or six

years, while good bulbs blossom in fourteen to fifteen years.

God knows that in addition to our own experiences, we have

been invited to Molla Çelebi’s garden, where all the gardeners

gathered. Dilküşâ and Zehebî plucked a yellow blossom and

said: “Friends, God knows that it has grown in seventeen years.”

And this is the truth. This seed should be removed and planted

in the third year.

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Istanbul, Changing Culture and Social Life in the Yeşilçam Cinema

The book analyzes the socio-cultural transformation in Istanbul through 50 movies produced in the Turkish Yeşilçam Cinema between the years 1950 and 1980. Performed based on the phenomena of population, identity, way of life, immigration, squatting, family, life in the neighborhood, male-female relationships, occupation, employment, religion, tradition and modernization, these analyses are important for understanding the socio-cultural identity of the city.

The book features the original posters of 50 movies, with backgrounds reflecting the magnificent beauty of Istanbul, as well as complete details and original photos for these movies.

Starting in the 1950s, cities underwent a process of transformation in Turkey, with rapid dissemination of new values. During this birth period for Yeşilçam Cinema, directors and screenwriters now attempted to depict social problems using cinematic language. The book focuses on the period that lasted approximately for three decades and known as “the Yeşilçam era” in Turkish cinema.

Using Istanbul as, so to speak, a natural movie set, the Yeşilçam movies shed light upon the city’s magnificent beauty, epic history and its transformation through the years; and in this sense, they have a documentary quality. These movies are also important for understanding our efforts to make sense of the changing world, our quest for identity and the socio-cultural transformations in the society.

A careful look at the Yeşilçam movies reveals that Istanbul, a city with gold-paved streets, is in an ongoing transformation process in terms of its characteristics, texture and identity, ecology and aesthetics. To trace this transformation, the book mainly focuses on movies that uses Istanbul as the main background, setting or central theme. Thus, the selected movies are the ones highlighting Istanbul the most in a spatial /geographical sense; they also offer a sense of the regions, districts and neighborhoods of the city.

Istanbul Geceleri, Yalnızlar Rıhtımı, Keşanlı Ali Destanı, Gurbet Kuşları, Son Kuşlar, Karakolda Ayna Var, Ah Güzel Istanbul, Vesikalı Yârim, Hababam Sınıfı, Kapıcılar Kralı, Neşeli Günler, Yusuf and Kenan are some of the movies included in the book.

The book features the original posters of 50 movies, with backgrounds reflecting the magnificent beauty of Istanbul, as well as complete details and original photos for these movies.

Author: Doç.Dr. Barış Bulunmaz, Ömer Osmanoğlu Language: TurkishISBN: 978-605-9132-59-6 Pages: 319 Size: 16,5x24 cm Year of Publication: 2016

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HABABAM SINIFI (1975) [THE CLASS OF MISCHIEF]

Directed by: Ertem Eğilmez Written by: Umur Bugay

Produced by: Nahit Ataman Production Company: Arzu Film

Director of Photography: Hüseyin Özşahin Music by: Melih Kibar

Based on a novel by Rıfat Ilgaz Running Time: 88 dk.

Genre: Comedy Details: 35mm, color

Plot: Skipping the school, smoking in the restro-oms and quite skilled in all types of cheating, the students of Hababam Sınıfı are baff led with the ar-rival of Kel Mahmut (Münir Özkul), the newly-ap-pointed, strict vice principal of the school. The warmth of Hafize Ana (Adile Naşit), the school caretaker, the mischievous acts of Hababam Sı-nıfı, especially of İnek Şaban (Kemal Sunal), Da-mat Ferit (Tarık Akan) and Güdük Necmi (Ha-lit Akçatepe) and the sacrifices of Kel Mahmut, who in time is embraced by Hababam Sınıfı all create a picture which never gets old even after the passing years.

Cast: Münir Özkul (Kel Mahmut), Tarık Akan (Damat Ferit), Kemal Sunal (İnek Şaban), Halit Akçatepe (Güdük Necmi), Adile Naşit (Hafize Ana), Sıtkı Akçatepe (Paşa Nuri), Ertuğrul Bilda (Külyutmaz Necmi), Kemal Ergüvenç (Kemal Hoca), Muharrem Gürses (School Principal Muharrem Gür), Akil Öztuna (Akil Hoca), Hayri Karabay (Rıza Hoca), Bülent Onaran (Student), Cengiz Nezir (Bozum Cahit), Bülent İğdiroğlu (Kalem Şakir), Cem Gürdap (Tulum Hayri), Feridun Şavlı (Domdom Ali), Ahmet Arıman (Hayta İsmail), Gazanfer Şener (Kikirik), Ali Eraslan (Kirpi), Dilaver Gür (Dilaver), Bülent Haksever (Kıllı Sami), Mehmet Durgut (Student), Metin Alparslan (Student), Metin Türel (Student), Ercan Gezmiş (Postal Rıza), Kemal Ülker (Student), Aykut Eroğlu (Student), Orhan Torun (Student), Abdullah Karagöl (Student), Saim Avcıoğlu (Student), Alparslan Aydınlı (Student), Eyüp Güçmen (Çengel Ali), Ayşen Gruda (Quiz Show Hostess), Selim Naşit (Süslü Selim), Talat Dumanlı (Sıtkı Hoca), Ergun Sözen (Boncuk), Hakkı Karadayı (Veysel Efendi), Ekrem Dümer (Doktor Bekir), Bilge Zobu (Gym Teacher), Leman Akçatepe (Teacher of All-Girls School), Ali Eraslan (Kirpi), Faruk Savlı (Student), Eşref Vural (Literature Teacher), Hüseyin Kaşif (Professor Kayhan Oğuz)

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and tells about, despite all their mischief, the funny and heart-warming adventures of these young men who have a head for anything but studying. The movie starts with Private Çamlıca High School students hastily running up the historical stairs of Adile Sultan Pavilion, located

in Validebağ Grove in Üsküdar district of Istanbul and currently used as a social facility for teachers, and continues with a scene from the class of biology teacher Külyutmaz Necmi who boasts about not letting Hababam Sınıfı cheat. The way Hafize Ana, the caretaker of school runs about ringing the school bell and students run like her, acting hastily to take a break arouses a feeling of rebellion against the monotony and mundaneness of life. The expression of love on Hafize Ana’s face, who

“I am not a merchant, I am an educator…”

While reflecting the purest form of friendship and love, and also containing utterly significant feelings about the importance of cooperation and sharing in human life, Hababam Sınıfı represents a nostalgic but realistic and seemingly distant but in fact close vision of today’s reality in which moral values are lost and sincerity is diminishing. It shows that creating a safe and peaceful life space accompanied by unity and solidarity ensures that a way out will always be found regardless of any circumstances and hardships encountered; and living in such a world brings about comfort and happiness. The movie teaches us that one can make jokes without being unkind and laugh while crying; and by way of telling about the

importance of approaching others kindly and appreciating people, it gives the impression that the mentality aiming to make other people happy can overcome any obstacles that life presents. The movie presents sections from the education lives of a group of students who are well past the age of high school and have no concerns about finishing school

32 B a r ı ş B u lu n m a z

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of themselves, recall previous experiences or brush up the memories of the past. The sincerity behind Kalem Şakir’s funny answer “Karaköy ??, Saraçhane and Aksaray ??” to the question “Which is the largest strait of the Mediterranean region?” posed by geography teacher Rıza Hoca, who have trouble in hearing, or, the warmth of their behavior when, after they get caught playing leapfrogging, Hababam Sınıfı makes Physics teacher Paşa Nuri talk about his army memories and raise him on their shoulders in order to disrupt the lesson are as real as the brightness of the light the stars in the sky give out. With their characters, beha-viors, views of life and opinions, each and every student in Hababam Sınıfı from İnek Şaban to Güdük Necmi, Damat Ferit to Domdom Ali or Tulum Hayri to Hayta İsmail are as real as the hallucinations in life; and are sincere like the self-confidence of Istanbul’s wisdom to remain standing. The words uttered by the newly appointed Vice Principal of the school, Mahmut Hoca as “They call me Kel Mahmut. I shed my hair during my twenty-five years of teaching career.” reflects the reality of the struggle in the life of a man who dedicated his life to his profession; and “I’ve spent all my life to put you and the ones like you into order, that’s why,” expression reflects the melancholic but invaluable thoughts of an unmarried and childless teacher in the world he created through his students whom he considers as the members of a huge family. The movie goes on with the scenes when they get caught while smoking in the restroom; when İnek Şaban thinks that a girl is waiting for him at Taksim Square but unaware that he is being cheated by his friends through fake letters; when they attempt to cheat in unthinkable ways

takes the role of a mother for the students of Hababam Sınıfı saying “Could I ever set myself to a task when my children go hungry?” or “Do not separate me from my sons, I cannot live without them” and struggles to help them anyway she can, and the sincerity in all she says about them serve as an answer to the way the system functions; a system created by relationships based on interest. That’s why, Hababam Sınıfı reflects the reality and value in the flutters of a butterfly coming out of a cocoon and, within its limited lifetime, representing freedom and symbolizing a life floating into air.

The life inside a world in which Turkey is Istanbul and Istanbul is Ha-babam Sınıfı is like a theatre stage on which everyone can see a part

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learning the truth pays for the instalment himself, reveals sincerity once more. When Damat Ferit has to bring his five-month old daughter to school and he allows the child to stay at school, the way Mahmut Hoca behaves and talks to Damat Ferit reflects the utmost mercy and love a human can show. The movie reaches the end when the Principal finds Damat Ferit’s daughter during the end-of-the-year show and argues with Mahmut Hoca, causing him to have a heart attack and Hafize Ana and Hababam Sınıfı visits Mahmut Hoca at the hospital. Upon hearing voices coming from outside and going towards the window, Mahmut Hoca sees the crowd shouting out his name and asks who they are; the words Damat Ferit says is an example of the endlessness of Mahmut Hoca’s struggle for life: “Your students in the future, Sir…”

and the methods they try to skip school. Realistic moments from the heart-warming life of Hababam Sınıfı is projected when their permits to go out of school at weekends are cancelled due to the punishment given by Kel Mahmut, they watch Istanbul, ferries and the Bosphorus Bridge through binoculars and dreaming, saying “Everyone is going to Kadıköy and we are slumbering here, what luck!”

It is quite intense when Mahmut Hoca involuntarily helps the cheating system they set up when they attend Inter-High School Knowledge Con-test. When the principal asks Boncuk to leave school because his father is unable to pay the installment, and Hababam Sınıfı racketeers for him, the proud look on Mahmut Hoca’s face, who gets angry at first but upon

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KEŞANLI ALİ DESTANI [THE EPIC OF KEŞANLI ALİ] (1964)

Directed by: Atıf Yılmaz Written by: Haldun Taner, Atıf Yılmaz

Produced by: Memduh Ün Production Compant: Uğur Film, Gün Film

Director of Photography: Çetin Gürtop Music by: Yalçın Tura

Running time: 93 dk. Genre: Romantic, Epic, Comedy, Musical

Details: Black and White

Plot: The movie tells about the arduous adventure of Keşanlı Ali (Fikret Hakan) and Zilha (Fatma Girik) in a shanty with poor residents called Si-neklidağ, located in the outskirts of Istanbul. Ke-şanlı Ali is put into prison on the grounds that he killed Zilha’s uncle Çamur İhsan and then rele-ased from prison as a hero. The residents of the neighborhood welcomes Ali with the hope that he will end the oppression in Sineklidağ and soon he becomes the head (muhtar) of the neighbor-hood and sets up his own order. Thus starts the epic of Keşanlı Ali.

Cast: Fikret Hakan (Keşanlı Ali), Fatma Girik (Zeliha-Zilha/Nevvare), Hüseyin Baradan (Rüstem), Danyal Topatan (Nüri), Mualla Sürer (Şerife abla), Hayati Hamzaoğlu (Cafer), Sami Hazinses, Feridun Çölgeçen (Bülent’in babası), Orhan Elmas (Bülent), Aydemir Akbaş (Sipsi Selim), Aziz Basmacı, Osman Alyanak, Turan Aksoy, Osman Türkoğlu, Talia Saltı, Mehmet Ali Akpınar (Kazım), Nusret Özkaya (Sabri), Eşref Vural (Şükrü), Selahattin İçsel (Şerafettin), Hayri Caner (Polis), Süha Doğan (Ahmet), Faik Coşkun, Mürüvvet Sim, Lütfü Engin, Özdemir Akın, Ahmet Karaca, Nubar Kamçılı, Hakkı Haktan (Musa)

4140 Ö mer O s m a no ğ lu

Ali. Ali, reviving the hopes of people, is about to get out of prison he got into on the grounds of killing Çamur İhsan and become a hero. Çamur İhsan and his men set up an order of racketeering from the people in the neighborhood, demolishing people’s houses and living at the expense of people in a tough spot. The rivals of Çamur İhsan send him to grave and Ali to prison thanks to a scam and show that they are determined to continue the existing order. Ali, loved by everyone as they think he

“Sinekli dağ, they call here / it looks down on the city/ But far from it / as far as in fairy tales...”

The first movie to handle the gecekondu (shanty) problem of Turkey, Keşanlı Ali Destanı has been a source of inspiration in many ways for the movies to be made in the coming years. The movie tells about the tragedy of the people living in Sineklidağ, established in the suburbs of Istanbul, who suffer from poverty and who are exploited. Shot in the neighborhoods of Kuştepe and Hacı Hüsrev, the first shanty districts of Istanbul, the film focuses on the small worlds of ordinary people living in shanties in 1960s, their poverty, the evil of the system which has been formed against their will and makes them suffer and their struggle to get out of the life they have and move up the social ladder. Sineklidağ is an utterly different world in which people from every profession emigrating from various locations of Anatolia swarm to. In Sineklidağ, there is room for poverty, hostilities, conspiracies and gossips as well as dreams and hopes. The movie starts with the drama of a family who builds a small makeshift shed in the neighborhood. The words coming out of the father’s mouth as “I never thought we would have it... When people join forces...” show how important a shanty built by the full effort of a family is to them. However, when the men of Çakal Rüstem, the bully of the neighborhood come to collect the hush-money, the dreams of the family ends. And the prospective savior is Keşanlı

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killed the bully of the neighborhood, becomes an enemy of Zilha with whom he is in love, as İhsan is Zilha’s uncle. Released from Üsküdar Prison and Detention House with general pardon after four years of imprisonment, people organize a spectacular welcoming ceremony for Ali. Running as a candidate for the head of the neighborhood, Ali gathers people and delivers fierce speeches like politicians and promises that he will change the order of oppression. The tricks played by the rivals in the election, election strategies and the promises that were made all illustrate a panorama of Turkey at that time. It is remarkable that

hemşehricilik (favoritism among fellow countrymen), one of the most important factors in constituting the social structure in Istanbul, beco-mes prominent in the course of election. After winning the election, Ali declares that the order of oppression of the greedy masters has come to an end. Now his fame outreaches Sineklidağ and reporters almost line up to make an interview with him. Zilha, the “the withered rose” of the neighborhood, is happy about neither Ali’s release from prison or his election as the head of the neighborhood. Zilha is “hungry for life and love” and sick of this life. Covering the walls of her house with film stars, princesses and handsome men, Zilha looks at these photos every day and dreams of a glittering life in which a prince charming comes and takes her away. At first, Ali is a simple-hearted young man and is bound up with Zilha with a deep love. But after the murder of Çamur İhsan, the people of the neighborhood attributed him with an epic personality; he became ill-tempered as he was belittled in the prison and had to assume the killer brand people see fit for him in order to look strong as this world runs not in favor of the ones who deny evil, but in favor of the ones that acknowledge it. And Ali’s motto is now clear: “If you are honorable and benevolent in this world, people mock you. If you are a bully or a killer, people respect you.” Ali, in fact, is a forced hero; he had to embrace the killer brand people see fit for him and gained power and reputation flaunting with another’s act of murder. When he gets out of prison, with his palsied foot, long and thin moustache, jacket and vest, rosary, tough look and epic figure, he is now Keşanlı Ali.

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transformation of Zilha to Nevvare, who becomes another person with her fancy clothes, fur, mini skirt, dressed hair, makeup and fancy dog but is unable to change her accent no matter how hard she tries, is in fact only in form. The life Zilha falls into without question is actually nothing but roughness under the cover of grace, self-seeking under the cover of charity, immorality under the cover of freedom, quackery under the cover of science and vulgarity under the cover of civility. What Zilha, who has to put up with a weakly man for a glamorous life, experiences is a fast life lacking content. Just like Turkish moderniza-tion. Form changes but problems regarding the essence continue. The only thing that changes is form, style and manner. However, injustice, inequity and deprivation of the meaning of life go on. The fact that first Ali, then Zilha turn their back onto their own personalities and values to rush to another way of life obliges them to face serious consequences towards the end of the movie. Ali has to make one last choice to rejoin with his Zilha again on one hand and to write a real epic on the other. “My destiny calls for me… People die, epics live on...”

In the eyes of Zilha, Ali has turned into a “parvenu” after he gets out of prison and becomes the head of the neighborhood. Ali sets up his own crime team getting more despotic day by day, starts doing various jobs and entered the cab-attending business, a sector becoming widespread at the time, in the busiest parts of the street. In the meantime, Ali is also racketeering from the tradesmen and extorting money from poli-tical parties. Ali, promising democracy but continuing the bully order after the election, is reminded by the people of the neighborhood of the promises he made during the election process to become the head of the neighborhood; which satirizes the concept of democracy of that time. “A luxury car” going into the neighborhood is a turning point in both Sineklidağ and the relationship between Ali and Zilha. The man inside the car is the famous contactor İhya Onaran who comes to ask if Ali has enough labourers at hand because the organization of the labou-rers is Ali’s business, who has expanded this business enough to send laborers to “the German market”. And İhya Onaran (literally meaning, “reconstruction repairer”) is a contractor true to his name. Problems such as land development and urban sprawl in Istanbul, bribery and the intensity of bureaucratic procedures in the country are criticized through the relationship between Ali and İhya Onaran. For Zilha, who is tired of everything enough to say “save me from this dump”, a golden opportunity presents itself when İhya Onaran comes to the neighbor-hood. The events taking place in the mansion that Zeliha, whose life suddenly changes, steps into are full of examples that unfold the gap between the rich and the poor and the troubles in both ways of life. The

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KÜÇÜK HANIMEFENDİ (1961)

Directed by: Nejat Saydam Written by: Nejat Saydam

Produced by: Nüzhet Birsel, Özdemir Birsel Production Company: Birsel Film

Director of Photography: Mike Rafaelyan Music by: Metin Bükey

Based on a novel by: Muazzez Tahsin Berkand Running time: 96 dk.

Genre: Drama, Romantic, Comedy Details: 35mm, black and white

Plot: The lives of Neriman (Belgin Doruk) who lives in a very poorly groomed place and whom her step mother wants to drive insane because of the great inheritance she possesses, and Ömer (Ayhan Işık), whose family, namely Şahinoğlu, gets into a jam because of their elder son’s gambling debt in-tersect thanks to Feridun Üstün (Avni Dilligil), an Attorney. The well-intentioned attorney, who knows both of the families, thinks that problems will disappear and the current situation will be sol-ved in case these two young people get married.

Cast: Belgin Doruk (Neriman Özar Şahinoğlu), Ayhan Işık (Ömer Şahinoğlu), Sadri Alışık (Bülent Soysal), Ahmet Tarık Tekçe (Rasim), Avni Dilligil (Attorney Feridun Üstün), Şaziye Moral (Şaziye Şahinoğlu), Aliye Rona (Fehime), Nubar Terziyan (Ekrem Dayı), Osman Türkoğlu (Hayri), Dursune Şirin (Şetaret Nanny), Zeki Alpan (Registrar), Fadıl Garan (Notary), Selahattin İçsel (Peasant)

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live in Eskişehir is hypothecated; he also feels desperate and angry against the proposal the family attorney Feridun Üstün comes with. After Hikmet Bey passes away, his daughter Neriman writes a letter to Attorney Feridun, an old friend of his father, and tells about the cruel things her step mother does and asks him to save her. The Attorney

“Is this the woman whom you see fit for me?”

Küçük Hanımefendi, tells that there is nothing that cannot be overcome by determination willpower and good people will be happy somehow; and reflects in an epic way that there is definitely some purpose worth living for or people can create one for themselves. The movie tells in an extraordinary way the transformation and advancement regarding humankind through emotions and concepts like desire, commitment, good intention, courage, self-confidence, standing up against hardships, not giving up hope, joy of life or humanity and it displays the happiness and peace in moments when despair turns into hope taking a woman’s excitement and desire to live into the center. Despite the inconceivable methods her step-mother practices, Neriman never loses her hope and dreams for the future; through her own life, personality and transfor-mation, highlighting drama elements at times and comedy elements at others, she shows that the system created by evil people is destined to fail and that good people in this world always exist.

Telling about a story in which two separate lives from Eskişehir and Bursa intersect in Istanbul, the movie reveals an Istanbul where his-torical locations, districts, visual beauties, holiday resorts and the Bosphorus merge. Ömer Şahinoğlu is desperate as her brother loses his all money while gambling and commits suicide and the mansion they

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As the starting point of a big transformation, Neriman goes to Istanbul with the family nanny Şetaret and determinedly enters into the process of a personal change and renovation as a result of her love for Ömer on one side and her anger for the words he said on the other. Coming to Prinkipo (Büyükada), one of the calm and beautiful locations of Istanbul of that time, Neriman sees that this place is full of life, people do sports and dance, eat nice food and live happily and peacefully and writes about this to Attorney Feridun in her letters. Taking the utmost advantage of the opportunities Istanbul’s luxury life presents, Neriman goes shopping in Beyoğlu, İstiklal Street, where trams and cars are on the move and reflects a state of mind struggling to forget about the past yet to build a future. While seeing important locations of social life taking an important place in the cultural make up of Istanbul from Galatasaray High School to the famous barbershop ‘Kuaför Vili’, the harmony between Neriman’s own transformation and the beauty of Istanbul is conspicuously reflected. Neriman begins befriending Bülent Soysal, whom she has no idea that is a friend of Ömer and meets co-incidentally, and until the moment she tells Bülent she is married and wants only to be friends, they dine on tables covered in white tablecloth with the Bosphorus view of Istanbul in the background and walk in the captivating and poetic atmosphere of Emirgan Grove. Following the letter Neriman sends to Ömer, Ömer expresses that he has no intention of seeing her, unaware of the physical transformation she went through and writes behind a monkey photo these words: “So that you will not

thinks, as a solution to this cruel treatment, that the marriage of Ömer to Neriman will be beneficial both materially and morally. After the Attorney kidnaps Neriman and takes her to Eskişehir, Ömer marries her out of despair, even though he insults her angrily looking at the ragged way she looks; after the marriage ceremony performed at home he leaves home, causing Neriman to question herself, find a hope and passions, albeit in tears.

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feel lonely and remember me when you look at it”, thus making Neri-man sad once more. However, with the photo she places in the locket she wears around her neck, she displays an image foreshadowing the future. Neriman goes to Ömer’s mother as she is in a bad condition and shocks everyone with the transformation she went through; and after her mother-in-law entrusts Ömer to her before she dies and bequeaths that they get together, Neriman puts Ömer, whom she already loves, in a different place as a result of this situation.

After his mother’s death, Ömer comes home and does not recognize Neriman who is introduced to him as their neighbor, however, despite the fact that her mother requests in her will that he gets together with Neriman, he reacts to this request going to Istanbul and starting his Istanbul adventure after he meets with his friend Bülent.

With the beauties of Istanbul in the background from Hilton Hotel to Büyük Tarabya Hotel, the Clock Tower in Dolmabahçe to the Chalet Garden in Tarabya and among many complications, the film goes on with the games Neriman plays to Ömer and Bülent, the masquerade ball and making them don the disguise of monkeys and goes on until Ömer realizes the truth in the courtroom that he goes to divorce his wife. The couple walks out of the courtroom happily and shows that determination is an irreplaceable part of human life.

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Istanbul’s 100s Publication Series is an encyclopaedic book project that explores Istanbul from historical, cultural, aesthetic, geographic and strategic perspectives, that investigates the works, characters and events that have occupied important places in the history of the city, and that aims to contribute to the promotion of the urban identity of Istanbul. The primary purpose of the project is to record and present the values that belong to the cultural heritage of Istanbul in a predetermined format, with an original and meticulous design and with a rich visual content, and hence to create an awareness in the reader about Istanbul. The project was designed as consisting of 100 books, each of which includes 100 key topics. Each book in the series have been prepared by esteemed experts and scholars in their fields. In each book, the values that belong to the cultural heritage of Istanbul, including authors, painters, mosques, churches, publishing houses, songs, educators, gastronomic tastes, and many others, are presented under 100 encyclopaedic articles.

Istanbul ’s

PUBLICATION SERIES

100 Public Baths Of Istanbul

Only a few numbers of deluxe public baths of Istanbul have survived until today. The culture of public bath continues despite it does not reflect its past vivacity. The work titled 100 Public Baths of Istanbul consists of an introduction about the historical process of the public baths in Istanbul and selection pertaining hundred among them. Public baths attracted attention in some case by their epigraphs, in some other cases by their architectural characteristics, and in some others by their entrepreneurs to be included in this work.

Author: Akif KuruçayLanguage: TurkishISBN: 978-605-5592-96-7 Pages: 214 Size: 16,5x24 cmYear of Publication: 2011

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AKİF KURUÇAY

Istanbul ’s

HAMAMS

Istanbul ’s 100S PUBLICATION SERIES ˜ 46

AĞA HAMAMI BEYOĞLU

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It is located at the Kuloğlu neighborhood, where Turnacıbaşı Street meets the Ağa Külhanı Street. The hamam was commissioned by Kapı Ağası Yakub Ağa in 1562 and its revenues were endowed to cover the expenses of the lighthouse in Kadıköy district. This area is now called “Fenerbahçe” after the lighthouse that was built back then. Yakub Ağa also has another hamam in the Samatya neighborhood. A small structure, Ağa Ha-mamı underwent many repairs over time and eventually lost almost all traces of its unique shape. Especially the exteriors of the hamam was restored to blend into the post-Repub-lican architecture. A small staircase leads down to the court-yard of the hamam. At the center of the camekân (dressing room), there is a historically insignificant, marble pool with a fountain. Originally consisting of two floors, another floor

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was later added to the changing rooms. The sıcaklık section (the hot room) features three halvets (private rooms) and three iwans (niches). The göbek taşı (navel stone) is square shaped. There are a total of 20 kurnas (bath basins) in the iwans and halvets. Ac-cording to Reşad Ekrem Koçu’s entries in the Encyclopedia of Istanbul, the hamam was at the center of the nightlife in Be-yoğlu district during the early years of the Republic. However, today the establishment functions as a touristic hamam.

CAĞALOĞLU HAMAMI FATİH

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It is located at the Sultanahmet district along the Yerebatan Avenue. Featu-ring a unique baroque style architecture, Cağaloğlu Hamamı is one the most elegant and ornate examples of legendary Turkish hamams today. Commissioned by Mahmud

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I in 1741, the revenues of this establishment were reserved for the expenses of the Hagia Sophia Library. The plans for the hamam were drawn up by the architect Süleyman Ağa who also supervised the initial construction, but the project was brought to fruition by the chief architect Abdullah Ağa. Originally called the Yeni (New) Hamam by Mahmud I, the establishment is known as Cağaloğlu Hamamı today. The establishment represents a period when the effects of fore-ign architecture styles started to take a hold in the Ottoman architecture. One of the first and most important examples of baroque style in the Ottoman Empire, the hamam was built in the double bath style. During the reign of Mustafa III, the increased consumption of wood and water in the city was used as an excuse to adopt a series of economic measures, including the prohi-bition of double bath construction. Thus, Cağaloğlu Hamamı was the last double bath, which were exceptionally large and imposing structures. A small staircase leads down to the camekân (dressing room) section. At the center of the camekân, there is a marble pool with a fountain. The sıcaklık (the hot room) section has a square plan and consists of three iwans (niches) and four halvets (private rooms) veiled under a dome. However, one of the halvets was recently converted to a sauna. An imposing dome rests upon eight columns with carved marble capitals. A remarkable octagonal and sliced göbek taşı (navel stone)

resembling a floral motif lies at the center. There are a total of 23 kurnas (bath basins); all of the kurnas and ayna taşları (ornamental stone slabs) are made of carved marble. Serving as one of the most imposing and popular hamams today, Cağaloğlu Hamamı contributes significantly towards Turkey’s tourism.

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GALATASARAY HAMAMI BEYOĞLU

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It is located at the Beyoğlu district along the Turnacıbaşı Street. Adjacent to the Galatasaray High School, the establishment is one of the prominent touristic hamams serving in Istanbul. The hamam was a part of the Galata Saray (Palace) commissioned by Bayezid II to train students for the Enderûn (Palace Schools). In the past, this place was an institute where Enderûn students received their primary and secondary school education. Galata Saray consisted of a mosque, three wards each with a capacity of 200 people, a hamam, an officer’s room, and a kitchen. According to a story about the establishment of the school, Bayezid II goes on a trip around this area, which was covered by forests at the time, and comes across a veli (saint) called Gül Baba. After having a conversation, they become friendly and the Sultan askes the veli if he has a wish. Gül Baba askes the Sultan to establish a school and employ its graduates under the service of the palace. In response to this request, the Sultan commissions the Galata Saray. Originally at the

school’s disposal, the hamam was later converted into a public hamam (because the school reached the end of its service life, other schools built in the place were relocated, etc.). For this reason, the name of this hamam is not present in Evliya Çelebi’s renowned observations, as he had only expressed his opinions on public hamams.

The hamam was opened to pub-lic use around 1834. Originally constructed to serve the school of science, the hamam assumed a role far from its previous missi-on after it was opened to public use. Reşad Ekrem Koçu words give us a better unders-tanding on the issue: “… Those who were late home after carousing at Beyoğlu and Galata or because of some other reason, as well as Istanbulites whose homes were far away at the other side of Bosphorus would spend the night at Galata’s cheap but filthy hotels or Beyoğlu’s relatively clean but costlier hotels. The lowlifes and those with modest nature would sleep at sabahçı hamams (ha-mams serving the vagrants or drunkards who could not go to their homes) at Galata and Tophane, while the gentlemen types preferred the Galatasarayı Hamamı at Beyoğlu to spend the night.”

After a comprehensive restoration in 1964, the camekân (dressing room) secti-on was converted to concrete and Galatasaray Hamamı took its current shape. The walls were embellished with glazed tiles and the aydınlık feneri (lantern) with stained-glass. The area surrounding the changing rooms were decorated with miscellaneous antique hamam accessories and authentic objects that would attract the attention of tourists. Some

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sections of the changing room were converted into a massage room with elaborate furnishing. The marble pool with a fountain at the center is also new. Veiled under an imposing dome, the sıcaklık (hot room) has a square plan. Arranged at the corners with a balanced design are four halvets (private rooms) each featuring two kur-nas (bath basins) and topped with a little dome, as well as six iwans (niches) in asymmetric si-zes with seventeen kurnas. Adjacent to sıcaklık section, there is another ılık halvet (tepid private room) with seven kurnas reached by passing between two iwans. Attracting many international and local tourists alike and hosting many celebrities, the popular Galatasaray Hamamı continues to serve its visitors in Istanbul.

100 Museums Of Istanbul

Istanbul is like a large open-air museum with its cultural artifacts and artistic heritage which extends from prehistoric times to the present day. With its long history, its unique architecture, and the vitality of its arts, Istanbul is also home to museums organized around the sources of all of these features. Everywhere you look in Istanbul, there are institutions that contribute to the transfer of social memories from generation to generation, and to cultural awareness and consciousness in individuals. This book describes the museums of Istanbul and their collections, both traditional and modern, in fields from sports to medicine, and literature to architecture, all the way to science and technology.

Author: Ahmet Apaydın, Ömer Faruk SalarLanguage: Turkish ISBN: 978-6059-132-98-5Pages: 244Size: 16,5x24 cmYear of Publication: 2017

AHMET APAYDINÖMER FARUK SALAR

Istanbul ’s

MUSEUMS


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HAGIA SOPHIA

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One of the most visited locations in Istanbul today, Hagia Sophia was built by Justinian in the Byzantine period. The two structures that had been built at the same location previously were burned down during revolts. After its final destruction as a result of the Nika revolt that took place during the reign of Justinian, the Emperor ordered the reconstruction of the monument as we see it today. Construction materials were brought from all over the empire and around 10.000 workers worked to build Hagia Sophia. It took six years to build the monument, which was inaugurated on December 27, 537. Even though earthquakes occurring on various occasions ruined its dome, Hagia Sophia was repaired every time, thus reaching the present day. Having an unusual size for its period of construction, the dome of Hagia Sophia has a diameter of 31.87 meters from north to south and 30.86 meters from east to west. This giant dome with a height of over 55 meters above ground exerts such a great force on the main structure that, following its construction, the dome partially collapsed and survived the danger of total collapse on

several occasions. In order to minimize this massive weight of the dome, the architects of Hagia Sophia used bricks made of a special soil brought from Rhodes to build the dome. However, this method also fell short of reducing the dome’s weight. During the Fourth Crusade in 1204, the Latins invaded Istanbul and vandalized Hagia Sophia, which could only be repaired when Is-tanbul was seized back by the Byzanti-nes. A massive earthquake took place a few years prior to the conquest and the northern part of Hagia Sophia suffe-red damage in this natural catastrophe.

Even though the Ottoman Empire was the most dangerous enemy of the Byzantine Empire, the emperor asked for the help of Sultan Mehmed II to make sure that Hagia Sophia could survive, upon which a Turkish architect called Ali Neccar was sent from Adrianople to Constantinople to repair Hagia Sophia even before the conquest. As nar-rated by Evliya Çelebi, Architect Ali Neccar performed the necessary repairs, came back to Adrianople and appeared before Sultan Mehmed II, saying “My Sultan, I have saved the dome of Hagia Sophia using four large buttresses. It was my destiny to repair it, and

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it is yours to conquer it. I even prepared the foundation for its future minaret and performed the first prayer on it.” Following a long siege on May 29th, 1453, the city of Constantinople was conquered by Muslims. Sultan Mehmed II commanded that Hagia Sophia be opened to worship as a Muslim temple, on the grounds of the Islamic law of war and by the right of sword of his victorious army. Chronicler Tursun Bey tells that Mehmed the Conqueror visited Hagia Sophia after the enemy resistance fully ended. All of his successors were always sensi-tive about Hagia Sophia and contributed to the construction of a grand social complex around the mosque. As a great edu-cational and cultural center beyond a place of worship in the Ottoman period, Hagia Sophia always maintained this signi-ficant role. Among the additions made to support Hagia Sophia in the Ottoman period, the buttresses added by Architect Sinan have a significant place. The minarets built by

Architect Sinan during the reign of Murad III stabili-zed the walls that could hardly support weight of the dome; in short, with minarets at the front and with massive buttresses at the back, Architect Sinan made Hagia Sophia so strong that this historical building was now turned into an Ottoman monument in its entirety. The last repairment on Hagia Sophia would be performed during the reign of Sultan Abdulmecid. Eight hundred workers labored in the repairments su-pervised by architect Gaspare Trajano Fossati and the construction took three years. In the course of repairs, new supporting elements were added to the building with some modifications made to the interior and ex-terior decorations. New huge scaffolds were set up in order to renovate the decorations inside the building and, in fact, two unfortunate workers lost their lives as they fell off a scaffold. Eight colossal plates inscribed

by Kazasker Mustafa İzzet Efendi were also hung up during these repairs, which also included some additions to the building itself. For instance, the latticed sultan’s lodge to the left of the altar was built at the time of this repairment. Then again, the Hagia Sophia Medrese, the first medrese of Istanbul that has stood in the yard of Hagia Sophia since the reign of Sultan Mehmed II, was renovated and a time-keeping center (muvakkithane) was built near the gate and survives to this day. Hagia Sophia was converted into a museum on February 1, 1935, by the decree of the Council of Ministers and, according to a title deed dated 1936, is registered as “Grand Imperial Hagia Sophia Mosque Complex consisting of a mausoleum, leased property, a time-keeping center and a medrese belonging to the Fatih Sultan Mehmed Foundation on layout 57, block 57 and plot 7.”

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GALATA MEVLEVİ HOUSE MUSEUM

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Considering Rumi, one of the most important religious figures of Turkish-Is-lamic culture in Anatolia, as “pîr ü üstâd” (father and master), the Mevlevi Order founded its first convent in the Ottoman lands in Adrianople during the reign of Sultan Murad II. It was registered in the Founding Deed of Fatih Waqf that the Kalenderhâne Mosque in Vezneciler was used as a mevlevi convent for a while after the conquest of Istanbul by Sultan Mehmed II. The first large convent of the Mevlevi Order in Istanbul is the Kule-kapı (Galata) Mevlevi House, which was built on the site of the hunting ground of Vizier Iskender Pasha, upon authorization by Bayezid II. With the establishment of the Gala-ta Mevlevi House, Istanbul became the most important Mevlevi city second to Konya.

Since 1491, the year of its establish-ment, Galata Mevlevi House gradu-ally turned into a complete complex with various extensions; it assumed its current layout with the final lar-ge-scale repairs under Sultan Selim III and the buildings constituting the complex reached the present day with the changes in the 19th century. Regarded as the last great represen-tative of the divan literature, Şeyh Galib holds a special place in the history of the convent. During the tenure of Şeyh Galib, the twenty-fourth postnişîn (lodge head), the convent underwent extensive repair, which is commemorated by an inscription he himself composed in 1791. Located inside the main gate at the entrance of the convent, the inscription contains the following couplet written as a chronogram by Şeyh Galib to indicate the year 1206: “Şeyh Galib, an old grateful servant, recited its chronogram in word and meaning / Sultan Selim made this convent pure and new in the year one thousand two hundred and six”. As a five-hundred-year-old center of Turkish-Islamic culture in Beyoğlu, Galata Mev-levi House is among the places of greatest historical significance with its outbuildings, tombs, library and spacious graveyard. Serving for a full period of 430 years as a religious institution, Galata Mevlevi House was closed down by a law enacted by Turkish Grand National Assembly on November 30, 1925. In 1945, Beyoğlu Marriage Office was built upon its section lying on Şahkulu Sokağı, which created some controversy. Thanks to the efforts of Reşit Saffet Atabinen, the-then president of the Touring and Automobile Club of Turkey (Turing), Galata Mevlevi House escaped total destruction, with the main buil-ding of the complex opened to use in 1975 as the Museum of Divan Literature. In 2011, Istanbul European Capital of Culture Agency contributed to the re-opening of Galata Mevlevi House as a museum in order to preserve its long-forgotten heritage. The museum currently displays items pertaining to the Mevlevi Order and contemporary Sufi life.

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MUSEUM OF KARIYE MOSQUE (CHORA CHURCH)

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Although there is ample information as to the construction date and initial state of Chora Church, most of it conflicts with historical facts. Called “Chora” by Gre-eks before the conquest, this monastery was renamed as “Kariye” after the conquest. The word “Chora” means “countryside” or outside the city proper in Greek. Derived from the Arabic word “qariah” meaning “village”, the Turkish word “kariye” is a rough translation. Until the Latin invasion, Christian clergy and state officials used to visit Chora Church on important days and it gradually rose in prominence. Invasion of Constantinople du-ring the IV. Crusade left many of its historical monuments including Chora Church in ruins. After the Byzantine Empire recaptured Constantinople, the Church underwent large-scale repairs and was extended by the addition of many new buildings and it was used until the conquest of Constantinople. When defending the city against the Ottoman army at the city walls in 1453, the Byzantines moved to Chora Church as it was located near the walls. Believed to protect the city, the icon had been kept in another monastery

in Sarayburnu before. 93 years after the conquest, Grand Vizier Atik Ali Pasha repaired the monastery and converted it into a mosque. Mentioned as “Kenîse Mosque” in the Cadastral Survey for the Pious Endowments of Istanbul dated 1546, it is reported in the waqf documents that the edifice was attached to the pious endowments of Çemberlitaş. Furthermore, the maqam or sacred grave of Abu Said al-Hudri (radiallahu anh) is belie-ved to have been located here.

Destroyed by numerous fires and disasters since its construction to this day, Kariye Mosque was heavily damaged in the Istanbul earthquake of 1894 and its minaret was demolished. German Emperor Kaiser Wilhelm II came to Istanbul during the reign

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of Abdulhamid II and visited Kariye Mosque. In 1948, a committee supervised by Tho-mas Whittemore of the Byzantine Institute of America started to work on the mosaics in Kariye Mosque. Until then it had been used as a mosque but later, it was removed from the authority of Administration of Waqfs and was attached to the Administration of Museums. Restoration works revealed many mosaics slightly covered with plaster. After Whittemore, restoration was continued by another committee which fully composed of foreign experts and directed by Paul Underwood. Disregarding the fact that this historical monument had been used as a mosque for 450 years, they removed all the sacred items inside and its wooden pulpit with priceless artistic value was moved to Zeyrek Church Mosque. Attached to Hagia Sophia Mosque Museum after the works by the Byzantine Institute were completed, Kariye Mosque currently serves as a museum. In addition to its minaret lost to the 1894 earthquake, the only sign that building had once been a mosque is its pulpit with no artistic value added to the mosque after 1908.

TOPKAPI PALACE

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One of the museums with the highest number of visitors in Istanbul, the se-cond to Hagia Sophia, Topkapı Palace was commissioned by Mehmed the Conqueror between the years 1465-1478. Serving as the seat of the Ottoman government and resi-dence of sultans for four centuries; the palace did not remain as it was built, acquiring its current state only after various new additions upon the needs of the time. Sultan Mehmed had his first palace in Istanbul built on the hill where the main campus of Istanbul Uni-versity stands today, but later decided to commission Topkapı Palace. Known as Saray-ı Cedîd-i Âmire (New Imperial Palace) as it was the second palace of Istanbul, the complex was in time named as Top Kapısı Sarayı (Cannon Gate Palace) after the pavilion “Toplu Kapı”, which was located on the shore, hence the present name “Topkapı Sarayı”. When Sultan Abdulmecid decided to take up residence in Dolmabahçe Palace in the second half of the 19th century, seat of the government and imperial residence was relocated to this newly-built palace built according to the circumstances of the time. Thereafter, Topkapı Palace was only used for accession ceremonies, funerals and holy mantle visits on the 15th of Ramadan. It was also during the reign of Abdulmecid that the Palace was first used as a museum: The British ambassador of the time was offered a visit, even with a display of some items from the treasury. This visit would become customary in time, and important

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foreign visitors and high-ranking Ot-toman bureaucrats would be offered a tour of the Palace, which also inclu-ded the display of some items. During the reign of Sultan Reşad, the Palace underwent restoration in certain se-ctions, but was later closed upon the Allied occupation of Istanbul. After the declaration of the Republic, it was opened to the public as a museum, first partly by a decision dated April 3, 1924, which was later extended to the entirety of the complex. On the seaside the palace is enclosed with an-cient Byzantine city walls, and on the land with the ramparts named “Impe-rial Walls” (Sur-ı Sultanî), which were built by Mehmed the Conqueror. The spatial organization of the Palace is based on three large adjacent court-yards. Accessed via the street betwe-en Hagia Sophia and the Fountain of Ahmed III, the first and main gate is named Bâb-ı Hümâyûn (Imperial Gate) and opens up to the first court-yard. Also open to common public in Ottoman times, the first courtyard contained barracks of officials as well as various departments, i.e. hospital, bakery, mint, armory and woodhouse, all of which were responsible for ser-

ving various needs of the palace. Bâbüsselâm (Gate of Ceremony) is the second gate where tickets are sold at museum entrance today. This gate leads to the second courtyard, to the right of which lies the imperial kitchens all along. The meals once feeding thousands of people were prepared in these kitchens covering a vast area, which hosts the display of various kitchen utensils and porcelainware today. The first section to the left of the courtyard is the Imperial Stables, where the most noble steeds of the sultans were kept. Today, this section serves as an exhibition hall. The most important part of the second courtyard contains the Tower of Justice and the Imperial Council (Dîvân-ı Hümâyûn) below, built during the reign of Sultan Mehmed II. For about four centuries, it serves as the venue for imperial council meetings in which the most important governmental decisions were taken. The Harem section, i.e. the residence of the sultan, lies behind this section. Accessed through a gate next to the Imperial Council, the Harem is an indepen-dent area lying to the left of the second and third courtyards. Today, tourists are required to purchase an additional ticket to visit the Harem. The third and last gate opening to the

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third courtyard is called Bâbüssaâde (Gate of Felicity). The front of the gate was also the venue for the official eid celebrations (muâyede) and imperial accession ceremonies. The first building right across the gate is Arz Odası (Audience Chamber), and just behind it lies a separate building in the middle of the courtyard, the palace library commissioned by Ahmed II. Located in the third courtyard and forming the heart of the whole complex is the section of Sacred Relics, where the sacred belongings of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and the Four Caliphs are preserved for display. This section is followed by the Baghdad and Revan pavilions as well as the Sünnet Odası (Circumcision Chamber), on the side overlooking the Golden Horn. Ruling a large part of the world for six and a half centuries, the Ottoman Empire governed the world from this palace for about four centuries. It was where world-changing decisions were taken concerning war and peace. The Palace beca-me all the more valuable with the sacred relics brought to Istanbul by Selim I following his conquest of Egypt. Visitors of the Topkapı Palace today may witness the artistic and aesthetic spirit of an old nation.

BASILICA CISTERN

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Built by carving the rocky area near Hagia Sophia, Basilica Cistern was the largest water reservoir of Constantinople in the Byzantine era. Containing 336 columns, the cistern’s walls were covered with a special insulating plaster. Completed in 38 years by using the labor of 7.000 slaves, the cistern resolved the city’s problem of water supply during sie-ges. Construction works for the cistern were completed in 542 AD but the large paved forum above the cistern was opened to settlement in later years and houses were built there. After the conquest of Constantinople, Basilica Cistern was not used by the Ot-toman public as they did not prefer still wa-ter; it was rather used for garden irrigation in Topkapı Palace. Early European travel books report that Ottomans living above the cistern used to draw water in buckets from the wel-ls found on the ground floors and some even caught fish from these wells. The cistern was examined by German archaeologist E. Unger, who came to Istanbul during the 1st World War, which was followed by expropriation of the houses at the entryway and construction of a walking platform inside the cistern in 1940. Around fifty thousand tons of mud were re-moved during restoration works by Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality in 1988. Basilica Cistern is used as a venue for many cultural events today and was visited by 2 million 11 thousand 209 tourists only in 2013. As a mys-terious, underground attraction center for fo-reign tourists in Istanbul, the cistern gave way to various legends. Visiting Constantinople in

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1550, a Dutch traveler called P. Gyllius studied the cistern and described it in different travel books as a world full of secrets. Italian author Edmondo De Amicis, who visited the city in 1874, wrote the following about the cistern attracting particular attention from Europeans: “I entered the garden of a Muslim’s house, descended to the end of dark, humid steps and found myself under the domes of the Great Basilica Cistern of the Byzantium, which was unknown by the Istanbulers how it ended. The greenish water that is partly enlightened by washing-blue light – which further increases the horror of the darkness – vanishes under the dark domes while the walls shine with the water running down thereon thus dimly discovering the endless rows of columns everywhere like the

trunks of trees in a pruned forest.” While portrayed as a world of mystery and enigma, Basilica Cistern manifested itself in the imagination of Istanbulites with very different qualities. Famous Turkish author Refik Halit Karay wrote the following in an article on the Turkish name of the cistern, “Yerebatan” as used for “Sunken” Palace: “Our ancestors thought it would be unimaginable for such an elegant, sumptuous place to have been a cistern so they thought it out and came up with this story: Once there was a gigantic palace whose dome was carried by hundreds of columns. One day the ground opened up and swallowed the palace. Maybe it was because the palace had been a place of impiety and sins. So Allah wiped it off the earth. What could such a building be called? Certain-ly, Yerebatan Sarayı (Sunken Palace)... Although I am sure that no such thing happened, to be frank, I always feel like the ground is rotten in every step I take in this district and worry that the ground might fall from under my feet. I should even add that I still look at those new large buildings and apartment houses in astonishment and I am surprised by the courage of their dwellers.”

100 Mosques Of Istanbul

Where is Ahi Çelebi Mosque, where Evliya Çelebi saw his famous dream and said “Travel oh Prophet!” instead of “Intercessor oh Prophet?” Do you know the story of Kılıç Ali Paşa Mosque, which, when Kılıç Ali Paşa asked Sultan Murad III for a plot of land to build on the Sultan said since he was a ship’s captain to build it on the sea, so he filled in a spot and built it? When someone mentions Istanbul, one of the first things that comes to mind are the mosques, which have been integral elements of the city skyline for centuries. Sultans would raise unique works of Turkish-Islamic architecture in their own names as members of the dynasty, and as a part of the Ottoman foundation system, wealthy members of society didn’t shirk in their duty to fill the city with minarets and mosques. 100 Mosques of Istanbul explains the detailed specifications of 100 of the mosques that decorate the city of Istanbul and help create its identity, the centuries of development of functional architecture counted as part of the Ottoman school of architecture, and the effects of Western architecture on the construction of mosques.

Author: Berica Nevin Berberoğlu Mihriban Miroğlu KayaLanguage: TurkishISBN: 978-605-9132-55-8 Pages: 213 Size: 16,5x24 cmYear of Publication: 2016 (2nd Edition)

BERICA NEVIN BERBEROĞLU MIHRIBAN MIROĞLU KAYA

Istanbul ’s

MOSQUES


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EYÜP SULTAN MOSQUE

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It is located in the Eyüp district, on the northern end of the Golden Horn. During the siege of Constantinople in 1453, Mehmed the Conqueror discovered the burial place of Eyüp el-Ensari, who was the standard-bearer for the Prophet Muham-med, and commissioned the construction of the türbe, or mausoleum, of Eyüp Sultan marking the spot. After the conquest, the first külliye (a complex of buildings) of the city was opened with the construction of a medrese, imaret (soup kitchen), sebil (fountain), and hamam (Turkish bath) around the Eyüp Sultan Mosque in 1458. Following the conquest,

Ottoman sultans were girded with the Sword of Osman at the Eyüp Sultan Mosque for centuries. This tradition was started by Mehmed the Conqueror and he was the first to be girded with the sword by his tutor Akşemseddin. Erected by Mehmed the Conqueror, the mosque was heavily damaged in the 1766 earthquake and was repaired by Grand Vizier Derviş Mehmed Pasha. The mosque deteriorated over time due to wear and tear and repairs were no longer deemed practical. Hence, it was demolished in 1798 and was reconstructed entirely on 7 July 1800, finally taking the shape that it is known for today. Along with the mosque the türbe was also restored and the mosque was officially opened with the “Selamlık” ceremony on 25 October 1800. The construction was executed under the supervision of Uzun Hüseyin Efendi, taking 28 months to complete. In 1823, a bolt of lightning struck and fractured its minaret on the Golden Horn side, which was immedia-tely repaired. Eyüp Sultan Mosque was restored for the last time by Directorate General of Foundations between 1956-1958 upon the order of Adnan Menderes, the Turkish Prime Minister at the time. The outer courtyard of the mosque has two gates opening onto the street, while the inner court is veiled under 13 domes supported by 12 columns. In terms of its layout, Eyüp Sultan is among eight-pillared mosques. The capitals of the pillars are built in baroque style. The main dome of the rectangular-plan mosque rests on six pillars and two “elephant foot” pillars joined to one another with arches and the corners are crowned with 4 smaller domes. The marble minber (pulpit) is adorned with baroque style motifs. Protruding outward, the iwan of the mihrab (the niche indicating the kıble, or direction of Mecca) has galleries on three sides. Before the narthex, there is a six-columned portico with 7 domes. For centuries, the Mausoleum of Eyüp Sultan has always bustled with masses of pilgrims coming from all corners of the Islamic world. The türbe is a single-domed and octagonal structure, built using cut stones. It was originally within the courtyard of the old mosque but remained outside when it was rebuilt in 1800. The inner walls of the tomb is embellished with tiles. It underwent repairs during the reigns of Ahmed I, Mahmud II, Abdülhamid I, and Abdülhamid II. Most recently, it was restored again as part of a four-year long project coordinated by Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and was reopened to visitors in 2015.

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HIRKA-İ ŞERİF MOSQUE

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It is situated at Hırka-i Şerif neighborhood named after the mosque in the Fa-tih district. It was commissioned by Sultan Abdulmecid I in 1851 to preserve and display the Holy Mantle, or Hırka-i Şerif, that was given as a gift by the Prophet Muhammad to Uwais al-Qarani, known as Veysel Karani in Turkish, and took its name from this mantle.

The mosque has an important place in Istanbul’s religious folklore. The hidden mantle was taken from Şükrullah Üveysi, a descendant of the al-Qarani family, by the firman (loyal decree) of Sultan Ahmed I in early 17th century. After being preserved in various places, it was finally placed in the mosque built for this purpose. Hırka-i Şerif

is only open to visitors from the 15th day of Ramadan to the Night of Decree (Kadir) between the noon and midafternoon prayers. During the construction of the mosque a number of buildings in the vicinity were expropriated and along with the mosque an en-tailed estate for the eldest member of the Üveysi family, a deputy office, barracks for the guardians (the building is still in use as Hırka-i Şerif Primary School), and rooms for the incumbent were built as part of a complex. The courtyard has three monumental entran-ces. Made of cut limestones, the mosque is topped with an octagonal dome. The sermon platform, mihrab (niche), and minber (pulpit) of the mosque are made of red porphyry. The two minarets, each with a single balcony, feature a cylindrical body with wooden spires covered in lead. On the arc of the gate at right side of the courtyard, there is an inscription calligraphed by Kazasker Mustafa İzzeddin below the tughra (sultan’s signature) of Sultan Abdülmecid. Likewise, below the dome are eight plaques of Quranic verses by the very same calligrapher. Another eight plaques written by Sultan Abdulmecid and bearing his signature are displayed on the minber. Launched in 2013, the restoration project of the Hırka-i Şerif Mosque is still underway.

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NURUOSMANİYE MOSQUE

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It is located at the Fatih district, right outside the Çemberlitaş Gate of the Grand Bazaar. The mosque was commissioned by Sultan Mahmud I and upon his death was completed by his successor Sultan Osman III. Named as Nur-u Osmanî, meaning “The light of Osman”, after Osman III, the mosque was constructed by the architect Mustafa Ağa and his apprentice Simeon Kalfa between the years 1749-1755. The mosque is part of a larger complex consisting of a hünkar kasrı (royal pavilion), medrese (Islamic school), library, tomb, sebil, çeşme (public fountain), imaret (soup kitchen), and surrounding shops. Built in baroque style, the mosque is reached through high, marble stairs from two sides. The inner courtyard of the mosque is veiled under 14 semi-circle domes. The mosque has a square plan and a single dome. The main dome covering the prayer hall is 26m in diameter and rests upon four large arches. With a total of 174 windows arrayed in five rows, the mosque is exceptionally well illuminated. The marble mihrab (niche) protrudes

outward and is topped with a semi-circle dome. Attached to the structure are the twin minarets made of cut stones, featuring two balconies and groo-ved bodies. Originally built using lead, the spires of the minarets were replaced with sto-ne spires in the 19th century. The five-do-med narthex is “u” shaped. Constructed in the baroque style,

the mosque hosts epigraphs and inscriptions written only by the best Turkish calligrap-hers of the period. Lacking a şadırvan (ablution fountain), the mosque has ablution taps at the front and back. There is also another ablution tap at the basement right across the entrance. The square planned medrese covered under a dome, houses 22 student rooms and a dershane (main classroom. Within the square planned tomb crowned by a dome, lies the mother of Osman III, Şehsuvar Valide Sultan. The sebil and çeşme with marble engraving are among the ra-rest examples of Turkish ba-roque art. Its library contains more than 5000 manuscripts and printed books. Nuruos-maniye Mosque underwent comprehensive restorations conducted by the Directorate General of Foundations and was opened to prayers in 2012.

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SÜLEYMANİYE MOSQUE

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It is situated at the Fatih district, standing atop a hill in a neighborhood sharing the same name. Commissioned by Suleiman the Magnificent, the mosque was constructed by Architect Sinan between the years of 1550-1557. This mosque, which Architect Sinan described as his qualification work, is one of the most crucial examples of classical Ottoman architecture. Crowning the highest hill at the center of the “Historical Peninsula” overlooking the Golden Horn, Marmara Sea, Topkapı Palace, and Bosphorus, the mosque was built as part of a külliye (complex) comprising seven medreses (Islamic schools), a darüşşifa (hospital), darülhadis (hadith school), çeşme (fountain), darülkurra (Koran school), darüzziyafe (restaurant), imaret (soup kitchen), hamam (Turkish bath), tabhane (guesthouse), library, and shops in a spacious courtyard. Enriching not only the Ottoman architecture but also Istanbul with each of his works, Architect Sinan’s humble

mausoleum is located across the exterior walls of the courtyard. The first foundation stone of the complex was laid by Şeyhülislam Ebussuud Efendi, who was a renowned scholar of the period. The complex was completed within seven years and was opened with a ceremony on June 7, 1557. Approximately 59 million akçe (silver coins) were spent for the construction of the complex. Süleymaniye Mosque was built during the golden age of the Ottoman Empire. One of the most significant elements of Istanbul’s famous silhouette, the complex is not only a place of worship but also a crucial sociocultural center with the social institutions within the complex and the surrounding neighborhood even today. Unlike any other complex in Istanbul, the courtyard of the mosque is entered through a three-arched marble gate. The prayer hall of the mosque is veiled under a main dome flanked by two half-domes, two quarter-domes, and 13 smaller domes. This main dome rests upon four large pillars, while its arches rest on four large granite columns. 53 meters high and 27.25 meters in diameter, the main dome is illuminated by 32 windows along its drum. In addition, 64 cubes facing inside with their openings were placed into the main dome and its corners to amplify the echo, thereby achieving perfect acoustics. The air circulation within the mosque was perfected in such a way that the soot coming from the 4000 candles above its entrance portal used for illumination would be collected and later turned into ink

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used in calligraphy. The inscriptions on the walls were written by a renowned calligrapher Ahmed Karahisari and his apprentice Hasan Çelebi. According to some accounts, while writing the verse “Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth” of Ayat an-Nur in the Qur’an, the calligrapher Karahisari was so focused on his work that he lost his sight in both eyes before being able to apply the finishing touches. This great man sacrificed both of his eyes putting his heart and soul into the work for the Süleymaniye Mosque and the final details were completed by his apprentice Hasan Çelebi. The mosque encompasses an area of approximately 3,500 square meters and is illuminated by 238 windows. The

marble minber (pulpit) and mihrab (niche) of the mosque are among the finest examples of Ottoman carving style. Furthermore, the wooden carved sermon platform, mother of the pearl inlaid window lids and shutters, as well as the stained glasses are among the other works of art within the mosque. The courtyard features a pool with a fountain. At the four corners of the courtyard are the four minarets, indicating that Suleiman the Magnificent was the fourth ruler of the Ottoman Empire since the conquest of Constantinople. In a similar vein, the total number of balconies on the minarets symbolizes that Suleiman the Magnificent was the tenth sultan since Sultan Osman Gazi, founder of the Ottoman Empire. The two minarets located at the two sides of the facade have two balconies each, and the other two, which are at the end of the courtyard, have three balconies each. The four minarets have a total of ten balconies. Featuring stalactite corbels, the minarets ratio to each other and the main dome is one the finest examples of architecture in terms of perspective and aesthetics. The medreses within the complex lie parallel to the walls of the outer courtyard to the east and west of the mosque. To the west is the evvel (first) medrese, sani (second) medrese, sıbyan school, and tıp medrese (medical school); and to the east is the salis (third) medrese and rabi (fourth) medrese. The darülhadis medrese, on the other hand, lies at the kıble (Mecca) side of the mosque and runs parallel to the garden walls of Istanbul University. The hamam of the complex is located where the rabi medrese and darülhadis medrese intersect. Previously used as a workshop, this hamam was restored in 1980. The tabhane, darüzziyafe, imaret, and bimarhane (a hospital for mentally ill patients) are to the north-west, running parallel to kıble. Within the cemetery at kıble side of the mosque, are two tombs belonging to Suleiman the Magnificent and his wife Hürrem Sultan (Roxelana) along with a room for the tomb keeper. In the tomb of Suleiman, are also the remains of Sultan Ahmed II, his wife Rabia Sultan, his daughters Mihrimah Sultan and Asiye Sultan, as well as Sultan Suleiman II and his mother Saliha Dilaşub Sultan. The tomb also hosts a fragment of the Black Stone brought from Kaaba. The cemetery circling the tomb hosts the tombs of many renowned figures from the history of the Ottoman Empire. Among these figures are Hüseyin Avni Pasha and Grand Admiral Ali Pasha who dethroned Sultan Abdülaziz, Grand Vizier Ali Pasha, Safiye Sultan daughter of Mustafa II, Minister of Education Kemal Pasha. Süleymaniye Mosque was repaired by the Directorate General of Foundation in the 1960s and recently underwent comprehensive restorations between the years of 2007-2011.

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ZEYREK MOSQUE

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It is located on the İbadethane street in the Zeyrek area of the Fatih district. Built between 1124-1136 during Byzantine era, this religious edifice was once the church of the Monastery of Christ Pantocrator. The hospital, library, hospice for the aged, medi-cal center, ayazma (holy spring), and the apothecary’s shop within the monastic complex, designed by the architect Nikephoros, have not survived to this day. The church consists of a combination of three separate chapels. Two of the edifices feature a cross-in-square plan, while the other one is a single-nave structure, crowned with two domes. Their walls are constructed of stones and bricks. During the restorations, it was discovered that the walls were richly decorated with colored marbles worked in cloisonné technique and the windows featured stained glasses. In 1965, the removal of wooden floor tiles at the sout-hern side of the structure revealed the marble floor decorations worked in the “opus sec-

tile” technique. This floor is one of the richest surviving examples from the Byzantine period. During the Latin invasion, valuable items within the monastery were moved to various European ci-ties, chiefly Venice. After the city was conquered, the Monastery of Christ Pantocrator was converted to a medrese (Islamic school) by the scholar Zeyrek Mehmed Efendi. The structure was the first medrese in Istanbul during the Ottoman era. After the constructi-on of new medreses were completed along with the Fatih Mosque Complex, a brick minaret was built on the western side of the three adjacent churches and the monastery was converted to a mosque. It is the second largest surviving church in Istanbul after Hagia Sophia. The mosque became known as “Zeyrek Mosque” after Molla Zeyrek, who was one of the scholars teaching in the

medrese. Managed and preserved during the Ottoman era, the edifice was heavily da-maged in the 1766 Istanbul earthquake. It was repaired during the reign of Mustafa III and the collapsed dome was replaced by a Byzantine style dome with a high drum. The repairs also introduced an Ottoman baroque style plaster mihrab (niche), a marble

minber (pulpit), and a wooden sermon platform. In addition, the hand-drawn ornaments were renewed in accordance with the style of the period. The wooden engraved hünkar mahfili (sultan’s lodge) at the south of the mosque was also built during this period. In 1953, a sarcophagus was discovered during the repairs at the southern church believed to belong to the Empress Eirene and was transferred to the Hagia Sophia Museum. Parti-ally repaired between the years 1953-1966 by the Directorate General of Foundations, the restoration of the church resumed in 1990, but was not completed. Since 2010, the mosque has been under comprehensive restorations conducted under the directorship of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. In 1986, Zeyrek Mosque was chosen UNESCO World Heritage Site.

100 Istanbul Master Pieces Of Mimar Sinan

Mimar Sinan was an artist and scientist who took Ottoman-Turkish architecture from the local, regional level and carried it to the universal heights of art and science with a multi-faceted approach. Mimar Sinan was a genius who was open to innovation, constantly working, developing, producing syntheses, advancing step by step to perfection without hesitating, and never letting tradition hold him back from his research. 100 Istanbul Master Pieces of Mimar Sinan allows us to trace the harmony of the inner and outer appearance of his works, and the beautiful and influential silhouettes of the larger masterpieces created by the master craftsman who cemented his unique place and sense of adventure in the architectural world.

Author: Başak Oğuz UralLanguage: TurkishISBN: 978-605-9132-96-1 Pages: 232 Size: 16,5x24 cm Year of Publication: 2016 (2nd Edition)

BAŞAK OĞUZ URAL

Istanbul ’s

WORKS OF ARCHITECT SİNAN


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in Avratpazarı; however, it is not as large as other mosques. It is a well-illuminated, sing-le-story mosque featuring only a single minaret. It is a divine mosque with an imaret/aşevi, a tımarhane for treating mentally ill patients, a medrese, and a sıbyan school. Thanks to Sultan Suleiman’s kind and gracious nature, the charity institutions of Haseki Sultan were built in Avratpazarı.”.

Evliya Çelebi is not wrong to consider the construction of this complex in Avratpazarı to be Sultan Suleiman’s kindness and jest towards his wife. The name of the area, Avratpazarı (Women’s bazaar), originates from an old district bazaar that used to be set up weekly, where most of the vendors and customers would be women. Serving on Mondays, the bazaar used to be set up near Column of Arcadius, a historical Byzantine monument, which became known as “Avrat Taşı” (Women’s Stone). Constructing the Haseki Complex in service of the women frequenting this vibrant area was a well-consi-dered decision. The generosity of Hürrem Sultan’s charities has solidified her reputation among her subjects. Today, only the pedestal of the Column of Arcadius still remains in place and the bazaar tradition that lasted until the 19th century is long gone, but the area is still called Avratpazarı. According to the tile inscription kept at the Tiled Kiosk, the unique small mosque within the complex was built in 1538. In the 17th century, the mosque was expanded with a second dome, equal in size to the original one, and took its current shape. The chief architect arranged the structure within the complex at an angle to one another and organically approached the narrow passages and blank spaces in between, creating rich perspectives. As one of Sinan’s works in his youth, this complex demonstrates that his unique perspectives and mature solutions started to take shape very early in his career. The details present within the complex were almost a telling sign to his later works. For example, the plan for the iwans (niches) and the dome of darüşşifa is a precursor to the diversity of the great master’s domes. The most unique, delightful, and according to Doğan Kuban, unprecedented monument in the history of Ottoman architecture is the darüşşifa. Unlike the other structures within the complex, it is arranged around an octagonal open courtyard entered from the north through a curious portal. It is one of the strongest examples of the flexibility achieved only by a composition of spaces veiled under domes and Sinan’s genius in space arrangement. The sıbyan school, on the

HASEKİ HÜRREM SULTAN COMPLEX

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Located at Haseki (known as Avratpazarı in the old times) in the Fatih dist-rict, the complex was commissioned by Haseki Hürrem Sultan (Roxelana) to Archi-tect Sinan. Conducted between the years 1538-1551, the construction of the complex first started with a small single-domed mosque and the complex was expanded with the addition of a classical medrese (Islamic school) and a sıbyan school (primary Quran

school) a year later. Sinan completed the components of the complex with an aşhane (soup kitchen) and a darüşşifa (hospital) just before completing the Şehzade

Complex and starting the construction of the Süleymaniye Complex. Evliya Çelebi calls the monument “Mother of princes, Haseki

Sultan’s Mosque” and describes it as: “It is a most precious and unique mosque located

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other hand, is among the most exquisite schools built by the chief architect. It’s simple and modest architecture makes it even more striking and alluring. Witnessing countless fires and earthquakes throughout their history, the monuments within the complex oc-casionally strayed away from their uniqueness and partially lost their architectural details and spatial features due to wrong practices. As of 2016, the mosque within the complex is in an astonishingly neglected state. The windowed section at the narthex and the items piled up within is blocking the entrance to the mosque. Because of arbitrary practices and additions, both the interior of the mosque and the courtyard is in complete disorder. In addition, the other monuments within the complex stand idle and cannot be accessed without a special permit.

MAĞLOVA AQUEDUCT

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Located four kilometers to the southwest of Kemerburgaz district, the aqu-educt is part of Kırkçeşme water-supply system completed between the years of 1554-1564. Mağlova Aqueduct is the most crucial element of the 55 km long water line and is architecturally the most aesthetic one among the five monumental aqueducts along the line. Also known as Muallak Aqueduct, the monument was built over the valley of Alibey

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Stream. The eastern and northern arms of the water distribution line merge at Baş Havuz and the water flows over the Mağlova Aqueduct, the main gallery of the Kırkçeşme wa-

ter -supply system. The two-tiered aqueduct is 36 meters high and 258 meters long. Evliya Çelebi calls it the “Muallak” Aqueduct and says that the first tier of the monument is like a tunnel throu-gh which a lancer could gallop th-rough. The five monumental piers of the aqueduct extend downward like a pyramid and rest firmly on the ground. Sinan, decreased the load on the piers by adding three arches on each of them. The aqu-educt has a total of 33 arches. The perfection in the architectural de-sign combined with the precision in countless engineering measure-ments conceived a robust and ele-gant masterpiece, durable against earthquakes, floods, and storms. Mağlova Aqueduct collapsed du-ring a flood caused by heavy rain-fall on September 20, 1563. When the flood occurred, the Kırkçeş-me water-supply system had just been completed and the city had recently enjoyed the supply of wa-ter. In his book Menâkıb-ı Sultan

Süleyman, Eyyubi accounts how the incident unfolded. He says that the people in char-ge were working relentlessly day and night, but by Allah’s command a flood came and turned buildings worthy of Sultans in their durability into rubble and also damaged the aqueduct, smashing it into pieces and spreading its stones far and wide. According to Ey-yubi, when Sultan Suleiman arrived to observe the ruins he showed resignation but was saddened by the incident and decreed that the aqueduct be rebuilt. Selanikî also accounts on Sultan Suleiman’s narrow escape from drowning and the havoc wreaked by the flood in his chronicle. According to Selanikî, on that day the skies turned into such a rainstorm, the likes of which were unseen and unheard of before, that the Sultan and his retinue hunting around Halkalı hastily rushed into the Iskender Çelebi Garden, which is around Yeşilköy today. The heavens started to groan with such uncanny and dreadful noises. Rain poured without ceasing for one day and night with a formidable storm. Halkalı Stream flooded the mansion of the Sultan and a valiant servant saved his life by carrying him up to the attic on his back. Selanikî tells that the flood clogged the arches of the newly built aqueducts with brushwoods and the accumulating water damaged their foundations. Then, later at night, with an apocalyptic roar the aqueducts collapsed one by one starting with Mağlova first. In the book Tezkiretü’l-Bünyan, it is said that 97 yük (1 yük equals 100,000 akçe) and 91.140 akçe (silver coins) was spent for the reconstruction of the Mağ-lova Aqueduct. The construction was completed in 1564 and the line became operational again. Known for his comprehensive studies on the Kırkçeşme water-supply system, Kâ-zım Çeçen says “Even if Architect Sinan had not completed his many hundreds of works and had only completed the Mağlova Aqueduct, he would still be the greatest engineer and architect of the period.”. Çeçen considers Mağlova Aqueduct to be a monument that is unlike any other aqueduct around the world. Today, the aqueduct remains within the Alibeyköy Reservoir with a quarter of it submerged underwater. After a grueling journey through two stone quarries one could reach the reservoir’s shore, but Mağlova does not reveal itself just yet. One should walk along the valley to the right of the reservoir, pass by the high-voltage line ahead, and a little more walking later Mağlova appears in all its glory. Still in its original shape, the aqueduct has been functioning continuously since the 16th century for exactly 446 years.

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MİHRİMAH SULTAN COMPLEX (ÜSKÜDAR)

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Located in the Üsküdar Square, the complex was commissioned by Mihrimah Sultan, daughter of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. According to its certificate of en-dowment, the complex once housed a mosque, a medrese (Islamic school), a sıbyan school, a tabhane (guesthouse), an imaret (soup kitchen), a cellar, a silo, a caravanserai, and stables. Today, aside from the mosque only the sıbyan school and the later added mausoleum are still standing. Completed in 1548, the complex was one of Architect Sinan’s early works and among the key elements of Istanbul’s silhouette in Üsküdar, neighboring a summer mansion of the period.

Old engravings and illustrations show how the twin-minaret mosque at the center of the complex once resembled a waterfront mansion and how the structures away from the sea today lied on a bank adjacent to the sea.

Also known as İskele Mosque, the square-planned edifice is crowned with a sultanic dome decorated with 16 windows along its drum. The main dome is flanked with three half-domes and ascends behind the broad roof of an imposing double por-

tico. A step into the mosque is enough to appreciate how the-se three half-domes accentuate the magnificence of the main dome. The mosque features a very elegant white marble mih-rab (niche) and an almost lacy inlaid minber (pulpit). Serving as a medical center today, the medrese has 16 rooms and is now devoid of its interior featu-res due to various renovations.

One of the finest examples of Sinan’s architectural design, the sıbyan school consists of an open iwan topped with a dome and a dershane (main classroom). It has been functioning as a children’s library since 1968, containing 8555 books according to 2014 statistics. Within the tomb lying between the mosque and the medrese are the two tombs of Mihri-mah Sultan’s two sons. The remains of Rüstem Pasha’s son from his second wife, Osman Bey and his brother Grand Admiral Sinan Pasha also lie within this cemetery.

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ŞEHZADE MEHMED COMPLEX

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Located in the Şehzâdebaşı neighborhood, the complex was commissioned by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. It is said that the Sultan was deeply grieved by the untimely death of his dear son Şehzâde (Prince) Mehmed at a young age, who he wished to bequeath the throne. However, whether the Sultan commissioned the complex upon the death of the prince is still disputed. In his chronicle, Peçevî states that construction of the mosque began before it was devoted to Şehzâde Mehmed. In the book Tezkire-tü’l-Bünyan, it is told that the construction started in June 1543, four months before the death of the prince. Many historians agree that the complex could not have been built in the name of the prince before his death and share the view that the complex was devo-ted to him after his death. In 1543, upon hearing the news of his dear son’s death on his return from a military campaign in Hungary, Sultan Suleiman composed a chronograph “Şehzâdelerün güzidesi Sultan Mehemmedüm” (My dear Sultan Mehmed, most noble of princes) to commemorate this grave incident, corresponding to the year of his son’s death. During the funeral ceremony, a silence settled over the city, members of the palace ador-ned their black mourning attires, prayers were offered all across the Empire, and meals were distributed.

The complex is one of the first selatin (structures commissioned by sultans or their family members) complexes of Sinan. The complex consists of a medrese (Islamic school), a sıbyan school, a tabhane (guesthouse), a stable, a caravanserai, and several tombs (mausoleums). It was constructed adjacent to the Old Palace (today the site of Istanbul University) and between the Fatih Mosque Complex and Bayezid Mosque Complex on a plain overlooking the city. According to Evliya Çelebi, this broad expanse lies at the very center of Istanbul. Evliya says that engineers of the time calculated the center of the triangle-shaped Istanbul using time, step, and distance measurements. It is said that the “green column” facing the street at the corner of the cemetery was erected where Sinan pinpointed the center of the city. The mosque within the complex is topped with a main dome flanked by four half-domes. Constructed in perfect symmetry, the mosque repre-

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sents the final phase in the development of mosques with similar style within the tradi-tional Ottoman architecture. After building the Şehzade mosque, Sinan achieved more advanced architectural designs in his later works, Süleymaniye and Selimiye mosques. The architects of monumental mosques like Blue Mosque and New Mosque built at a later time reinvigorated the plan of the Şehzade Mosque. Described as “its elevated main dome is like a blue bowl ascending to the heavens” by Evliya Çelebi, the interior of the mosque is exceptionally modest. Compared to the utmost modesty of the interior absent of even glazed tiles, the chief architect seems to have made great effort to decorate the exterior. The mosque has a unique place with an exterior ornamentation highlighting polychromy and decorative elements. Especially the surface ornamentations of the minarets are unlike any other. According to Doğan Kuban, these are the most imposing minarets designed by Sinan. The north-eastern wall of the courtyard also hosts a medrese. It is one of the most elegantly balanced courtyards in Ottoman architecture. The şadırvan (ablution fountain)

at the center was commissioned by Murad IV. Completed even before the mosque is the tomb of Şehzade Mehmed, which is among the finest burial chambers in Ottoman ar-chitecture. Kuban describes the tomb as “A monument of love capturing Sultan Sulei-man’s affection for his son through the work of Sinan”. Exactly ten years after the prince’s death, his youngest brother Cihangir was also put to rest at this tomb, resembling the Garden of Eden. The area circling the tomb became a cemetery with the addition of ot-her graves in later years. A wooden throne was placed over the sarcophagus of Şehzade Mehmed. In addition to the octagonal tomb of the prince, his sister Mihrimah Sultan’s husband Grand Vizier Rüstem Pasha’s tomb rich with tiles also lies here.

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100 Roads and Streets of Istanbul

100 Roads and Streets of Istanbul tells about the roads of Istanbul inherited from the past as well as new streets, roads and boulevards opened due to the city’s gradual expansion in modern times. It is a guidebook shedding light on an important dimension of Istanbul’s urban identity with the stories of various significant locations of urban life from the Accession Road (Cülûs Yolu), the historical scene of the imperial accession ceremony, i.e. one of the most important rituals of the Ottoman Empire, to İstiklal Street, where thousands of people pass every day.

For centuries, Istanbul has been a meeting point for cultures and the heart of world trade, a center where routes join and part. Full of numerous examples of the fabric of all cultures involved, the city’s roads from the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman Empires to the present day are among the most valuable parts of Istanbul’s urban history.

Some of the streets and roads mentioned in the book are almost as old as the city itself and some even witnessed its birth. While some have quite a long history, others are long enough to reach Rome. Along with those which started as a graveyard path hesitantly running around numerous deceased and went on to live as a grande rue (cadde-i kebîr) most favored by the living today as a result of great interest, there are some that dazzle with their simplicity and have a great history despite their small size, and others that stand out with the novelty of their name or offer picturesque views. Most of them served as a center for or witnessed significant social and cultural changes in the course of ages, still bearing the traces of those events.

Author: Asım Fahri Language: TurkishISBN: 978-605-9492-61-4 Pages: 199 Size: 16,5x24 cmYear of Publication: 2018

Among the chapters of the book are Abide-i Hürriyet Street, Asmalı Mescid Road, Aşiyan Road, Bâb-ı Âlî (Sublime Porte) Street, Bağdat Avenue, Bayıldım Slope, French Street, Accession Road, Divanyolu Street, Fil Slope, Gümüşsuyu Street, İstiklal Street, Kennedy Avenue, Millet Avenue, Sıraselviler (Defterdar Slope).

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ASIM FAHRİ

Istanbul ’s

ROADS AND STREETS OF ISTANBUL


ASMALI MESCİT STREET

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Renowned with its bohemian life, this street is within the Galata district loca-ted to your right on your way from Galatasaray to Tünel. In today’s expression, it is one of the most famous “places of pleasure” at Beyoğlu. This feature of the street is as old as its history. The neighborhood sharing its name connects İstiklal Avenue and Meşrutiyet Avenue. Today there is no trace of a masjid, ivies or any building with ivies along the street... Some accounts tell that it was named after the “ivy” masjid built by the chief caulker Yunus Ağa working at the Tersane-i Amire (Imperial Dockyard) during the reign of Bayezid II. Another story accounts that the masjid was commissioned by Bayezid II himself. Thought to have been demolished before 1890s, the masjid’s original location is a mystery today. However, a few decrepit artifacts of the long past are still present within the street. One of these is a bank housing a tombstone surrounded by bars, which reads “Haza Kabr-i Mehmed Dede” (Here lies Mehmed Dede). Yunus Ağa’s tomb, the patron of the masjid the avenue was named after, was also previously here. According to a 1945 report, this tomb was later transferred to the cemetery of Galata Mevlevihanesi.

Included in Fikret Adil’s novel “Asmalı Mescit 74” centered on bohemian life, the street is still a “place of pleasure”. It is a street with old-fashioned inns and restaurants renowned only among the its connoisseurs and fans. Especially the Yakup 2 Restaurant frequented by intellectuals and artists, and later the Nil Restaurant, as well as the famed Tuna Alehouse of Arap İzzet in the 1940s were among the most well-known of these establishments. The Elit Café under the Asmalı Mescit Apartment adjacent to the Yakup 2 was also a popular establishment among the old generations. Although it is recognized for its continuous bohemian life, for years Asmalı Mescit also hosted apartments inha-bited by the famous families of the old days, now hardly recognized. It was also a street preferred by some consulates. For example, the Romanian Consulate was opened here at Building 31 in 1882. The consulate continued to be in service for many years after moving to Building 13 ten years later. Housing seven restaurants and inns, three coffee shops, seven hotels, one hostel, two antique stores, and various shops of different professions

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in the 1990s, the street turned into a dangerous locale harboring illicit affairs for a time. After becoming a slummy and unsafe no-go zone, the street was later restored into order and made a second debut. You might come across the name Asmalı Mescit in the novels of Fikret Adil and Refik Halid. These novels too depict the street as a “place of pleasure”. In his novels describing the years between 30s and 60s, Refik Halid depicts Asmalımescit as a street that still clings to its old reputation, but now more neglected than ever with problematic infrastructure. He says the street is unkempt and tainted by the smell of al-cohol and broken sewage, and yet it is still an irreplaceable place. The recent renovations and beautifications trying to return the Beyoğlu district to its old glamorous days has also benefited the Asmalımescit street.

BAB-I ÂLİ STREET (ANKARA STREET)

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This is a street whose implications and boundaries have changed over time, and only senior postmen could tell its limits. Initially, or in the pre-Republican era, one would wend their way from Sirkeci Square to Cağaloğlu, and after climbing a slope and passing behind the Bâb-ı Âlî (Sublime Porte), where the present-day Governorate of Is-tanbul stands, they would arrive in Bâb-ı Âlî street, which intersects with Nuruosmaniye Street. As a part of this street, the Sublime Porte (Bâb-ı Âlî) served as a landmark, and hence the name Bâb-ı Âlî Street. In later years, during the Republican era, the section of this street extending from Sirkeci to Türk Ocağı Street, where also lies the main gate of Iranian Consulate-General, while the part bending from that point until Divan Yolu was named Bâb-ı Âlî Street. However, since Cağaloğlu Slope runs parallel, albeit for a short distance, it was also commonly and erroneously called Cağaloğlu. Constantly changing street signage also blurred its boundaries. The street derives its name from the Ottoman phrase Bâb-ı Âlî, which means sublime or lofty gate, representing the office of the Grand Vizier. It corresponds to present-day Prime Ministry, though not an entirely equivalent term. In the common understanding of the Turkish people, the term found its expression in the phrase “devlet kapısı”, meaning “gate of the government”. In earlier days, Bâb-ı Hümâyûn (Imperial Gate) was the main entrance to Topkapı Palace, which represented the seat of the government, for the country was ruled from the palace. Back in those days, the state was embodied in the person of the sultan as a figure of authority. In later periods of the Sublime State (Devlet-i Aliye), and particularly from the second half of the 18th century onwards, the seat of the government and the state shifted to Bâb-ı Âlî, which was the official residence from the Grand Vizier managed the government affairs. Usually used to denote the Ottoman government in the historical literature of Turkey, Bâb-ı Âlî was also called “Vezir Kapısı” (Vizier’s Gate), “Paşa Kapısı” (Pasha’s Gate), “Sadrazam Kapısı” (Grand Vizier’s Gate), or “Bâb-ı Âsafî” (Gate of Asaf ), inspired by Asif, the vizier of Prophet Suleiman. Until the very end of the Ottoman Empire, Bâb-ı Âlî equaled to the Ottoman government itself in the eyes of the international community.

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Roughly around the same time did the Bâb-ı Âlî street come to acquire a new second meaning. Starting with the Tanzimat reforms in particular, the press (matbuat) was introduced into Turkish public life, and consequently embraced the name “Bâb-ı Âlî” as a comprehensive term after newspapers and printing houses were opened around after 1870s the seat of the government. This was greatly contributed by the then governments which desired to keep close the suddenly-proliferating newspapers and other publications so as to put a tight leash on the press. In the Republican era, however, the term “Bâb-ı Âlî”, and thus, the street, was entirely freed from its political connotations. Thenceforth, as far as the Bâb-ı Âlî Street was concerned, the names “Bâb-ı Âlî yokuşu” (Bâb-ı Âlî Slo-pe), “Cağaloğlu Yokuşu” (Cağaloğlu Slope), “Cağaloğlu Yokuşu” (Our Slope) and “Yokuş” (Slope) came to refer to the press altogether. Lately, huge media conglomerates of Turkey moved their headquarters to localities suitable for the size of their operations, leaving be-hind only smaller offices to represent themselves. Home to not only long-established but

also newly-burgeoning publishing houses, Bâb-ı Âlî Street and Ankara Street as its conti-nuation is nowadays refreshing its makeup for a new adventure. Now, this time, there has been a recent increase alleging that the printing houses and media corporations here will somehow be evicted to make way for tourism. As it is located in heart of the old city, it se-ems that the street and its vicinity will, from now on, be rather known as a touristic center. The Sublime Porte, the Nallı Mescid located right next to the present-day Governorate, and the building of the Iranian Consulate-General are only some of the monuments of historical significance located on the street. Except for this section, the lofty, sublime gate that lent its name to the seat of the government and thus the building was actually not in this street, but instead right behind, in a small square overlooking the Alayköşkü Street. This is also the ceremonial gate, which has recently been renovated, faithful to its old shape and state. Sometime in the 19th century, before being renamed to Ankara Street, Bâb-ı Âlî Street was also known as Aziziye Street. After joining with Cağaloğlu Street, it would alternatively continue under the name Mahmudiye.

BAĞDAT AVENUE

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Bağdat is the first place that comes to the minds of its regulars when they think about an “avenue”. Although it is called Bağdat (Baghdad), the avenue is located far away there, within the Kadıköy district of Istanbul. As a crucial passage throughout the history, the avenue also shouldered a rich history to our present day. According to the records, its history goes as far back as to the Byzantine period. However, what it was called back then is still unknown. In Istanbul, it was the main road connecting Byzantium to Anatolia and was mostly used by passing armies and caravans. Following the conquest of Cons-tantinople, this archaic road took on a new level of importance. When the destination of the Sefer-i Hümâyûn (Ottoman military campaigns led by the Sultan himself ) lied to the east, the Ottoman army would be deployed at Haydarpaşa Meadows where the road star-ted from and would complete the final preparations for the campaign here. The pilgrim

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caravans and the Surre-i Hümâyûn regiment (a regiment organized to deliver gifts and charity to Mecca and Medina) accompanied by the personal guards of the Sultan would also travel to Hejaz over this road, which helped the road achieve a holy place within Istanbul’s traditions and in the minds of Istanbulites. The road was named after Baghdad following the military campaign of Murad IV against the city. Baghdad had been under the rule of the Ottoman Empire for a long period, but later fell under the dominion of Iran. Upon this development, Murad IV set out for a campaign against Baghdad and crossed this road, as was tradition. After a long struggle, the Ottomans achieved triumph over the siege of Baghdad. To commemorate the victory, this road was named “Bağdat Yolu” (Baghdad Road).

Back then, the road started from where Üsküdar square lies today and not from the borders of Kurbağalıdere. It would run through the Karacaahmet Cemetery and reach the borders of Bostancı district, passing over Haydarpaşa Meadows, which is only a mea-dow in name now. The end of the road was also considered as the eastern boundary of Is-tanbul since Suleiman the Magnificent’s reign and travelers would not be permitted entry into the city without a visa or a mürur tezkeresi (a domestic passport). The value of the Bağdat road was increased with facilities built along the road to serve travelers arriving to or departing from the city. Most of these were small monuments called menzil çeşmesi (fountains placed along the roads for travelers) and namazgâh (outdoor place for prayers), of which very few have survived to this day. Today, the presence of these çeşmes which stopped functioning long ago only continues through districts named after them. Among these districts, Söğütlüçeşme and Selamiçeşme are the most known ones. We must also not forget to mention Ayrılık Çeşmesi, which was considered a place where people saw off travelers taking off from Haydarpaşa Meadows. The avenue turned into an exclusive neighborhood during the reign of Abdülhamid II. Because Yıldız Palace was fully encirc-led by mansions and apartments of state officials, it was impossible to find a decent resi-dence around Beşiktaş. Then as an alternative people started to settle at Kadıköy, which was just a ferry ride away. As one of the most alluring destinations of this influx, Bağdat Avenue prospered with houses and mansions vying with each other in beauty, hosting the pashas and the wealthy elite of the period. These houses or mansions, few still standing, were also considered the first dwellings of the avenue. Before World War I, the avenue was paved with cobblestone but was later covered with asphalt. Hosting a tram line for a while during the Republican era, Bağdat Avenue is a one-way road today, running for nine kilometers from Fenerbahçe Stadium to Bostancı. It now resembles a long shopping mall packed with famous and expensive stores, businesses, and entertainment venues rat-her than dwellings. It also serves as an outdoors club visited by the young and rich circles at every chance they get. Bağdat Avenue is not a place to settle but rather a place to be, which is why it has regulars and addicts more than inhabitants. Because of its reputation and this characteristic, it is also likened to renowned avenues and streets of Europe.

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İSTİKLAL AVENUE

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Located in the Beyoğlu district and running between the Taksim Square and the Tünel Square, İstiklal – which means independence in Turkish – avenue has been in the limelight for 100 years. Before assuming its present form and reputation, however, there are accounts telling us that it used to be a secluded and isolated trail without even a name to attach. Perhaps it had a name of its own back then, but it is now long forgotten. The district it now runs through became known as “Peran en Skai,” meaning “the fig gardens on the other shore” during the Byzantine period. At one time, this elevated plain

outside the walls of Galata district which is as old as Constantinople itself, was covered in vineyards, gardens, and cemeteries alongside forests rich with fig trees. This desolate and lush expanse was also frequented by the Ottoman sultans who used it as hunting grounds. The literature on the subject mentions an expanse that once stood where Tünel Square now stands that one could reach by exiting through a gate of the walls near the Galata Tower and then walking up a slope. Once you reached the plain you would come across a narrow trail running up the slope between the vineyards, gardens, and cemeteries. Some accounts say that this narrow trail was the first shape of the İstiklal Avenue. It is also said that back then there were only a few dwellings around, comprised of a few vineyard houses or summer cottages. After the conquest of Constantinople, the city enjoyed a po-pulation growth as trade flourished even more within the Galata district under the aegis of the Ottoman Empire. Latin population outgrew the city’s capacity and they set out to discover new settlement areas outside the city’s walls, especially around Pera. Amidst all this, the narrow path running along the hill started to gain value as new houses sprung up alongside it. Then foreigners from other European domains flocked into Galata and its vicinity. They established their commercial and administrative offices within the walls of Galata first, before expanding into more pristine areas outside the walls. After opening embassies near this road which had no resemblance of an avenue yet, the French and the English became the first inhabitants of the vicinity carrying formal identities. The first Muslim settlements in the area started to take shape around an Islamic monastery, which goes by the name Galata Mevlevihanesi today, commissioned by Iskandar Pasha during the reign of Bayezid II. The Asmalı Mescit (Ivy Masjid), one of the first marks of Muslim settlement in the area, and the Acemi Oğlanlar Kışlası (Barracks for the Corps of Novice Janissaries), which formed the core of the future Galatasaray High School, were also built here under Beyazid’s rule. All these monuments built here and there along the road set a course for the future progress and growth of the İstiklal Avenue.

Such progress and settlements did not actually take place rapidly at all. The road continued to be surrounded by vineyards, gardens, and cemeteries until the 19th century, and by then the population of foreigners along the avenue had already soared. They increased dwellings that conform to their lifestyles, habits, and needs, as well as sto-

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res that would serve them. This supply and demand story developed further as European or Ottoman non-Muslim tradesman and artisans joined hands, turning the avenue into a center of shopping and craftsmanship where every product of the European lifestyle was produced and sold locally. During this period the avenue no longer appeared like a trail and expanded with wealthy elite’s mansions reflecting the architectural style of the period. That being said, the avenue was still considered an area for summer cottages. There were still wooden and mudbrick houses along the road, but the admiration towards the West started to increase with the Tanzimat era helped the avenue taking its current shape. Called “Grand Rue de Pera” by foreigners and translated by the Ottomans as Cadde-i Kebir” (Grand Avenue), the road now started to grow. However, it would be a mistake to imagine that Cadde-i Kebir ran from the center of Taksim all way to Tünel Square back then. It would start from the Kule Kapısı (Tower Gate) near the Galata Tower and finish at the military school called Galata Sarayı. According to some accounts, back then the churches, embassies, and residences were the main attractions. The avenue was filled with buildings on both sides, but apart from a few houses the areas beyond Galata Sarayı still appeared unoccupied. During the reign of Sultan Abdülaziz, the avenue was arranged after the avenues in Paris. Streets turning sideways were opened, the avenue was paved with stones, a sewage system was built, and it was now illuminated with lanterns. Then horsecars appeared, followed by electrical trams. These changes in the infrastructure of the avenue coincides with the foundation of the first western-like municipality near the area. Although Istanbul witnessed wars and occupations, Cadde-i Kebir entered the 20th cen-tury more crowded, vibrant, and thrilled than ever. After the addition of White Russians escaping from the October Revolution to the avenue’s grandeur and colorful social fabric, the population of the avenue turned into a cocktail of nations. After the declaration of the Republic, the avenue’s name was changed to İstiklal for commemorating the triumph at the Turkish War of Independence.

The first 30–40 years following the Republican era was the golden age of the avenue. Cinemas, theaters, unforgettable restaurants, cafes, bakeries, and hotels surroun-ded both sides of the avenue as an ever-shining cultural beacon of our dwindled lands.

Then the avenue gradually lost its glamour with the World War II, policies put in place regarding the Varlık Vergisi (Wealth Tax), and the Istanbul Pogrom. One by one, its inhabitants scattered away. The avenue slowly became obsolete with the lifestyle it repre-sented. İstiklal Avenue never wishes to remember the 60s, 70s, and the 80s. The avenue turned into a retired and lonesome road amongst the crowds in a city overrun by immig-rants and with changing needs and world views. Towards the end of the 80s it was closed to traffic and the asphalt surface was paved with stone. Today, the avenue is trying to go back to its old glamorous days while carrying people who enjoy staying alone amongst the crowds just like it does.

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100 Sailors of Istanbul

100 Sailors of Istanbul narrates the stories of kapudan pashas who served in high-ranking imperial positions as viziers or grand viziers; and provides the archive-based biographies of accomplished seamen who contributed to Ottoman seamanship and information about their campaigns, triumphs and defeats as well as their innovative attempts in the navy. Hence, it is mainly a biographical study.

The book contains around 200 visuals including maps and plans of Istanbul along with miniatures and engravings depicting Ottoman shores, islands, ports, coasts, ships, dockyards and maritime warfare.

The conquest of Constantinople signifies the beginning of naval domination for the Ottoman Empire. Many seamen served in the great Ottoman navy, which started to thrive following the relocation of the imperial naval base to Istanbul in the 16th century to continue henceforth their activities for centuries to come. Many of these seamen are unsung heroes of Ottoman history who won grand victories.

One can only find the life stories of Ottoman navigators in between the lines and their names just in archival documents. For this reason, this book mainly deals with the seamen who were fortunate enough to be promoted as kapudan pasha. In doing so, by selecting the kapudan pashas appointed after the conquest of Constantinople and highlighting certain periods of change and transformation, the book identifies important events in navigation as well as the stories of the seamen of the time.

Although the book mentions all the identified duties of the kapudan pashas in question, it mainly focuses on their naval activities, with only brief mention of well-known phases of other seamen’s lives. Thus, the book serves as an introduction to a significant part of Ottoman naval history.

Among the 100 seamen mentioned in the book are Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha, Sokollu Mehmed Pasha, Piri Reis, Turgut (Dragut) Reis, Piyale Pasha, Occhiali (Uluç Ali Reis), Merzifonlu Kara Mustafa Pasha and Grand Vizier Melek Ahmed Pasha.

The book contains around 200 visuals including maps and plans of Istanbul along with miniatures and engravings depicting Ottoman shores, islands, ports, coasts, ships, dockyards and maritime warfare.

Author: İdris Bostan Language: TurkishISBN: 978-605-4595-85-3 Pages: 239 Size: 16,5x24 cm Year of Publication: 2014

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İDRIS BOSTAN

Istanbul ’s

SAILORS


BARBAROSSA (HAYREDDIN PASHA)

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Originally called Hızır, Hayreddin Pasha was born around 1466 as one of the four sons of Yakub Bey, a sipahi (cavalryman) who was from the island of Lesbos. In an inscription of 1519 at a mosque he commissioned in Algiers, he referred to himself with the title: “al-Sultan al-Mujahid fi sebil Allah Rabb al-Alemeen Mawlana Khair al-Din ibn Amir al-Shaheer Mujahid Abi Yusuf, Yaqub al-Turki” (Sultan Hayreddin, son of re-nowned Emir Yakub of Turkish descent who waged jihad in the name of Allah). First to set sail among Barbarossa brothers, Oruç cruised along the coasts of Anatolia, Syria, and Egypt with his brother İlyas. Hızır later joined them with another ship and served as a marine ghazi (a Muslim fighter) off the coast of Thessaloniki. Taken prisoner during a clash against the Rhodesian knights, Oruç Reis later escaped captivity and with the permission of Şehzade Korkud, the governor of Antalya, outfitted a galiot and set sail to the Mediterranean Sea. Establishing a foothold at the island of Djerbe, he joined forces with Hızır Reis here and with the permission of Tunisian Sultan settled at La Goulette. After achieving triumph in the first marine expeditions they led in 1513, other renow-ned sailors of the Mediterranean Sea, Kurdoğlu Muslihiddin Reis and Muhyiddin Reis joined forces with them. After the locals of the defenseless African coasts called for the Barbarossa brothers’ assistance against the Spanish trying to invade the region, they sett-led at Algiers. Following the death of Oruç Reis during the battle against the Spanish, Hızır Reis was appointed as the Sultan of Algiers. Realizing that he could not withstand the Spanish with the small force under his command, he wanted to submit allegiance to Selim the Grim. However, after the locals of Algiers requested protection against the Spanish, Selim granted some warfare equipment and several ships along with 2000-3000 troops under his command. Furthermore, Selim gave him permission to raise as many troops as he needs from Anatolia. Hızır Reis did not neglect to send a share of the booty he earned across the Mediterranean Sea to Selim and henceforth he became known as Hayreddin Reis. After the Spanish Kingdom subjugated the Emirate of Granada (1492), Barbarossa provided aid the Muslims living in Andalusia. He sent a fleet of 15 ships un-der his command to the Spanish coasts and transported approximately 70,000 Muslims

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gathered along the coasts to Algiers and other African coasts under extreme conditions. In response, Andrea Doria captured the Koroni castle along the coast of Morea in 1532, which triggered heavy enga-gements all across the Mediterranean Sea. Following this develop-ment, Suleiman the Magnificent summoned Barbarossa Hayreddin to Istanbul and appointed him Beylerbey (Chief Governor) of Ma-ghreb. A renowned admiral all across the Mediterranean, Barbaros-sa’s entry into the service of the Ottomans was a turning point in the naval history of the Ottoman Empire. As the Governor of Maghreb, Hayreddin Reis was greeted with a grand ceremony when he arrived at Istanbul in November 1533. Striking fear into the hearts of Me-diterranean nations for years, this great hero came ashore with his companions amid booming cannons, cheers of the locals gathered along the coast, and the greeting march of the mehteran (Ottoman military band), settling at the palace that was appointed to him.

Received by Suleiman the Magnificent at the Topkapı Pa-lace, Hayreddin Reis presented his gifts of slaves; tankards and silver vessels; velvet, satin, and European fabrics in various colors; clocks; and a coral crown to the Sultan on Saturday, November 29, 1533. At this meeting, Suleiman the Magnificent deemed appropriate to appoint Hayreddin Reis as Kapudan-i Derya (Grand Admiral) and dispatched him to Grand Vizier Pargalı Ibrahim Pasha’s side, who was at Aleppo for the preparations of the Iran Campaign. In 1534, Hayreddin Reis left Istanbul and during his meeting with the Grand Vizier at Aleppo, he was appointed as the Governor of the Islands in the Mediterranean Sea and Kapudan-ı Derya of the Ottoman Navy, in other words Beylerbey of Algiers. The news of his entry into the service of the Ottomans and appointment as Kapudan-ı Derya of the Ottoman Navy, resonated strongly across all European count-ries. According to the statements of foreign observers, although the

Barbaros Hayreddin Paşa

Kings of France and Spain made many attempts to rally him to their side, he preferred entering into service under the Ottoman Empire instead of becoming the Sultan of Algiers. Reorganizing the shipyard in Istanbul as his first order of business, Barba-rossa Hayreddin Pasha pursued to overcome the shortcomings in ship construction. Barbaros-sa and his companions not only were expert sailors, but they were also masters at ship construction and repairs. They have gained experience in the many battles they fought and closely studied the Spanish galleons, Neapolitan galleys, and large barques they captured. Spending the winter of 1534 working hard in the Istan-bul shipyard, Hayreddin Pasha reorganized the Ottoman Navy to set sail across the Mediter-ranean Sea as an imperial fleet. In 1534, he was sent to Tunisia by the decree of Suleiman the Magnificent with his fleet of 100 ships. Pillaging the Italian coasts first and travelling to Bizerte la-ter, Barbarossa had no choice but

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to retreat back to Algiers when the Spanish King Charles V arrived at Tunisia with a fleet of 300 ships. On his way back to Istanbul, he attacked the island of Mallorca and captured the Spanish ships carrying slaves taken from Tunisia. Barbarossa returned back to Istanbul after releasing the Muslim slaves, capturing many prisoners and earning bo-oty, and bombarding the Balearic Islands. In 1537, the Ottoman navy set out for Italia as part of the Puglia Campaign and laid siege to Corfu. However, Suleiman recalled the navy after the siege hit a stalemate. On his way back with the fleet, Barbarossa conquered most of the Cyclades and Sporades islands, as well as the Naxos island. In the struggle for dominance over the Mediterranean, Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha’s most pivotal accomp-lishment was the naval victory he achieved at Preveza against a fleet of 300 galleons and

galleys assembled by the Holy League with the Ottoman fle-et of 122 galleys. In 1538, the Ottomans achieved triumph at the Battle of Preveza, all thanks to the tactical genius of Barbarossa and the ship types of the fleet. The news of the victory reached Suleiman on his return from the Bog-dan Campaign. The fetihnâme (letter of victory) of Barbaros-sa was received with rejoice among the high officials of the Palace who listened the letter standing. With the Battle of Preveza, the Christian world decisively lost their dominance over the Mediterranean. Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha, left Istanbul again upon the request of the King of France Francois I and by the decree of Suleiman with his glorious fleet. In 1543, he landed troops at Marseilles and headed for Toulon. Shortly after he marched to Nice which was a vassal of Spain. Receiving the surrender of the city in a short time, Barbarossa also negotiated the release of Turgut Reis who was held as a prisoner by the Genoese. While the Ottoman fleet was docked at the Toulon harbor for eight months, he held control of the city. Some accounts say that he raised the Turkish flag and decreed adhan (Islamic call to worship) to be called out five times a day in the city. After the Ottoman Empire entered an agreement with Spain and Austria, Barbarossa never set sail again. A renowned marine veteran and an admiral, Barbarossa lived two more years and passed away on July 4, 1546 at the age of 80s. He was buried in his mausoleum in the Beşiktaş district. A chronogram “Māte reisu’l-bahr/denizlerin reisi öldü” (Admiral of the seas has passed away) was composed corresponding to the year of his death.

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PIRI REIS

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A famed admiral of the Ottoman Fleet in the Indian Ocean, author of Kitâb-ı Bahriye (Book of Navigation), cartographer, and navigator, Piri Reis was born around 1470 in Gallipoli. His father was Hacı Mehmed Efendi and his uncle the famed sailor Kemal Reis. According to Kitâb-ı Bahriye, Piri Reis waged battles all across the Mediterranean Sea along with his uncle Kemal Reis, chiefly against the Venetian castles and coasts, and later entered the service of the Ottoman Empire. Among their many feats were capturing three barques near Tolo and three ships off the west coast of Sicily, and later selling them in Tunisia; conquering a castle near Mallorca; laying siege upon the Pantelleria Island south of Malta and the Juhudluk Castle near Hammamet, which was a vassal of Spain; seizing seven barques off the coast of Valencia; as well as pillaging the Pianosa island near Corsica and captivating its inhabitants. In his book Kitâb-ı Bahriye, Piri Reis tells the stories of how together with his uncle they spent the winters along the Tunisian coast, had a meeting with the Tunisian Sultan Mevlay Muhammad, stayed at the zawiya (convent) belonging to Seydi Muhammad Tuvatti, known as veli (saint) in the Bejaia province of Algiers, and set sail from there when summer arrived. When Kemal Reis was summoned by Bayezid II to enter the service of the Ottoman Empire in 1495, Piri Reis was present at his side. Likewise, Piri Reis was under the command of Kemal Reis as a captain of a galley, while he was transporting the revenues of the Haremeyn Waqfs (foundations es-tablished to raise funds for the holy cities Mecca and Madina) in Anatolia to Alexandria, during the battle against the Rhodesian knights on the way back, and the conquest of Lepanto, Methoni, Koroni, and Navarino (1499-1501). Piri Reis also accompanied his uncle in the extraordinary delegation sent to the Mamluk Sultanate. Piri Reis was also his uncle’s side when Kemal Reis was instructed to launch a campaign to save the Muslim prisoners in Rhodes (1504) and when they travelled to North Africa upon the request of the Emir of Tripoli (1505). Attending the raids waged against the Spanish coast to protect the Muslims living in North Africa and Andalusia (1506), Piri Reis travelled with his uncle who was transporting a delegation to Egypt along with troops, ammunition, and cannons dispatched in order to aid the Mamluks against the Portuguese. After the death

of Kemal Reis, Piri Reis opened a new chapter in his life (1510). He was within the fleet joining the Egypt Campaign of Selim the Grim with his ship. Reaching Cairo through the Nile River, Piri Reis presented the first edition of the renowned “New World Map” of 1513 to the Sultan here (1517). He joined the Ottoman navy at Danube River during

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Suleiman the Magnificent’s Belgrade Campaign in 1521 and the Rhodes Campaign in 1522 with a galley. He served as navigator under the fleet of the Grand Vizier Ibrahim Pasha, which was sent to Egypt to quell the rebellion of Hain Ahmed Pasha, and had the opportunity to get to know Ibrahim Pasha closely. On this journey, he presented the first manuscript of the Mediterranean Guidebook Kitâb-ı Bahriye he authored in 1521 to the Grand Vizier. When Ibrahim Pasha resumed his journey on the way back from Rhodes through land due to weather conditions, Piri Reis returned back to Gallipoli upon the request of the Grand Vizier to make a clean copy of his book. He presented the second edition of Kitab-ı Bahriye and the his second “New World Map” to Suleiman the Magnificent in 1526 and 1528, respectively. Meanwhile he became known as “Piri Kethuda”, which showed how far he had risen come. He also joined the siege of Corfu alongside Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha in 1537. Appointed as the Admiral of the Indian Ocean in 1547, Piri Reis’ first order of business was to recapture Aden, which was the sole Ottoman base across the Indian Ocean. Stopping by at the Mocha Harbor first and arriving at Aden later in November 1548 with a fleet of 60 ships, Piri Reis captured three Portuguese ships and taken 120 sailors as prisoners. After landing troops and cannons, he reconquered Aden in February 1549 following an all-out assault. Piri Reis led his second campaign against Hormuz, the most crucial base of the Portuguese in the Persian Gulf. Setting sail from Suez with a fleet of 30 ships in 1552, Piri Reis crossed Bab-el-Mandeb and entered the Gulf of Oman. First, he conquered Muscat and taken the commander of the castle along with 128 Portuguese soldiers as prisoners. Shortly after, he laid siege to Hormuz and captured almost all of the island with subsequent assaults. However, he could not subjugate the inner castle as the commander of the castle D. Alvaro de Noronha put up firm resistance. While the siege continued, Piri Reis was getting really concerned about a surprise attack from a dominant Portuguese fleet. For this reason, he lifted the siege and retreated towards Basra. When the rumors that he lifted the siege in exchange for gold and jewelry ran rampant across Basra, Kubad Pasha informed Istanbul about the events. However, not long after this a Portuguese fleet arrived off the coast of Hormuz, which proved that the rumors were unwarranted. Upon this development, Piri Reis left his fleet docked at Basra and set sail to Suez, arriving the city with only two galleys as one of the ships was stranded on the way. He continued his journey by land to Cairo, where

he was poorly received by the Governor of Egypt Semiz Ali Pasha and was treated as a commander who deserted his army at the battlefield and fled. The Governor of Basra Ku-bad Pasha accused Piri Reis of pillaging the possessions of the Muslims in Hormuz and lifting the siege in exchange for a bribe. By the decree of Suleiman the Magnificent who was at Aleppo at the time, Piri Reis was beheaded in November or December of 1553 at the Court of Egypt. All possessions of Piri Reis were confiscated by the officials at Egypt and delivered to the treasury at Aleppo. As a renowned sailor and marine scientist, Piri Reis seems to have taken a well-deserved place in the history with his works.

TURGUT REIS (DRAGUT)

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He was born in the Seravalos village of Menteşe region around 1487. His father was a farmer named Veli. Showing interest to seamanship, he accompanied sailors at an early age and quickly joined the ranks of the levend (Ottoman naval recruit). He became known as Turgut, or Dragut in Western literature, among sailors and Seyfu’l-Islam (The Drawn Sword of Islam) in the Islamic world. Turgut Reis engaged in naval warfare together with Barbarossa brothers, who were active across the Central and Western Me-diterranean Sea, when maritime piracy was widespread. He voluntarily joined the Battle of Preveza (1538) as commander of levends and achieved many feats. In 1540, he led a raid into Gozo known as little Malta. During a raid he conducted into the Corsica Island (1540), he was captured along with 13 of his ships by Giannettino Doria (Andrea Doria’s nephew), while he was repairing his ships. He was released after Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha threatened the Genoese during the aid campaign to help France in 1543. Barba-rossa praised Turgut Reis with his words; “nefsinde bir yarar gazidir” (he is a veteran of many feats himself ) and gave his spare ship under his command. After generating income from the many campaigns he led across the Western Mediterranean, he expanded his fleet to 25 ships. He was decorated with the “Akdeniz Levendleri Kapudanı” title, meaning Captain of the Mediterranean Marines, for the many feats he had achieved. While he

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was repairing his fleet of 7-8 ships in the Cantera Harbor of Djerba Island, he was trapped by the Genoese and Venetian navy of 150 ships, but he easily escaped their grasp as he was familiar with the geographical features of the island. He cap-tured the Mahdia Castle in Tunisia from the Spanish; howe-ver, the castle was captured back by the Spanish in the same year after a siege lasting several months. The literature on the subject tells that he captured 18 galleys during his campaigns in the Mediterranean Sea, captured two Venetian barques off the coast of the Mani Peninsula, and bombarded a Venetian barque and slaughtered its crew, after its captain did not offer him pişkeş, a tributary gift. Although he was summoned to Istanbul after the complaints of the Venetian Bailo against the Grand Vizier Rüstem Pasha, Turgut Reis did not obey the summons as he believed that Rüstem Pasha did not favor him as he deemed Turgut Reis a rival to his brother, Captain Sinan Pasha. Having decided to conquer Tripoli, Suleiman the Magnificent invited Turgut Reis to Istanbul and sent him a Quran as well as a golden sword, achieving conciliation. Suleiman even pledged him the everlasting governorship of Tripoli, should the city be conquered. Joining forces with the fleet of Turgut Reis in the Mediterranean Sea, Captain Sinan Pasha led a raid into Malta and pillaged the Gozo Island be-fore returning to Tripoli. With the cooperation and guidance of Turgut Reis, Tripoli was conquered in 1551. However, di-sappointed by the decision to appoint Hadım Murad Ağa as the governor of the city, Turgut Reis set sail for Algiers along with his fleet and was joined by the other captains, which troubled Sinan Pasha who was left alone. Turgut Reis could not refuse the request of famed sailors like Uluç Ali Reis and returned back to Istanbul himself. He was granted the title

Turgut Reis

Sanjak Bey (Lord of the Standard) of Karli-Eli and was entrusted with the duty of pro-tecting the Aegean Sea with his navy of 40 galleys. As part of the 1553 Ottoman-French alliance, the French navy was put under the command of Turgut Reis and he launched the aid campaign to France with his navy of 45 galleys (1553). He landed troops in the Bastia harbor in Corsica upon the request of the French and prevailed over the Genoese army entering the fray to save the city. Following this development, the garrison of the castle surrendered (1553). Turgut Reis saved the 7000 Muslim prisoners held within the castle and brought them to Vlorë. After repairing his ships in Preveza, he returned back to Istanbul with prisoners and booty.

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100 Important Events of Istanbul

The book informs the readers about 100 important and unforgettable events that took place in Istanbul such as earthquakes, fires, rebellions, wars, construction of sanctuaries. As a place of settlement for thousands of years and the capital of great empires such as the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman Empires, respectively, for sixteen centuries, Istanbul was entirely affected by such large-scale events.

Dealing with both individual history and public identity of the city, “100 Important Events of Istanbul” is significant in that it contributes to the formation of a collective urban memory.

The book contains more than 200 visuals, and is based on documents retrieved from the Prime Ministerial Ottoman Archives and newspaper articles pertaining to such events with considerable repercussions in shaping the city’s history, of which some of us know very little today.

The book discusses memorable events that influenced almost the entire city in the days important to the history of Istanbul, a centuries-old and tumultuous city, dating back to thousands of years ago, which witnessed the splendor and glory of great empires ruling the world and.

The first eight entries deal with the pre-Ottoman period. In addition, around seventy percent of the book contains entries about the Ottoman period and twenty percent about the Republican period. The most extensively handled subject in the work is the ever-present rebellions which led to the collapse of public order, with the Istanbulites anxiously watching the course of events in and around the palace. Further, the book also features the opening ceremonies for celebrated monuments, most of which were created to serve the people of the capital and have in time become integral components of the city. Moreover, epidemics, natural disasters and fires occupy an important place in the book.

Some of the events that left a mark on the city’s history and are successfully treated in the book “100 Important Events of Istanbul” include the myths about how the city was founded, the inauguration of Hagia Sophia, Latin invasion, Conquest of Constantinople, earthquakes and fires in the city, its declaration as the seat of the caliphate, inauguration

of Sultanahmet and Süleymaniye Mosque, rebellions, bans, the assassination attempt on Abdulhamid II and invasion of the city, Bosphorus Bridge, Marmara earthquake of 1999, UEFA Cup of 2000 etc.

The book contains more than 200 visuals, and is based on documents retrieved from the Prime Ministerial Ottoman Archives and newspaper articles pertaining to such events with considerable repercussions in shaping the city’s history, of which some of us know very little today.

Author: Mesut Ayar Language: TurkishISBN: 978-605-5592-56-1 Pages: 155 Size: 16,5x24 cm Year of Publication: 2010

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MESUT AYAR

Istanbul ’s

IMPORTANT EVENTS


THE OPENING DAY OF THE BOSPHORUS BRIDGE

~

(October 29, 1973)

The idea of building a bridge over the Bosphorus dates back to the 1950s. The works on bridge were initiated by the-then prime minister Adnan Menderes. However, the project could not go beyond design phase due to the military coup of 1960. In sub-sequent years, the city’s rapid development and increasing traffic between the European and Asian sides required a bridge over the Bosphorus. Hence, construction started in 1970 to build the only structure linking two continents. Consequently, this magnificent bridge that would later become an integral part of the city’s silhouette was finally ope-ned on November 29, 1973 by the-then president Fahri Korutürk. The groundbreaking ceremony took place on February 20, 1970 in Beylerbeyi, which was soon followed by excavations for the Ortaköy and Beylerbeyi piers. The next year witnessed the installation of steel towers in May for Ortaköy, and in July for Beylerbeyi. Completion of the towers in the early 1972 was followed by the erection of the main suspension cables. Once the ground for vehicle travel was ready, it now became possible to walk from Asia to Europe in March 1973. Paving of rubberized asphalt started in April and was completed on July 1, 1973. The first automobile crossing on the bridge took place on June 8. Finally, the bridge was inaugurated with a ceremony on November 29, 1973, on the fiftieth anni-versary of the Republic. The first day a large crowd of people took part in the pedestrian walk, which caused the bridge to shake. Due to the fear of a possible collapse, pedestrian crossing was immediately ended. Also in the first day, a total of 28.126 motorized vehicles crossed the bridge, tantamount to the capacity of over 400 car ferries. Lying between Or-taköy and Beylerbeyi, this remarkable monument has a longest span of 1.560 m, a main span of 1.073 m and a clearance of 64 m. Initially subject to a fee, pedestrian crossing was later made free, and when the bridge became a popular spot for suicides, free crossing was banned a few years later, a rule that still applies today. On the other hand, in February

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1973, construction works started for the approach viaducts over Ortaköy and Beylerbeyi, and were finished in May the same year. Later on, on September 10, 1974, the Golden Horn Bridge (Haliç Köprüsü) came into service, joining the Halıcıoğlu and Ayvansaray sides of the Golden Horn, as the most important section of the freeway.

FREEZING OF THE BOSPHORUS

~

(March 1, 1929)

Throughout history, Istanbulites have many times witnessed the freezing of the Bosphorus and Golden Horn during the coldest times of the winter. As far as anyone knows, the Bosphorus froze over for the first time in 401 AD during the Byzantine pe-riod, and the ice did not thaw for 20 days, an extraordinary phenomenon repeated a few times in the 8th century: In winter of the years 739, 755 and 763 the Bosphorus froze over again, with chunks of ice also seen particularly in Golden Horn and also some parts of the Black Sea and Marmara Sea close to shore, and it was even possible to walk from Scutari to Galata. There was also a time in 928 when it took four months for the ice to melt, and such incidents also occurred in 934 and 1232. Similar events took place during the Ottoman rule in 1621 and 1823. The winter of 1929 was incre-dibly cold and the front pages of newspapers were filled with news about the cold and snow. Especial-ly in February, Istanbul completely surrendered to snow and ferries, trains and all kinds of land vehicles were snowed in. These cold days of February were fol-

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lowed by some warm days, when chunks of ice breaking off from colder regions of the Black Sea reached as far as the city shores with the currents. On March 2, 1929, the newspaper Cumhuriyet featured a headline that read “Istanbul attacked by ice yesterday” and with the subheading “An unprecedented sight in our city”. The article informed that in the Bosphorus there were huge chunks of ice of about ten meters in width that reached from Danube to Istanbul. With a sea water temperature of -1 degrees, the ice did not melt. It was again an astounding day for the Istanbulites, who headed towards the pier to go to work in the morning but could not believe their eyes when they saw all around covered in snow. But then, everyone ran to the shore to view the ice and some even went too far to step on it and started to take souvenir photographs. Neither a single ship nor a boat could navigate. Many piers and bays such as Sirkeci, Bebek and Arnavutköy were all covered in ice. Fortunately, the next day the currents dragged the chunks of ice away from the city shores towards the Marmara sea.

Istanbul’s FETHİ

~

(29 Mayıs 1453)

Having commissioned the construction of Rumelihisarı before the auspicious conquest of Constantinople, one of the most significant events in the city’s long history, Mehmed II cordoned off the city under a military blockade, allowing no access from in-side and outside. Following many preparations to the same effect, in February 1453, the young sultan finally ordered the transport of a giant cannon pulled by 60 oxen. This fa-mous cannon was so huge that two hundred soldiers were deployed on both sides to pre-vent sliding. Further, beginning from early March, orders were issued to the provinces and districts to recruit soldiers for the attack on Constantinople. On the other hand, another army was sent to Morea to prevent any potential aid to the Byzantine Empire. once all the

preparations were completed, the Ottoman army set out from Adrianople on March 23, 1453, and arrived before the city walls in early April. The siege started on April 6, Friday. This siege was different from its prece-dents as it was also joined by the Ottoman navy which had been substantially reinforced. On the other hand, the Byzantines were busy with repairing and fortifying the city walls, and re-ceiving military reinforcements from Europe. Even before the start of the siege, they were supplied with two galleys and 700 soldiers from the Genoese, and during the siege with three galleys, two hundred soldiers, ammunitions and supplies from the Papal States. On later days, another ship and 300 soldiers were sent by the Genoese. Ac-cording to İ. H. Uzunçarşılı, the Ottoman army had a size of 150 to 200 thousand soldiers during the siege of Constantinople. In order to assault the city walls, giant cannons were deployed across the Blachernae Palace as

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well as Charisius (Edirnakapı) and Romanus (Topkapı) gates. The largest cannon was initially placed across Eğrikapı (Galigaria Gate); however, it was later transported to the north of Romanus gate, since any attack on this part of the city walls would be futile because of their strength. The sultan’s headquarters were set up behind the site across Romanus Gate, near the present-day Bayrampaşa-Maltepe. On the other hand, the Ot-toman fleet consisting of around 150 ship, including transport vessels, and commanded by Baltaoğlu Süleyman Bey also imposed a sea blockade on all the city walls excluding those on the Golden Horn. Once the preparations were done, Mehmed II dispatched Mahmud Pasha as an envoy to the Emperor on April 11 by following the Islamic tradition and asked him to surrender the city without bloodshed. However, Emperor Constantine reje-cted as he had sworn an oath to defend the city. Thus, the next day the main assault started with the use of giant cannons first. These were historical days for Constantinople and also terrifying for the inhabitants, because the huge cannon deployed near Romanus Gate and only firing seven or eight rounds a day was so loud that they cried in fear of death and scurried around in stupor, all causing the shattering of the morale. On the other hand, the Byzantine command began to display the icon of Virgin Mary around the streets to as to boost the morale of the people. Under these circumstances, almost all inhabitants, men and women alike, put all their efforts in trying to repair the breaches of cannonballs on the walls. The Ottomans were not doing so well either: With the futile land assaults and failed attempts of the navy at sea, Turkish soldiers were now so weary, and in one occasion, some commanders even considered lifting the siege and proposed it to the sultan. Nevert-heless, so determined as to say in later days “Either I shall capture Constantinople, or the city shall capture me”, Mehmed II would insist on continuing the siege.

Then it was decided to transport a part of the fleet down to the Golden Horn, with preparations under way. Thus, not only the enemy fleet would be eliminated, but also direct link would be established between two armies on both sides of the Golden Horn through a bridge to be built between Hasköy and Ayvansaray. Finally, on that famous single night, a total of 70 ships were transported overland from Tophane to Kasımpaşa. Towards mid-May, the sultan sent the Byzantine Emperor another call to surrender. The Emperor also sent in turn an envoy, making other proposals. No matter the amount of tri-

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bute offered by the Greek envoys, the young sultan responded that he would grant Morea and some other provinces to the Byzantine dynasty if the city was surrendered in peace. Failing this, however, the Emperor along with all city’s notables would be put to death, and the people would be taken as slaves, with their property to be plundered. On the night of May 28, following a liturgy in Hagia Sophia attended by the Emperor himself and a great crowd, he came back to the Blachernae Palace to bid farewell to his close circle, and then went out to inspect the city walls. The next day, the Turkish army started an overall assault, by focusing on the wall breach between the gates of Charisius and Romanus. The center of the army, including the sultan himself, also attacked this spot. However, with the desperate efforts of Byzantines, the first and second overall assaults produced no results. Therefore, the Janissaries and reserves in the center were played as an ace in the hole. This was followed by the breach of Romanus Gate from the inside, through which the Turkish forces entered the city. In addition, another breach near Silivrikapı (Pege Gate) was stormed to provide another point of access. Thus, after a siege and assault of 54 days, Constantinople, which had served as the capital of the Byzantine Empire for 1125 years, was finally captured. With the Ottoman soldiers now inside the city, people fled in fear and panic to Hagia Sophia. On May 29, 1453, the Ottoman troops captured a total of 50 thousand prisoners. The same day, the sultan, accompanied by an elite guard as well as his viziers, ulema and other high-ranking statesmen, entered the city through Romanus Gate and went to Hagia Sophia. There, the Patriarch and the people were kneeling down and crying, when the sultan gestured them to be silent, and told the Patriarch: “Stand up. I, Sultan Mehmed, am telling you, your companions and all the people that from this day on, to have no fear of my wrath either for your lives or for your freedom.” He then turned to his commanders, and told them to order the soldiers not to cause any harm on the people, and those disobeying this order would be punished by death. Mehmed II then returned to his headquarters outside the city walls. Thus, Constantinople now changed hands following the most severe siege it had ever experienced. This is certainly one of the most important events that changed the city’s history.

155


100 Stamps of Istanbul

“100 Stamps of Istanbul” is a book revealing the face of Istanbul as reflected on stamps since the year 1914. The main theme of these stamps is the historical events that took place in Istanbul and the city’s natural beauties. As a rare work in its field, the book presents stamps depicting Istanbul.

The book uses more than 200 visuals including stamps from important collections that reveal different facets of the city, as well as old postcards and present-day photographs.

Beyond their use in postal services, stamps also serve a documentary purpose by presenting the cultural, social, historical, artistic and touristic scenes of a country. This is most evidently exemplified by commemorative stamps issued for special occasions and thematic stamps in particular. Commemorative stamps usually depict the liberation of a town from enemy invasion, inauguration of important facilities and monuments, or religious and national festivals.

“100 Stamps of Istanbul” is a book revealing the face of Istanbul as reflected on stamps since the year 1914. The main theme of these stamps is the historical events that took place in Istanbul and the city’s natural beauties.

The book presents information on the date of issue, place of issue, circulation and particular series for each stamp as well as detailed information on the event, institution, monument, establishment or person depicted. Besides, prices on stamps also provide information on the postal fees of the period in question. As a rare work in its field, the book presents stamps depicting Istanbul.

Among the stamp themes featured in the book are the Conquest of Constantinople, Monument of Liberty, Anadolu Hisarı, Hagia Sophia, Bosphorus, Column of Constantine, Obelisk of Theodosius, Dolmabahçe Palace, Galata Tower and Galata,

Haydarpaşa Station, Kandilli, the Maiden Tower, Heritage Tram and Beyoğlu, Rumeli Hisarı, Sultanahmet Square, Suleymaniye Mosque, Topkapı Palace, Basilica Cistern and Medusa’s Head and Yıldız Palace.

The book uses more than 200 visuals including stamps from important collections that reveal different facets of the city, as well as old postcards and present-day photographs.

Author: Şerif Antepli Language: TurkishISBN: 978-605-9492-08-9 Pages: 194 Size: 16,5x24 cm Year of Publication: 2017

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ŞERIF ANTEPLI

Istanbul ’s

STAMPS


AHIRKAPI LIGHTHOUSE

~

It is featured on the “Wien Postage Stamps” series issued on April 2, 1918.

Typography and steel engraving. K.K. Staatsdruckerei, Wien, Austria

The idea of building a lighthouse in Ahırkapı coast was first conceived after a sea accident. In 1755, a galley transporting goods to Egypt went aground in Kumkapı coast due to bad weather. Hearing the news of the accident, Sultan Osman III and Grand Vizier Said Pasha visited the scene and watched as the sailors were rescued. The sailors told them that accidents would be prevented if there was a lighthouse there. Then, Sul-tan Osman III ordered for a lighthouse to be built on the spot. The lighthouse was built using wood upon a tower located near the gate of Otluk Kapısı on the Marmara sea walls and the construction works were supervised by the Admiral-in-Chief Süleyman Pasha. During the first years, it was maintained and operated by the soldiers of Bostancı Corps. Under the reign of Abdulhamid I, its management was rearranged to become a hereditary

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business afterwards. Having been ruined by fires in different periods, the lighthouse was reconstructed out of stone in 1857 upon Sultan Abdulmecid’s orders.

With an altitude of 36 meters above sea level, the cylindrical lighthouse was built upon a square pedestal and is encircled by a balcony in the shape of a polygonal prism. It serves as a course indicator for ships entering Istanbul Port and passing through the Bosphorus. Its light can be seen from a distance of 16 nautical miles. Like Sarayburnu, Ahırkapı is a historical area of the imperial palace. During the Ottoman reign, stables of Topkapı Palace were located at this point so a Byzantine gate in the wall was named as Ahırkapı, which later gave its name to the neighborhood. This was also where Byzantine palaces of Manganai and Boukoleon and the outer gardens of Topkapı Palace and the pa-vilions were built. Also in the same area were Georgios and Lazaros Monasteries, Menas, Hodegetria and Soteros Churches, as well as Lazaros and Hodegetria wall gates.

ARCHAEOLOGY MUSEUMS

~

It is featured on the “Wien Postage Stamps” series issued on March 15, 1952. Quantity printed: 100.000. Photoengraving print. Staatsdruckerei, Wien, Austria

It is located to the left of Osman Hamdi Bey Slope near Gülhane Park before arriving Sultanahmet Square. It is called the Archaeology Museums since it also contains the Ancient Orient and Tiled Pavilion (Çinili Köşk) Museums. Containing three buildings in the same area, the Archaeology Museums is home to rich collections of artefacts inherited by significant historical civilizations. Globally, it is among the first ten museums that were actually designed and used as museum buildings. First attempts at establishing a museum in Istanbul started in 1846 when they began to store old weaponry in St. Irene Church. Turkish museology officially started with the founding of Istanbul

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Archaeology Museums under the name Müze-i Hümâyûn (Imperial Museum) in 1869. The first appointed museum director was Edward Goold of England, a teacher in Galatasaray High School. The attempts were briefly suspended until 1872, and were resumed by Ahmed Vefik Pasha, the-then Minister of Public Education. Since St. Irene Church fell short of the requirements, it was decided to convert the Tiled Pavilion into a museum, which was followed by restoration works and finally the inauguration ceremony in August 1880. The Tiled Pavilion is the first civil architectural work in Istanbul commissioned by Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror in 1472. Its architect remains unknown.

Next year, Osman Hamdi Bey, son of Grand Vizier Edhem Pasha, was appointed as the new director of the Imperial Museum, which symbolizes the actual beginning of museology in Turkey. The museum was filled with the artefacts unearthed in archaeological excavations supervised by Osman Hamdi Bey, most notably the famous Sarcophagus of Alexander. As it be-came clear during the classification of artefacts in the Museum that the Tiled Pavilion would not be able to accommodate them all, Osman Hamdi Bey petitioned for the construction of new buildings. Two new buildings were constructed near the Tiled Pavilion. One had been originally built to serve as a Fine Arts Academy, but was later named as the Ancient Orient Museum. It was designed by Alexander Vallaury, the architect who would later complete the main edifice. The Archaeology Museum was finally opened on June 13, 1891, under the name Sarcophagus Museum (Lahitler Müzesi). It was also known as the Museum of Antiquities (Âsâr-ı Atîka Müzesi). Arduously working to se-cure international fame for the museum, Osman Hamdi Bey

Osman Hamdi Bey

promoted it in various publications and created catalogues. The Archeology Museum and the additional building contain various sections and artefacts including ancient sculp-tures, Sarcophagus of Alexander, surrounding cultures of Istanbul as well as coins. The Ancient Orient Museum displays artefacts from pre-Islamic Arabia, Egypt and Meso-potamia, as well as Anatolian and Urartian artefacts and archaeological finds containing cuneiform writing. The museum houses around 75 thousand cuneiform documents. Tiled Pavilion is home to Seljukid and Ottoman artefacts. Pioneering the attempts to create the Archaeology Museums, Osman Hamdi Bey (1842-1910) was the son of Grand Vizier İbrahim Edhem Pasha. A painter, archaeologist and author, Osman Hamdi Bey was also an invaluable diplomat and man of science in Turkey.

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CONQUEST OF CONSTANTINOPLE

~

It is featured on the series “Commemorative Stamps Celebrating the 500th Anniversary of the Conquest of Constantinople”.

Quantity printed: 100.000. Heliogravure printing. Courvoisier. S.A. La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland

Born in Edirne on March 30, 1432, Mehmed II was the son of Murad II and Hüma Sultan. He reigned as the Ottoman sultan twice between the years 1444-1446 and 1451-1481. He died in Istanbul on May 3, 1481. Upon his second accession to the throne, Mehmed II set out to conquer Constantinople. Having reinforced the Janissary corps, he signed peace treaties with Venice and Hungary. In order to secure the Bosphorus,

he commissioned in 1452 the construction of the Rumeli Hisarı, then known as Boğazkesen Hisarı. He then created a large fleet of 31 galleys. He also ordered large cannons to Master Urban of Hungary, a cannon-casting expert. He entrusted Zağanos Pasha with the duty of charging the assault. But he himself acted as the commander on the day of the attack. Before the conqu-est, Constantinople had been besieged by several states, all of which failed in their attempts. There were other Muslim Turks among those states. They were all motivated in this endeavor by Prophet Muhammad’s hadiths about the conquest of Constantinople. They firmly believed that Constantinople would fall someday. Finally…

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On April 2, 1453, the siege commenced. Four days later, on April 6, Mehmed II set up his tent right across Saint Romanus Gate (Topkapı). The city was now besieged from the Golden Horn down to the Marmara Sea. Artillery fire started. Three days la-ter, certain sections of the Bosphorus were seized, which was followed by the capture of Princes Islands by Baltaoğlu Süleyman Bey. On April 11 cannonballs were hitting the city walls…. On April 12, Byzantine ships in the Golden Horn were attacked, which was to end in failure. Another attack on April 18 was repelled by the Byzantine army. On April 20, they fought the ships bringing aid to Constantinople, which was another failed at-tempt. This led to a loss of morale in the Ottoman army. At that difficult moment, Meh-med II regained his motivation with a letter from his mentor and sheikh Akşemseddin. To conquer the city, the navy, then anchored in the waters in Dolmabahçe, had to enter the Golden Horn.

April 22 was a day that marks a turning point in military history, when around 70 ships were dragged by oxen overland into the Golden Horn. On April 28, the walls on the Golden Horn were now under attack from the bridge set up between Ayvansaray and Sütlüce. Once the seawalls were besieged, the Byzantine emperor was called to sur-render. If he did so, he would be free to go anywhere he wanted, and protection of life was guaranteed for all his subjects. The emperor refused the offer. The city walls then came under intense artillery fire for days. On May 25, a final call was once again sent to the emperor to surrender. He and anyone among his subjects would be granted safe passage. He refused again.

On May 26 came a rumor that a strong fleet was on its way to aid the Byzan-tines. Mehmed II convened his military council to assess his strategies. Çandarlı Halil Pasha was in favor of lifting the siege. On the other hand, figures close to the sultan, inc-luding Zağanos Paşa, Akşemseddin, Molla Gürani and Molla Hüsrev, believed that the siege had to continue. Zağanos Pasha was entrusted with the task. The army was notified of the decision for a full attack, and allowed to rest on May 28. Mehmed II was walking among his soldiers to hearten them. The Byzantine emperor, on the other hand, gathered his subjects in Hagia Sophia to invite them to defend their city. And then, May 29… At

dawn Mehmed II ordered the army to launch the attack. The Ottoman army was now attacking overland and by sea. It was the light infantry and Anatolian troops who took the lead. The artillery breached a certain section of the walls, which was stormed by the first 300 soldiers, who fell martyrs. They were followed by the Janissaries in combat. Climbing on the walls and planting the first flag, Ulubatlı Hasan was martyred right at the spot. Once the Janissaries stormed the Xylokerkos Gate (Belgradkapı) and the defenders in Charisius Gate (Edirnekapı) were eliminated, the Byzantines now lost all their defense spirit. Emperor Constantine XI was killed in street skirmishes. Around noon Mehmed II entered the city through Topkapı. The conquest of Constantinople by Turks ushered in a new era, with Mehmed II earning the title of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror.

167


100 Romances of Istanbul

Offering a peek into the romances of city’s world-renowned figures in politics, art and literature, “100 Romances of Istanbul” is a novel-like book to be enjoyed by readers of all ages with its literary language and engrossing style.

The book uses more than 200 visuals belonging to the characters mentioned in the texts, with the stories being selected in view of their authenticity. The book also contains the letters and poems, lyrics and compositions written by poets, writers, artists, world-ruling sultans to their beloved ones.

Istanbul is a city of love that has witnessed many great romances from the Byzantine era until the present day. Some romances came and went, but for some lovers, the city became a final resting place. Lovers befriending Istanbul in some way were eventually inspired by it. In the eyes of many, Istanbul is in perfect similitude to a lover and in many works, lovers were compared to Istanbul.

The book “100 Romances of Istanbul” was authored in an attempt to piece together love stories crossing paths with Istanbul. It deals with the romances of prominent figures renowned for their love in the political, literary and artistic communities of Istanbul from the Byzantine era to the Ottoman Empire, from the Republican period to the present day. Thus came a book explaining three different historical periods of Istanbul based on love.

Among the figures whose stories are told in the book are the famous Byzantine Emperor Justinian, who commissioned Hagia Sophia, and his Empress Theodora; Anna Komnena and Nikephoros Bryennios, Mehmed II, conqueror of Constantinople, and Gulbahar Hatun, Suleiman the Magnificent and Hürrem Sultan (Roxelana), Orhan Gazi and Theodora Hatun, İbrahim Pasha of Parga and Hatice Sultan, Abdulhamid II and Müşfika Kadınefendi, Şeyh Gâlib and Beyhan Sultan, Halide Edib Adıvar and Salih Zeki, Münir Nureddin Selçuk and Enise Hanım, Nazım Hikmet and Piraye, Sabahattin Ali and Aliye Ali, Orhan Kemal and Nuriye Hanım, Yahya Kemal and Celile Hanım, Oğuz Atay and Sevin Seydi, Behçet Necatigil and Huriye Necatigil, Neveser Kökdeş and Sermet Sami Uysal, Semavi Eyice and Kâmuran Eyice, Reşat Nuri Güntekin and Hadiye Güntekin.

The 100 stories presented in the book were specially selected in view of their authenticity. The book also contains the letters and poems, lyrics and compositions written by poets, writers, artists, world-ruling sultans to their beloved ones.

With more than 200 visuals it presents, it is a book to be enjoyed by readers of all ages with its literary language and engrossing style.

Author: Kadriye Kaymaz, Eser Postallı Language: TurkishISBN: 978-605-9132-85-5 Pages: 200 Size: 16,5x24 cm Year of Publication: 2018

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KADRIYE KAYMAZ ESER POSTALLI

Is tanbul ’s

ROMANCES


SULTAN SULEIMAN THE MAGNIFICENT and ROXELANA (HÜRREM SULTAN)

~

Do not ask the lover about the predicament of love, for he has lost his mind

Do not disclose the secret of love to Ferhad, for it is a legend

Ask me what the sign of love is, for I shall tell you

The lover sacrifices his life, flying like a moth to the light

(Muhibbî)

In the early 1500s, a fair girl with green eyes was born in Ruthenia (Ukraine), then under Polish rule. No one yet knew that this baby named Roxelana, daughter of an Orthodox priest, would one day become one of the most influential figures in Ottoman history. taken captive by Crimean Tatars when she was a child, Roxelana was then presented to the Ottoman palace by the Crimean Khan. All concubines taken to the harem first went through a process of strict disciplining, and were only introduced to the sultan after they passed all tests and approved by the queen mother. Nevertheless, red-headed and proud Roxelana was hard-headed and stubborn, and was unlike her counterparts. The kalfas (mistress) in the harem thought that it was impossible to discipline this girl. One day, Roxelana was brought before Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. She still could not speak Turkish well. In fact, she was no more beautiful than the rest of the concubines, but there was such a different air in all her manners, which was immediately noticed by the sultan. Concubines were not allowed to look at the sultan in the face while they were in his presence. In contrast, Roxelana stared Suleiman in the eye, which sent the first sparks of love into his heart. He named his new concubine “Hürrem”, meaning “joyful”. That was the beginning of Sultan Suleiman’s forty-year-long love. Mehmed the Conqueror introduced

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a custom for sultans, requiring them not to officially marry and performing wedding ceremonies for their women. Hürrem would soon break this rule with her wits, attaining both her freedom and the title of sultan. She first told the sultan that she desired to send donations to Mecca, and demanded her freedom as slaves were not entitled to such right. Once she obtained her ıtknâme (deed of emancipation) and won her freedom, she then asked Suleiman to officially marry her, for Islamic law would not allow a free woman to live with a man out of wedlock. Unable to turn down the wish of her greatest love, the sultan officially married her with a sumptuous wedding ceremony. Contemporary Western sources recount that during the celebrations the whole city was lit up, there was a large procession, swings were built all around, and musical festivities were organized. It was reported that a large platform was built at Sultanahmet Square, which witnessed many contests as well as shows by knights, acrobats and various wild beasts. Many courtly women, including Hürrem herself, were present to spectate the events.

Once she gave birth to Prince Mehmed (1520-21), Hürrem Sultan was now much more dear to Sultan Suleiman.

At first nobody, chiefly Başhaseki (Prin-cipal Favorite) Mâhidevrân, could make sense of his great interest for Hürrem. Rumors spread around, claiming that Hürrem had great influen-ce over the sultan as she had cast a spell on him. However, it was love itself that charmed the sultan. Hürrem Sultan and Sultan Suleiman had six child-ren, namely Prince Mehmed, Mihrimah Sultan, Prince Abdullah (died at a very young age), Prince Selim, Prince Bayezid and Prince Cihangir. When he went away for mili-tary campaigns, Sultan Suleiman would write letters and poems to Hürrem, who would respond by amorous letters. Using the nom de plume (mahlas) “Muhibbî”, Sultan Sulei-man composed many of his poems for his dear wife:

My companion in privacy, my all, my beloved, my shining moon

My friend, my lawful wife, my all, my most beautiful sultan

My life, my essence, my soul, my drink of Kawthar

My garden of eternity, my spring, my beauty, my sunshine, my picturesque one, my smiling rose

Likewise, in one of her letters starting with terms such as “my sultan, the star of my fortune, my dear beloved one, the light of my eye, my hope for the two worlds”, Hürrem wrote to her long-awaited husband as follows:

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“First having placed my face on the ground and kissed the sand on your feet, a sanctuary of happiness for me, my Sultan, the sun of my fortune and capital of my bliss, if you ask about this maddened slave of yours who has been burnt with this fire of separation with her lungs scorched, her bosom wracked, her eyes full of tears, her days and nights vague, a poor soul submerged in the sea of longing and addicted to your love, in a state much worse than that of Ferhat and Mecnun; I have been away from my Sul-

tan for so long that I am in such an indescribable state due to your ab-sence, like a nightingale crying and wailing…” With Hürrem Sultan, Sultan Suleiman had eyes only for her. This devotion continued until Hürrem Sultan fell ill and passed away on April 15, 1558. She was put to eternal rest in the graveyard of Süleymaniye Mosque. Sultan Sule-iman was so devastated with the de-ath of his wife that he changed the name of a town in the present-day Iran to “Khorramabad” (the city of Hürrem). He spent his eight-ye-ar life after Hürrem yearning and mourning for her. Caring much for charity work in her life, Hürrem Sultan left behind many works of charity, chiefly the Haseki Complex. Initiating the “Reign of Women” in Ottoman history and not losing any of her fame in later centuries, Hür-rem Sultan’s life has been the subject of many books, movies, series, and theatrical plays.

NAZIM HİKMET and PİRAYE

~

The climate of Istanbul is in your smile

The taste of Istanbul in your look

O my lady, if you let me

And if your servant Nâzım Hikmet could dare

It would be like smelling and kissing Istanbul on the cheek

(Nazım Hikmet)

One of the pioneering figures of modern Turkish poetry, Nazım Hikmet was born in Salonica on November 20, 1901. He graduated from the Naval Academy. Starting from his early twenties when he earned fame in literary circles, most of his life was spent behind the bars or in courtrooms. He was involved with several women in his life. Among them his third wife Hatice Zekiye Piraye Altınoğlu, aka “Piraye” (1906-1995) is of special importance. When Nazım Hikmet met Piraye Hanım, a close friend of his sister Samiye Hanım (1930), she was a woman separated from her husband with two children. Once he knew “the flame-haired and clever” Piraye Hanım, he changed his decision not to get seriously involved with women. Nazım saw the promise of a “good and serene life” in Piraye. After two years passed, they decided to get married. However, due to the ongoing prosecution and apprehension, they could marry only on January 30, 1935. Nazım Hikmet and Piraye could spend together only three years of their sixteen-year-long married life. Their marriage produced a son named Mehmet Nazım. Piraye kept his letters from 1933 to 1950 in a wooden suitcase made by Nazım in prison. Thanks to these letters, Piraye could wait for Nazım for a full period of eleven years, patiently and enduring the agony of love. In these letters, Nazım Hikmet addressed Piraye with terms such as “the soul of

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my soul, my darling, my one and only, my wife, my beauty, my dearest one, my all, my light, my bread and earth”. While Nazım was convicted in Istanbul, Bursa and Çankırı prisons, the couple met behind iron bars. In a letter dated July 11, 1939, Nazım recounts a heart-breaking scene as follows: “I first saw your tears behind the wires. I fear to tell you to remain strong. In those moments of our lives that caused us lose our strength, it was you who always gave this advice to me. Strangely enough, this time, it was you again who made me as strong as iron with your tears.” During his convicted years, Nazım Hikmet practiced charcoal drawing, wove fabrics, did some carpentry work and grew flowers. He used to attach inside his letters to Piraye the leaves of geraniums, roses and cloves he grew in jail. He inscribed with his nails the name “Piraye” on his watchstrap. In his letter dated May 24, 1938, he wrote: “My watch broke, and I pulled out the mechanism and placed your photos inside the frame. Now I do not check the hour, for I am gradually losing my

sense of time. I do not check the time, instead I look at your tiny head on my wrist.” Filling books, poems and letters, this love was ended by Nazım’s new-found love for Münevver Berk, his cousin who visited him in jail (1948). “Hating himself ”, Nazım Hikmet wrote a letter to Piraye, telling her about decision to leave her, and sent the letter through a friend of his: “This is the first time I ever hated myself (…) She never told me ‘I love you’, and never told me ‘I will come after you to every city you move’. Even when such occasions arose, she never said ‘I cannot be here by myself, I am bored to death’. Rather, she waited for me for eleven years, preserving her dignity and honor, always guiding me to the right path and never lying to me. She was my best friend that I trusted the most, and I suddenly stabbed her. I have always felt the shame and pain of this treachery of mine.” Nazım and Piraye got divorced on March 23, 1951. Terribly regretting what he had done, Nazım later tried to reunite with Piraye, who responded by a deep silence as she felt humiliated and could not forgive his betrayal. The Nazım in her heart was now dead.

YUSUF KAMİL PAŞA and ZEYNEP KAMİL

~

Born in Arapgir in 1808, Yusuf Kamil Pasha was the son of İsmail Beyzade Mehmet Bey of the famous notable Gökbeğ family of Arapgir. Having lost his father at a young age, he was raised by his uncle Gümrükçüzade Osman Pasha. Yusuf Kamil Pash received a very good education by the standards of his day. He spoke Arabic, Persian and French. After serving in the office of the Imperial Council (Dîvân-ı Hümâyûn) for a whi-le, he went to Egypt where he worked as the clerk of the Egyptian treasury.

At the age of twenty-one, the night he was employed as a clerk at the office of the Imperial Council, Yusuf Kamil Pasha had a dream in which he was sitting on a lawn with the Egyptian governor Kavalalı Mehmed Ali Pasha. In the dream, the pasha left him there but forgot his snuffbox. Yusuf took the box and went to the Egyptian Palace. As he was about to leave after returning the item, a courtier called to him and brought him before the khedive, who was happy with his honesty, telling him that he bestowed on him the box. After he woke up, he told about his dream to a few interpreters. They advi-sed him to go to Egypt as he would find his fortune there. However, in those years, it really required courage to go to Egypt, a country in conflict with the Ottoman Empire. he thought about it for days, and still under heavy influence of the dream, finally decided to go.

He did not have much to do upon his arrival. For days he wandered in empty streets, and one day he decided to write a petition to Mehmed Ali Pasha: But it was quite a petition… The pasha immediately sent for the author of this literary masterpiece and they conversed in private for two hours. Taking an interest in this hardworking, honest and clever young man, Mehmed Ali Pasha entrusted him with the position of a clerk in the Egyptian treasury. Also

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advancing in sciences, Yusuf Kamil would earn favors and ranks one after the other. In his early thirties, he was even promoted as high as colonel.

Quite pleased with the services of Yusuf Kamil, Mehmed Ali Pasha had a daughter called Zeynep, who had reached the age of marriage. An emotional and sensitive girl, she would live for others and always wor-ked for charitable purposes despite her young age. She had many suitors including emirs, pashas and merchants … However, Mehmed Ali Pasha was looking for a sensitive, romantic and sentimental man as husband for his daughter. possessing all these qualities by far, Yusuf Kamil was apparently the most suitable candidate. Finally, Mehmed Ali Pasha found an excuse to introduce the two young people. Yusuf Kamil liked Zeynep a lot, while Zeynep found in the face of this young Anatolian man the purity, honesty and compassion she was looking for. A wise man, Mehmed Ali Pasha soon

married them off. Yusuf Kamil Pasha and Zeynep Hanım had a happy married life. Yet, things did not always work out right. Although Mehmed Ali Pasha had chosen his son Ibrahim Pasha as his successor as the governor, his grandson Abbas Pasha took up the duty upon his sudden death. Pursuing policies different than his grandfather, Abbas Pas-ha set out the purge the Palace of the French. There were certain individuals who had long been nursing a grudge for Yusuf Kamil Pasha, and now the opportunity knocked. Alleging that he had been working for the French, they succeeded in securing his banis-hment to Aswan. On his way to exile, he was asked to sign a document personally issued by the governor, forcing him to divorce Zeynep Hanım. In Aswan, Yusuf Kamil Pasha had terrible days, fell ill and asked for a physician. However there was only one condition to fulfill his demand: He had to sign the deed of divorce.

On the third month of his exile, Yusuf Kamil Pasha sent a petition to Sultan Abdulmecid, who felt very sorry for him and in turn sent a letter to Abbas Pasha, gover-nor of Egypt, ordering him: “You shall personally go to Aswan to fetch Kamil Pasha and dispatch him safely to Istanbul by giving him full honors!” In 1849 Yusuf Kamil Pasha returned to Istanbul, with his suffering coming to an end. However, he still did not reunite

with Zeynep Hanım. He was in search of a way to remarry his own wife. Grand Vizier Mustafa Reşit Pasha asked the sultan to issue a firman to the Governor of Egypt, which was actually a permit for Zeynep Hanım to perform her sacred duty of pilgrimage. Of course, pilgrimage was just an excuse. Zeynep Hanım followed the route to Istanbul via Damascus and Beirut. One day, Sultan Abdulmecid took Yusuf Kamil Pasha with him to pay a visit to the Bosphorus. Believing that he was to receive an ambassador in Balta-limanı, Yusuf Kamil Pasha was waiting for a boat approaching the pier. Then comes the boat and what a shock! It was Zeynep Hanım to descend the boat. Running to the boat, Yusuf Kamil Pasha greeted Zeynep Hanım. With Mustafa Reşit Pasha and the şeyhülis-lam Arif Hikmet Bey as their witnesses, Yusuf Kamil Pasha, now reaching the age of forty, remarried with Zeynep Hanım. Getting used to Istanbul soon, Zeynep Hanım resumed her charity work. Their mansion in Vezneciler soon turned to a lodge, where the sick, debtors, the hungry and the destitute all pleaded for help. Zeynep Hanım used to spend summers in Yakacık, and adorned the district with fountains. The couple was among the first shareholders of Şirket-i Hayriye (Bosphorus Steam Navigation Company) to support the company. As Zeynep Hanım and Kamil Pasha matured, so did their love.

Yet, they had a problem: They could not have children. Thus, they cheris-hed many orphans as their own. The dethronement of Sultan Abdulaziz with the coup of May 30, 1876, de-eply upset Yusuf Kamil Pasha, who passed away the same year and was buried in the garden of the hospi-tal he had himself commissioned in Istanbul. Zeynep Hanım followed him in death in 1881, five years la-ter, and was buried next to him. A century after their death, many still remember both their love and their works of charity for Istanbul…

100 Places To See And Live In Istanbul

When we look at the map, we see that Istanbul is located in the intersecting point of different countries and cultures. New findings of Yenikapı excavations show that Istanbul is one of the oldest cities in history. It is a huge attraction center with its rich history and geography, 15 million habitants and over 10 million tourists per year. It is full of historical artefacts, amazing locations, archeological sites and scenery.

The book consists of 100 spots which are divided into two chapters: ‘Spots to See’ and ‘Spots to Live’. The former lists many historical buildings, districts and places such as Topkapı Palace, Beylerbeyi Palace, Chora Museum, and Neve Şalom Synagogue. The latter lists places where important historical events took place such as Soğuk Çeşme Street, Üsküdar, Golden Horn, Zeyrekhane. With over 200 photos and different travel routes, this book is a cultural guide of the city both for the locals and for tourists.

Author: Bahar KaleliLanguage: Turkish ISBN: 978-605-5592-46-2 Pages: 160 Size: 16,5x24 cmYear of Publication: 2016 (2nd Edition)

BAHAR KALELİ

Istanbul ’s

PLACES TO VISIT


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BOSPHORUS

~

When you think about Istanbul as a maritime city, Bosphorus is the first thing that comes to mind. Istanbul is the most ancient city with a sea flowing through it. Bosphorus runs through Istanbul, a cradle of civilizations, like a watery necklace. The history of Bosphorus begins with a Phoenician colony settled at present-day Moda Burnu in 1500 BC. The first Hellenic colony, on the other hand, was established in 680 BC. During the Ottoman period, the Bosphorus was referred to as the Haliç-i Bahr-i Siyah (Black Sea

Gulf ), İskender Boğazı (Alexander’s Strait), Konstantiniye Boğazı (Constan-tine’s Strait), Haliç-i Bahr-i Rum (Greek Sea Gulf ), and Marcü’i Bahreyn ( Junction of the Two Seas). The European shore is open to the Black Sea and has a zig-zag shape. The shore on this side reaches 55 kilometers at the end of the Golden Horn, the Asian shore, on the other hand, reaches 36 kilometers at Kayakburnu. The small villages along the strait were connected by road in the 19th century. Bosphorus is like a busy boulevard where the effects and forces of two strong currents are present on both sides. During the Tulip Pe-riod in the 17th century, Büyükdere, Tarabya, İstinye, Bebek, and Arnavutköy districts along Bosphorus were filled with summer houses.

The first steam ferry operating in Bosphorus (swift) was commis-sioned by Mahmud II in 1828 and regular trips began in 1849. In 1944, transportation services continued under the partnership with Denizcilik Bankası (a state-owned maritime bank), and the regular trip practices were maintained with six ferries commissioned by Siret Hayride (a steamship company established in 1951) to England. Today, transportation across the strait is conducted on many lines with new additions like sea buses and fast ferries managed under İDO. Built in 1973 the Bosphorus Bridge was first to be built across the strait, followed by the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, the second crossing built in 1988. Bosphorus connects two great civilizations in the north and the south, while splitting two great continents along the east-west axis. Known by its strategically important location throughout the history, the Bosphorus is the only passage connecting the Black Sea count-ries, especially Russia, to the rest of the world. The regime of the Bosphorus Straits is established by the Montreux Convention drawn up in 1936. Listed by UNESCO in the world heritage list, this channel turned Istanbul into a unique city with a sea flowing through it.

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GALATA TOWER

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Galata Tower is an antique tower, perfect for those who want to experience a bird’s-eye view of Istanbul. The tower is situated in the Beyoğ-lu district of Istanbul, between Karaköy and Tünel. Commissioned by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian as a lighthouse in 528, Galata Tower is one of the oldest towers in the world. Restored in 1348 by the Genoese, the tower was largely destroyed during the Fourth Crusade. The tower was initially used for military purposes, however, later functioned as a dungeon in the

16th century, as a silo in the 17th cen-tury, and as a fire observatory for the first Ottoman fire brigade established in 1714. Repaired under Turkish rule, a fire destroyed the tower during the re-ign of Selim III and was later damaged in many fires and storms. According to Evliya Çelebi, during the reign of Mu-rad IV, Hezarfen Ahmed Çelebi jum-ped from the Galata Tower and flew over the Bosphorus using his artificial wings, landing at Doğancılar in the Üs-küdar district. Galata Tower took on its current shape after the repairs betwe-en 1965–1967. With a height of 69.90 meters, diameter of 16.45 meters, a wall thickness of 3.75 meters, the tower of-fers its visitors a breathtaking view of the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn. Visitors also get the chance to enjoy the panorama of the Golden Horn and Üs-küdar before sunset. What’s more, there is also a touristic restaurant within the tower. With all these attractions, the tower is one of the most popular land-marks among international and local tourist alike.

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MAIDEN’S TOWER

~It is a historical tower built on a small islet off the coast of Salacak neighbor-hood in Üsküdar district, which is at the Anatolian side of Istanbul, one of unique cities with a sea flowing through it. Built during the Byzantine era, this legendary tower was used as a customs area for the ships going through. The foundations and crucial sections of the lower floors were constructed du-ring Mehmed the Conqueror period. One of the legends about the tower tells the story of Leandros, who was a mythological figure drowned in the waters of Bosphorus while swimming across to join his lover Hero. According to this legend the tower was built as a memorial where Leandros was drowned. Another legend tells that the Lord of Üsküdar, upon hearing rumors that his daughter would be kidnapped by Battal Ghazi, an Anatolian hero, and would be killed by a venomous snake, locked his daughter at the Tower in an effort to thwart her early demise. Covered with medallion shaped marble plates, the tower features the tughra (sultan’s signature) of Sultan Mahmud II dated to 1832. A lighthouse adjacent to the 18-meter-tall tower blinks every three seconds, guiding the ships through the strait from the Marmara Sea to the Black Sea. Restored in 2000, Maiden’s Tower continues its existence today as one of the most prominent landmarks in Istanbul’s history. Tourist visiting Istanbul can reach the tower by ferries. The restaurant within the tower also arouses interest among many visitors.

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ST. ANTHONY OF PADUA CHURCH

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Located to your right on your way from Tünel to Galatasaray with the nostalgic tramway, St. Anthony of Padua Church is the largest Catholic Church in Istanbul with the most diverse congregation. The church was built for the citizens of Catholic countries and their families serving the Ottoman Empire and also engaging in trade. This building is the last Catholic church built within the city. Built upon the garden of once famed Concordia Theat-re, the exterior of the church is coated with red bricks. Starting in 1906, the

construction of the current church replacing the original church was completed in 1912 and its was opened to visitors. It was built in the Italian Neo-Gothic style by the Italian architect Giulio Mongeri who was born in Istanbul. The courtyard of the church is rea-ched through two six-story apartments connected by a bridge along the İstiklal Avenue. These are the St. Anthony Apartments built to provide financial support for the church and are among the first concrete buildings in İstiklal Avenue. The church is run by Italian priests today.

100 Roman Byzantine Artifacts of Istanbul

Istanbul is one of the most beautiful cities on earth thanks to its cultural legacy taken from three major empires, its geography and artefacts. 100 Roman and Byzantine Artefacts in Istanbul uncovers valuable artefacts from the Roman and the Byzantine Empires and introduces them to us.

In the 7th century BC, the city was called Byzantion referring to the legendary Greek King Byzas. In 330 AD, it was declared as the new capital (Nova Roma) by the Roman Emperor Constantine, and after his death, Istanbul was called Constantinople (the city of Constantine) by the people. In 395, the Roman Empire was divided into two, and Istanbul was the capital of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire until it was conquered by the Ottomans in 1453. During the Ottoman rule, the city remained as the capital and was called Constantinople and Istanbul.

Consisting of many chapters, the book starts with churches. During the Byzantine period, many churches were built in Istanbul and some of them, either in the original form or as mosques, have reached to modern times. In addition, Roman artefacts such as roads, squares, water reservoirs and bath houses are mentioned in the book. Palaces, social structures, harbours, towers and dungeons from the Byzantine times are also analysed under different chapters. The common architecture of both Roman and Byzantine civilisations and Istanbul’s long-time guards -the fortifications- are not forgotten either.

Author: Feride İmrana AltunLanguage: TurkishISBN: 978-994-4370-76-9 Pages: 144 Size: 16,5x24 cm Year of Publication: 2015 (2nd Edition)

FERIDE İMRANA ALTUN

Istanbul ’s

ROMAN & BYZANTINE MONUMENTS


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ANEMAS DUNGEONS

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Getting off at the Ayvansaray stop of the Avcılar-Mecidiyeköy metrobus line, what you first see is walls of Herakleios and Leo (these walls join the Golden Horn walls down ahead). If you walk down towards the Golden Horn, with the walls on your right-hand side, you shall leave three towers behind, and see the façade of Anemas Dungeons adjacent to the wal-ls. The façade features apertures (arrow loops) placed onto a triple arc. Spo-

ila material was also used in the construction of this side. The gar-den-like area in front of the walls contains the remains of an ayaz-ma (holy spring) and tomb. The way passing by the Hüsrev Efendi Mosque at the corner of the street leads to the Toklu İbrahim Dede Mosque. As you enter the city th-rough the Blachernae Gate and walk up the Dervişzade street, to your left you shall see Emir Buhari Lodge, a recently-renovated buil-ding. Right ahead of the lodge lies the Anemas Dungeons. A closer look into the dungeon reveals that it is actually a part of the Blacher-nae Palace complex. The prison was named after Michael Anemas. After the reconquest of Crete by the Byzantines in 961, Abd al-A-ziz al Qurtubi, the last emir of the island, was brought to Cons-tantinople, where he converted to Christianity and took the name Michael Anemas. In 1107 he was arrested on allegations of conspi-racy against Emperor Alexios. It was the emperor’s daughter Anna wo interceded on his behalf and saved him from the punishment of

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blinding, merely having him incarcerated in these dungeons. In her biograp-hical work about the life of her father, Alexiad, she recounts that the prison in question is a one of the towers of the city walls, next to the Blachernae Palace. The dungeons had numerous inmates throughout the Middle Ages, most notably among them Andronikos I, Angelos II and Alexios Apokou-los. Anemas Dungeon is the only underground prison surviving from the Byzantine period. The dungeon is originally a three-story structure, but the intermediate floors collapsed in time. It contains a total of fourteen prison cells. As was mentioned above, the monument is currently under conservati-on, with the restoration works in progress.

SAINT IRENE

~

Saint Irene Church is located inside the first courtyard of Topka-pı Palace. As one of the churches of ancient Byzantium, the church was then named as Palaia Ekklesia (Old Church). Rebuilt by Constantine the Great, the church’s name “divine peace”. The legend has it that there lived a certain Saint Irene (Actually Penelope) who lived during the reign of Constantine the Great. She strived to disseminate the teachings of Christianity among pagan people, who in turn tortured her. She was first thrown into a well full of snakes, but she miraculously survived. She still survived after being sto-ned and drawn around by a horse. Witnessing all these miracles, the people converted to Christianity. Having heard about these miracles, Constantine

the Great dedicated a church to her name. Saint Irene Church had also been

used as the seat of the patri-archate before the constru-

ction of Hagia Sophia.

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Damaged during the Nika Revolt, the church was repaired by Justinian and reopened in 537.

Saint Irene Church is a three-naved basilica with a dome lying in the east-west direction. The building is important in that it is an example of the first phase of a transition from basilica to closed Greek-cross plan. The naos is divided into three naves by a set of four facing columns for each. Colum capitals bear the monograms of Emperor Justinian and Empress Theodora. The gallery section is located above the northern and southern naves and the narthex. During the Ottoman period, stairs were added to the western end of the gallery to provide access. The western part of the church contains the five-partite narthex and atrium. It is one of the few Byzantine churches in Istanbul with a surviving atrium. The monument was damaged

by disasters and repaired many times. The fire of 564 AD caused damage to the building’s atrium and narthex. The dome collapsed in the earthqua-ke of 740 AD and was later repaired by Constantine V. The church’s apse semi-dome and bema arch (a sacred section in Byzantine churches con-taining the altar and closed to pub-lic access) were completely covered with mosaics. However, they were all removed during the iconoclastic period (a period in Byzantine history between 726-842 when icons were banned and churches were “cleansed” of all images of Christ, Virgin Mary and saints). During the 8th century, the apse semi-dome was adorned

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with the image of a Latin cross raised on the Golgotha Hill (where Christ was crucified). The arms of the cross have tears at their ends. The bema arch is encircled by inscription from the Psalms. There is a six-row synthronon (rows of built benches that are arranged in a semicircle in the apse for the clergy to sit during liturgy) in the church’s apse.

Ottomans did not convert the church to a mosque, but instead used it as an armory. During the reign of Abdulmecid (1839-1861), the first Ottoman museum was opened here by Fethi Ahmed Pasha, Marshal of the Imperial Arsenal (Tophane Müşîri). Archaeological artefacts here were la-ter transferred to the Tiled Pavilion. Saint Irene Church then served as a military museum, until it was relocated to Harbiye neighborhood. In 1939 during the Republican period, the church was administratively placed under Hagia Sophia Museum. Currently, it is used as a special venue for concerts and exhibitions.

COLUMN OF MARCIAN (KIZ TAŞI)

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The Column of Marcian is commonly known as Kıztaşı (Maiden Stone). It is situated in the midst of a small square surrounded by shops and houses in Fatih district. Defying the centuries, it still stands intact. Faces of the Nike (goddess of victory in Greek mythology) figurines on its pedestal are still visible despite some damage. The column was erected by prefect Tatianus Decius in honor of Emperor Marcian (450-457 AD), which we learn from the Latin inscription on the pedestal: “This column has been erected by Praefectus Tatianus Decius in honor of Emperor Marcian.” The plate nearby features a fine reconstruction of the column. It would be nice to see such drawings near other monuments in Istanbul… Originally, the capital was surmounted by a statue of Marcian, which has not survived to this day. Erected on a quadrilateral basis, the 10-m-long co-lumn was carved from monolithic granite. The column is topped by a damaged Corinthian capital and an impost block with eagle figures at each of its corners. The pedestal has reliefs on its four façades. The west and east sides feature a Christogram placed inside a large wreath, while the north side has a cross inside a wreath. Two shield-bearing Nike figures are depicted on the southern façade. There are certain legends told about the Column of Marcian. The first is as fol-lows: “During the construction of Hagia Sophia, there was a young girl was on her way to the construction site, carrying a giant column on her back. Suddenly, a genie appeared before her, and asked where she was going. She replied: ‘I heard that they are building a church called Hagia Sophia. I am taking this column there so as to have a hand in it’. The genie replied: ‘You are late. The church is already built. You should drop that stone where you took it from’. The girl sadly did so, but she also had some doubts. She set out to see the church with her own eyes. When she arrived on the site, she saw that the construction was not even half finished, let alone completed. Then the young girl knew that she had been deceived by the genie and immediately returned to take back the stone. Howe-ver, she could not move the standing stone because the girl had lost her magical power as she had listened to the genie and left it there.”

100 Flavors Of Istanbul

In the introduction to 100 Flavors of Istanbul, there is information on topics such as the development and diversity of Istanbul cuisine, the arrangement of the kitchen, the organization and working hierarchy, the utensils and tools used in the kitchen, table settings, traditions and eating habits at the table, and the eating and drinking habits of the sultans. After the introduction, recipes are listed under headings classified according to the food’s order of arrival at the table.

Author: Nilgün TatlıLanguage: TurkishISBN: 978-605-4595-05-1 Pages: 252 Size: 16,5x24 cm Year of Publication: 2015 (2nd Edition)

NİLGÜN TATLI

Istanbul ’s

TASTES


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ASHURE (NOAH’S PUDDING)

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Cooked by straining or with milk during the 15th century, it is unknown when ashure was first cooked. “Ashura” means “tenth” in Arabic. In anecdotal history, it is claimed that the Prophet Noah decreed what was left in their grain supplies be cooked on the 10th day of Muharram month. And once the sweet meal was portioned to the pas-sengers of the ark, the storm and the flood subsided and Noah’s ark came to rest on land. Traditionally, the ashures cooked in the palace during Ashura month would be stuffed in special urns (you can view these urns in the exhibit halls within the Dolmabahçe Palace) and would be gifted with the urns, when visiting houses. In the past, ashure was also made with broad beans, musk, dates, black eyed peas, a touch of butter, honey, and black sesame seeds. This dessert has always been cooked in the palace. Ashure would also be cooked in

Islamic monasteries. According to Sufism, at first humans are raw just like the ingredients of ashure, then cooked in a cauldron, they mature and submit themselves to the Creator. Today, ashure is our most liked dessert and cooked and distributed in all corners of Tur-key. Ashure is also one of the meals consumed by non-Muslims during fasting periods.

INGREDIENTS

3 cups of sugar 2 tablespoons of rice 1 cup of chickpeas ½ cup of white beans 2 cups of cracked wheat 3 tablespoons of İzmir grapes 2 tablespoons of currants 4-5 finely minced dried apricots 1 tablespoon of lemon zest or orange zest A pinch of salt 5 dried figs, finely minced and soaked in warm water 2 tablespoons of rose water 15 cups of water ½ cup of crushed walnuts ½ cup of hazelnuts ½ cup of almonds (soaked in warm water and peeled) 3 tablespoons of pomegranate seeds (when in season) Sufficient amounts of cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

Place the white beans and chickpeas in separate bowls and add water to cover. Let stand overnight. The next they, boil them until they are tender. At night, transfer the cracked wheats to a saucepan, add water to cover, bring to a boil, and cover. Transfer the boiled wheat along with the water to a large saucepan, add 15 cups of water, turn up the heat, also add the rice, once the cracked wheat starts to become tender, add the chickpeas, white beans, currants, and İzmir grapes, continue cooking. Then add sugar, if the sugar is not enough add more sugar to your liking. Add the pine nuts, apricots, lemon or orange zest and continue boiling. Lastly, add ¼ cup of walnuts, almonds, chickpeas, rose water, and bring to a boil. Then, add the figs drained to avoid a dark color and stir. Pour the pudding into serving bowls. Garnish with almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, sesame seeds, pomegranate seeds, and cinnamon. Allow the pudding to cool and then serve.

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KUZU KAPAMA (BRAISED LAMB WITH LETTUCE)

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With a quick look at the meat dishes of the Ottoman palace cuisi-ne, one might encounter kuzu kapama at the late period of the Empire. Kuzu kapama (literally means “covered lamb”) is a meal originating from traditio-nal Istanbul cuisine, which was also enjoyed in the Ottoman palace cuisine. Kuzu kapama is recognized as a meal from Rumelia, Crete, Albania, Bosnia, and Western Thrace. A jewel among the traditional Istanbul cuisine, the meal can also be enjoyed at restaurants today. According to some accounts, kuzu kapama, one of the unique meals of Istanbul cuisine, took its name from an argument between a bride and her mother-in-law. Once upon a time, a bride cooks a delicious meal from lamb meat. After feeding her kids, she sets aside what little was left of the meat for her husband. Her hungry mother-in-law strolls into the kitchen to see what there is to eat and finds the remaining meat covered. She asks her bride, “Why did you cover this lamb, is there no-thing else to eat?” and the bride answers, “Your son will come home hungry, what else could I do but to cover the lamb.”. It is not far-fetched to assume that the medium cooking pans with handles and lids displayed at museums hosting the cooking ware used in the palace, were used to cook various meat dishes like kuzu kapama.

INGREDIENTS

1 kg of lamb shoulder or leg of lamb (cut into individual portions) 2 heads of lettuce 1 bunch of chopped scallions 2 tablespoons of oil 1 cube of sugar 1 bunch of finely minced dill 6-7 seeds of black pepper 1 cup of warm water Sufficient amounts of salt

DIRECTIONS

First, thoroughly rinse the meat and set them aside. Combine the julienne onions and oil in a saucepan, simmer for a while, and the meat and black pepper. Once the meat releases its juice and absorbs it, add warm water if the meat is not tender to your liking, and continue cooking. Then, add the scallions and lettuces. Stir gently until they have softened. Lastly, add the dill and turn off the heat. Serve hot.

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PEYNİRLİ SAKIZ KABAĞI DOLMASI (STUFFED ZUCCHINIS WITH CHEESE)

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In the 15th century, zucchinis were cooked to make borani (an appetizer made with yoghurt and other ingredients) in the cuisine of the Ot-toman palace. Following the 16th century, there were many recipes with zuc-chinis in Istanbul’s cuisine such as; kabak dolması (stuffed zucchinis), koruklu kabak (zucchinis with unripe grape juice), stuffed winter squashes, kabak kalye (a meat stew with vegetables), yoğurtlu kabak (zucchini with yoghurt), zucc-hini salad, zucchini soup, roasted zucchini, zucchini pickles, kabaklı kol böreği (a pastry prepared in long rolls stuffed with zucchini and other ingredients), sakız kabağından kıymalı musakka (moussaka with ground beef and zucchini), asma kabağı dolması (stuffed calabash), tatlı kabak tatlısı (pumpkin desert), and zucchini jam. After the establishment of the republic, the migrants co-ming from the Crete Island during the population exchange between Turkey and Greece, have brought their food cultures with them. For example, they would harvest the zucchinis along with their blossoms, stuff the zucchinis, and cook them together. This is how stuffed zucchinis with cheese and cotta-ge cheese became part of Istanbul’s cuisine. Today, you can order this stuffed zucchini in some of the restaurants of Istanbul.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup of cottage cheese 1 cup of high-fat and crumbled cheese 3 tablespoons of minced parsley 3 tablespoons of minced dill 2 tablespoons of minced mint Sufficient amount of salt and black pepper 1 tablespoon of oil 5-6 fresh zucchinis ½ cup warm water

DIRECTIONS

First, rinse and thoroughly drain the zucchinis. Slightly scrape the skin of the zucchinis. Cut them lengthwise into two, and then with a spoon carefully hollow out the zucchinis to make room for the stuffing. Gently rub a little bit of salt and black pepper inside of each zucchini. This will help the zucchinis to absorb the salt and black pepper. Remove excess water to prevent the zucchinis being too juicy. In a large bowl, combine the stuffing ingredients and thoroughly mix. Sufficiently stuff the hollowed zucchinis and arrange them in a cooking pan with their stuffed side up. Cook on low heat until the zucchinis are tender and do not forget to add half a cup of warm water. Serve hot or cold.

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SU BÖREĞİ (PASTRY WITH CHEESE)

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Originating from Kırşehir, according to old sources, su böreği is one of Turkey’s oldest pastries known in every province of the country and cooked with different stuffin-gs. One might come across the recipe for su böreği on the book “Aşçılıların Sığınağı” (The Sanctuary of Chefs) authored by Mehmet Kâmil in 1844. This recipe says that su böreği can be cooked both with cheese and ground beef. Many accounts of this pastry exist today. According to one account, mother-in-law candidates would always ask the bride-to-be to cook su böreği. And if the pastry is rolled to their liking, they would give their blessings for the marriage between the couples. However, if the bride fails to roll the pastry, the marriage would be postponed until the girl can cook a decent su böreği, even if the boy

loves her. Cooking su böreği is an absolute must on holidays and it is the most popular pastry on special occasions like circumcision ceremonies, engagements, and weddings. Su böreği can be tricky to cook but always worth the effort with its savory flavor. This delicacy can be found in bakeries and pastry shops all around Istanbul, which is a testament to its importance. Unless absolutely necessary, su böreği should never be baked in an oven. The real flavor of this pastry can only be appreciated by cooking it on low heat while continu-ously rotating its tray, and once the bottom is golden, transferring it into another tray face down to cook the other side the same way.

INGREDIENTS

5 cups of flour 8 eggs Sufficient amounts of salt ½ cup of lukewarm water 300 grams of melted and unsalted butter to brush the pastry sheet 1 cup of starch and 1 cup of flour mix to spread the dough 6 tablespoons of finely minced parsley for the stuffing 400 grams of feta cheese

DIRECTIONS

Add water, salt, and 1 tablespoon of oil in a large saucepan, bring it to a boil. Add flour to a wide pan and from a small hollow in the middle. Crack the eggs in the middle. Add the salted water and firmly knead dough. If it is sticky, you can add a little more flour. Slice the dough into 12 equal pieces and cover with a damp cloth. On a flat surface, roll the dough with a rolling pin. Cover the rolled doughs with a clean cloth. Cook the pastry sheets, one at a time, in boiling water for 1-2 minutes. Remove them wit-hout tearing and place them in a bowl of cold water, then gently squeeze them. Place one layer down in a pre-oiled tray, drizzle with the butter, spread the cheese mixture. Repeat with the remaining layers and drizzle the remaining butter over the last layer. Place in a pre-heated oven at 175 °C and bake until the top and bottom is crisp. Serve hot.

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InformationBaran Boztemur (English) [email protected]