Fieldwork
Istanbul,
Turkey
Landscapes in Istanbul tell stories of the past and visions of the
future. This wall in Beyoğlu displays a life-sized image of a early
twentieth-century photograph of the same area. The image recalls a
cosmopolitan cultural memory of the city, when this area was
predominantly Greek Orthodox, Armenian and Jewish, and the shops,
restaurants, and European consulates in the neighborhood spoke of close
ties to Europe and a European identity for this area in Istanbul.
Kuzguncuk is a
small Bosphorus neighborhood with a rich multiethnic past, though very
few non-Muslim minorities remain in Kuzguncuk today. Kuzguncuk's
picturesque landscape of old Ottoman-era wooden houses, churches,
mosques and synagogues makes it a beloved symbol of multicultural
tolerance and a site of gentrification in Istanbul. I study the
landscape by observing and participating in neighborhood life and
gathering place narratives from Kuzguncuk residents.
This is a photo of me talking with my friend and longtime Kuzguncuk
resident Yani in June, 2006. The photo is by
Ömer Yükseker.
Here I am with my friend Furtune in June, 2006.
She was born in Kuzguncuk in a house her grandfather built, and lives
in that house today. We are sitting outside her house in a garden Yani
made with a table and chairs where other neighbors come by every day to
visit and drink tea. Furtune is very well-known in the neighborhood for
her warmth and generosity. Her house was once a set for some scenes in
a film with Ibrahim Tatlises. The photo is by
Ömer Yükseker.
I took this photograph of my young friends Melis and Oğuz in the
Kuzguncuk Market Garden in 2004.
This is a photo of Perihan Abla Street in Kuzguncuk. It is named after
a famous Turkish television show, filmed here, which dramatized
traditional neighborhood (mahalle)
life.
Gentrification in Kuzguncuk started in 1978 on Uryanizade Street with
the restoration of old wooden Ottoman houses.
Gentrification continues apace in Kuzguncuk, but now it entails
destroying the old building and rebuilding it in cement. Many people
have moved to Kuzguncuk to rebuild historic houses and enjoy
neighborhood life and property values in the neighborhood continue to
increase.
Kuzguncuk's minority history is important for the Greeks and Jews who
used to live in Kuzguncuk. Jewish people who live in other parts of
Istanbul, and in Israel, return to Kuzguncuk to visit and have restored
the old synagogues there. Many people return to Kuzguncuk every
Saturday for services at Bet Yaakov Synagogue. This is a photograph of
a newly restored section of the building.
Tel Aviv,
Israel
I took this photo of a bulletin board with old photographs of
Kuzguncuk, Istanbul. The photos belong to people who were born in
Kuzguncuk, Istanbul but who emigrated to Israel. Many of them left
Istanbul in the 1940s and 1950s, and some of them left much later.
These photos were collected on
this bulletin board during a reunion of former Kuzguncuk residents
which was held in July, 2006 in Tel Aviv, Israel. I interviewed these
residents about their memories of neighborhood life in Kuzguncuk. The
reunion was organized by my colleague David Angel.
Here Korin Hanim writes her name next to a number - she placed a
sticker with the same number on the map to show where she used to live
in Kuzguncuk. This map activity was organized by David and Alona Angel.
*These photos were taken by Amy Mills except when otherwise indicated.
The photographs are copyright of the photographer. Please do not use
without permission.