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ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE TELLS A TALE OF TWO CITIES
Hurriye
Jan 28 2009
Turkey
ISTANBUL - Istanbul is home to many minorities and Hasan Kuruyazıcı
has been unearthing the architectural heritages of old non-Muslim
neighborhoods.
In a quest to discover the unknown designers behind several of
Istanbul's mosques, churches and wooden houses, local expert Hasan
Kuruyazıcı's investigation bore some interesting results.
A scholar of architectural history, Kuruyazıcı uncovered the
names of some 850 architects, most of whom were Armenians, Greeks
and Levantines.
"I could only find one Turkish architect from the beginning of the
1900s. His name was Vedat Tekin." Kuruyazıcı started his research
firstly by looking over and analyzing the trade yearbook "Annuaire
Oriental" between the years 1868 to 1930.
Apart from the yearbooks, which were like his guide, Kuruyazıcı
also took advantage of the meticulous records kept by the Freemasons
at the Masonic Lodge Foundation.
Talking to Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review about his research,
Kuruyazıcı said he prepared his project for the Istanbul 2010
European Capital of Culture with the cooperation of the International
Hrant Dink Foundation, established by the friends and family of
assassinated Armenian writer and journalist Hrant Dink.
Different perspectives on Istanbul's neighborhoods "The project has
not yet been accepted by the European Capital of Culture Agency. I
cannot say if the project will be accepted or not but no matter what
the answer of the agency, the International Hrant Dink Foundation plans
to realize the project in 2010. There will be a huge exhibition. We
are planning to display models of the historic architectures of those
850 architects," Kuruyazıcı said.
Not able to find sufficient data on buildings and structures built
in the 19th and 20th centuries, Kuruyazıcı decided to focus on
the period's architects. "There are two Istanbuls: One of them is
a non-Muslim city, the other one is a Muslim one. Muslims mostly
settled inside the city walls and Uskudar, a district in the Asian
side. Non-Muslims settled in KurtuluÅ~_, called Tatavla back then,
Pangaltı, Å~^iÅ~_li, Pera, TarlabaÅ~_ı, Cihangir and Tunnel
neighborhoods," Kuruyazıcı said, adding that the differences in
lifestyle were also reflected in the architecture of the settlements.
According to his research, non-Muslims interacted more with the West,
reflected in their style of living. It was in the 19th century that
the city first witnessed multi-storied buildings.
The damage is great in the Å~^iÅ~_li and Pangaltı districts "The
awareness of the need to protect historic sites and assets appeared
pretty late in Turkey. The most damaged districts are Å~^iÅ~_li
and Pangaltı and neighborhoods in between them. These areas are
where annuity is high that is why the destruction is notable,"
Kuruyazıcı said.
TarlabaÅ~_ı is another desolated and wrecked district, according
to Kuruyazıcı's research, and many buildings were demolished in
Suleymaniye, a historic area.
Another topic Kuruyazıcı paid attention to during his investigation
into the buildings was the epigraphs on the structures that helped him
identify the architects. Yet he said most of the epigraphs had been
ruined. Giving the example of the Itır pharmacy, located near Taksim
Square, he said: "The building, the ground floor of which is home to
the pharmacy, was built by Dimitri Ciledis. His name had been covered
up by an orange plaque. As if this was not disrespectful enough, the
people living in the building put up the foundation's epigraph. This
is just a small example."
Kuruyazıcı contacted both Armenian and Greek societies living
in Istanbul to dig deeper into the topic. Articles he published in
community newspapers helped him receive feedback from people and while
he was continuing his research, an Armenian woman who was in her 90s
called Kuruyazıcı and said her granddad was a palace architect.
Kuruyazıcı categorized the names according to their ethnicities
within particular years, but the hardest part for him was separating
those who were Catholic Armenians and those who were Levantines,
because of the similarity of the names.
--Boundary_(ID_xNNNu1N7sIJT3NYc56bohA)--
Hurriye
Jan 28 2009
Turkey
ISTANBUL - Istanbul is home to many minorities and Hasan Kuruyazıcı
has been unearthing the architectural heritages of old non-Muslim
neighborhoods.
In a quest to discover the unknown designers behind several of
Istanbul's mosques, churches and wooden houses, local expert Hasan
Kuruyazıcı's investigation bore some interesting results.
A scholar of architectural history, Kuruyazıcı uncovered the
names of some 850 architects, most of whom were Armenians, Greeks
and Levantines.
"I could only find one Turkish architect from the beginning of the
1900s. His name was Vedat Tekin." Kuruyazıcı started his research
firstly by looking over and analyzing the trade yearbook "Annuaire
Oriental" between the years 1868 to 1930.
Apart from the yearbooks, which were like his guide, Kuruyazıcı
also took advantage of the meticulous records kept by the Freemasons
at the Masonic Lodge Foundation.
Talking to Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review about his research,
Kuruyazıcı said he prepared his project for the Istanbul 2010
European Capital of Culture with the cooperation of the International
Hrant Dink Foundation, established by the friends and family of
assassinated Armenian writer and journalist Hrant Dink.
Different perspectives on Istanbul's neighborhoods "The project has
not yet been accepted by the European Capital of Culture Agency. I
cannot say if the project will be accepted or not but no matter what
the answer of the agency, the International Hrant Dink Foundation plans
to realize the project in 2010. There will be a huge exhibition. We
are planning to display models of the historic architectures of those
850 architects," Kuruyazıcı said.
Not able to find sufficient data on buildings and structures built
in the 19th and 20th centuries, Kuruyazıcı decided to focus on
the period's architects. "There are two Istanbuls: One of them is
a non-Muslim city, the other one is a Muslim one. Muslims mostly
settled inside the city walls and Uskudar, a district in the Asian
side. Non-Muslims settled in KurtuluÅ~_, called Tatavla back then,
Pangaltı, Å~^iÅ~_li, Pera, TarlabaÅ~_ı, Cihangir and Tunnel
neighborhoods," Kuruyazıcı said, adding that the differences in
lifestyle were also reflected in the architecture of the settlements.
According to his research, non-Muslims interacted more with the West,
reflected in their style of living. It was in the 19th century that
the city first witnessed multi-storied buildings.
The damage is great in the Å~^iÅ~_li and Pangaltı districts "The
awareness of the need to protect historic sites and assets appeared
pretty late in Turkey. The most damaged districts are Å~^iÅ~_li
and Pangaltı and neighborhoods in between them. These areas are
where annuity is high that is why the destruction is notable,"
Kuruyazıcı said.
TarlabaÅ~_ı is another desolated and wrecked district, according
to Kuruyazıcı's research, and many buildings were demolished in
Suleymaniye, a historic area.
Another topic Kuruyazıcı paid attention to during his investigation
into the buildings was the epigraphs on the structures that helped him
identify the architects. Yet he said most of the epigraphs had been
ruined. Giving the example of the Itır pharmacy, located near Taksim
Square, he said: "The building, the ground floor of which is home to
the pharmacy, was built by Dimitri Ciledis. His name had been covered
up by an orange plaque. As if this was not disrespectful enough, the
people living in the building put up the foundation's epigraph. This
is just a small example."
Kuruyazıcı contacted both Armenian and Greek societies living
in Istanbul to dig deeper into the topic. Articles he published in
community newspapers helped him receive feedback from people and while
he was continuing his research, an Armenian woman who was in her 90s
called Kuruyazıcı and said her granddad was a palace architect.
Kuruyazıcı categorized the names according to their ethnicities
within particular years, but the hardest part for him was separating
those who were Catholic Armenians and those who were Levantines,
because of the similarity of the names.
--Boundary_(ID_xNNNu1N7sIJT3NYc56bohA)--