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ARNAVUTKOY – MEGA REVMA


ARNAVUTKOY – MEGA REVMA
Photo Information
Copyright: gurkan akcakir (izmirli) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1568 W: 0 N: 1280] (15878)
Genre: Places
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2006-09-22
Categories: Architecture
Exposure: f/4.6
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2008-07-26 6:20
Viewed: 258
Points: 42
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
The district of Arnavutkoy on the European shore of the Bosphorus was one of the closest villages to Istanbul and inhabited as early as Roman times. The name, meaning Albanian Village, is derived from the fact that centuries later settlers from the shores of Dalmatia (who may have migrated there from Scandinavia) made their home in Arnavutkoy.
The history books tell us that Constantine the Great had a church dedicated to St. Michael built here, which was rebuilt on a larger scale by the Emperor Justinian. The church was looted during the cru­sader invasion of Istanbul in Byzantine times, and stones from the ruined building used by Mehmet II in the construction of Rumeli Hisari fortress in the midfifteenth century, prior to the conquest of Istanbul.
Despite the name Arnavutkoy, which dates from the mid 1500s, the population seems to have been mainly Jewish for most of the village's history, only in later times the balance chang­ing in favor of the Greeks. A publica­tion of the Sirket-i Hayriye (Istanbul Ferryboat Company) written just before the First World War gives the population as 493 Turks and Muslims in 168 households, and 5973 Greeks in 975 households. The Jewish popula­tion had moved away after the great fire of 1877 and Muslims took their place. Arnavutkoy was particularly at risk from fires, because of its exposed posi­tion to easterly winds and to a lesser extent to northeasterly winds, which caused fires to spread quickly among the timber houses. In 1871 Americans purchased the waterfront house or yah of Musurus Pasha and the wooded park behind, and established the American College for Girls. But such dry facts do not do justice to the picturesque atmosphere of Arnavutkoy, whose seafront is lined with pretty wooden houses, and whose narrow streets and lanes climb up the hill­side behind.
Once upon a time Arnavutkoy was best known for its woods of great trees behind the village, and its famous orchards and market gardens whose fruit and vegetables were known throughout the country
The grounds of the American College, now coedu­cational, is still filled with great pines, planes, net­tle trees, horse chestnuts whose candles of white and pink blossom light up the woods every spring, and of course the Judas trees whose brilliant cycla­men colored blossom splashes color along the shores of the Bosphorus in April. The huge planes were then not confined to the hillsides facing the sea, but filled the valleys and bowls reaching up to the district of Etiler, which has become built up since the 1950s. For three seasons of the year they threw their dark green shade over a Greek Orthodox Church and its small cemetery on the slope beneath Etiler. Nearby was a small tavern owned by a former cemetery keeper. For many years its peaceful terrace attracted those who enjoyed the combined pleasure of green surroundings with a glass of aniseed flavored raki, the so called 'lion's milk', which takes on a milky white color when mixed with water, accompanied by small plates of melon, green peppers, and white cheese. There the time passed so pleasantly, with a little friendly conversa­tion, and the chorus of titmouses, chaffinches and nightingales, that all one's troubles faded out of sight and mind.
Nature was not content just to send high trees thrusting into the sky in this corner of the Bosphorus. The ground was covered by a green undergrowth of thorny bushes, within whose thick unpromising leaves were hidden a surprise gift of God each spring when the pink white fruits appeared. These were the celebrated Ottoman strawberries associated with Amavutkoy! This deli­cious fruit, picked one by one and packed into tall narrow baskets, is now a rarity. But in its more abundant days it used to make a delightful gift, filling the air with its delicate fragrance, which no preserve or liqueur could quite capture. At one time the small pale pink strawberries of Arnavutkoy grown in the market gardens and pri­vate gardens of Arnavutkoy were so plentiful that the scent hung for weeks in the air around the tiny picturesque ferry terminal from which the straw­berries were sent to the city markets, intoxicating the few passengers
Those strawberries were not to be compared with the meaty red lumps fed with hormones, which are sold as strawberries today. Two or three decades ago the strawberry fields of Arnavutkoy covered 40 hectares (100 acres) and produced between 25,000 and 35,000 kg of Ottoman strawberries and 40,000 to 45,000 kg of European strawberries each year. It is hard to make anyone believe these fig­ures today. And this level of production was more­over at the time when Istanbul's population was less than a million, not 15-20 million like today. Arnavutkoy was not just a paradise of trees, flowers and fruit, but a place where the inhabitants of those lovely old wooden houses were a closeknit community of neighbors and friends. Indeed, the same was true for every part of Istanbul and Turkey in those days.
But each district was distinct in architectural terms, each reflecting the diverse origins and social status of their inhabitants. The great konaks of Divanyolu, Beyazit and Suleymaniye, painted in serious colors like ash gray or cinna­mon brown, present­ed an earnest and dignified appear­ance, like a stiff, uninformed army officer on parade, but within con­tained lavish mag­nificence.
The exteriors of the huge yalis of the Bosphorus had a similar stark dignity, and in ear­lier centuries were only painted dark red ochre. Not until the 19th century did they acquire more light hearted tones, such as white walls and green or yellow painted shutters. The wooden houses of Arnavutkoy, as the last survivors show, were paint­ed in a wider range of colors and adorned with intricate carving and other decoration on their eaves and balconies, so that I have always likened them to lovingly made birds nests The grocer's shops and greengrocers on the corners grew creepers at their doors and trained them over the entrance to provide agreeable shade. The ven­dors of lakerda (salted bonito) and ciroz (dried and salted mackerel) who arrayed their wares on the pavements in the evenings, lit up their glass jars with strings of light bulbs, transforming that corner into a charming scene. The carved, decorated houses of Arnavutkoy were not soulless structures, but each a tiny, uniquely crafted world, inhabited by people of sensitivity. One day in the early 1980s, when I was driving through Arnavutkoy up to Etiler, a typical Arnavutkoy house caught my eye on the comer of the first small square. On the spur of the moment I asked the driver to stop, and knocked on the door, intending to offer funds to renovate the house. But before I could say a word, the lady who opened the door smiled and invited me in. She said that she had foreseen my visit in a dream, and had been waiting for me for days. I was astonished.
The houses of Arnavutkoy not only foster dreams, miracles and astonishment, but are filled with memories. In 1937 the 7year old Celik (who had just lost his father), walked hand in hand with his mother along the seafront to spend the day with some wealthy distant relatives at their yali. For the adults the day passed in eating and conversation, and for the children in play. On one side of the house there was the blue sea, and on the other three sides green gardens where the magnolias were in flower. It was like a place out of fairytale. When it was time to go the children of the house protested in chorus that their young visitor should stay for the night. His young mother, Munevver Hanim, had to agree. But as she turned towards the stairs Celik's eyes filled with tears, and he begged her not to leave him there. So with happy heart mother and son walked home hand in hand.
tanburi, milas, lisapw1, Emma, hderin, tsesler, jan515, efrosini, ayse51, Urfaust, inunguak, black_dream has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

Selamlar Gürkan Üstadım,
Ne güzel bir medeniyet görüntüsü. Renkler ve çizxgiler oılağan üstü bir sentezi gösteriyor.
Renk douygunluğu ve kontrast çok başarılı. Selamlar.. ve sağlıklı günler..
Selahattin E

very interesting foto.
Great color , and composicion !!
this black , gren and orange frame is bed
but overal 2 :)
Maciej

  • Great 
  • milas Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2162 W: 385 N: 2273] (24634)
  • [2008-07-26 6:26]

merhaba Gürkan bey...
Güzel bir açıdan güzel bir manzara, renk ve netlik güzel...eline sağlık...selamlar

Good Morning Gurkin,

There is so much vibrant color in the photo. The building facades, rooftops, the water and the boat. All come together nicely to make a splendid photo.

Being that strawberries are my favorite fruit, I can only imagine the peaceful, nice feeling I would get smelling the lovely aroma of days gone by.... I would like to try these strawberries one day!

thanks for sharing, Lisa

Merhaba Gürkan Bey

Çok güzel bir çalışma. Herhalde vapurdan çektiniz. Buna rağmen netlik harika olmuş. Renklerin, çok çeşitli ve canlı olması fotoğrafı çok etkili kılmış.

Elinize sağlık

Selamlar

  • Great 
  • nicou Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 402 W: 0 N: 505] (5290)
  • [2008-07-26 7:31]

Hello,

Très belle iamge, tous ces bâtiments de couleurs différents sont superbes, les couleurs très belles, avec la mer, les bâteaux, un superbe ensemble.

Bravo et amitié

Nicou

  • Great 
  • Emma Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1507 W: 5 N: 1612] (9066)
  • [2008-07-26 7:48]

Merhaba my friend Gürkan,
what a wonderful note,the architectur,colours and details are perfect. Beautiful view.
Greetings.
Eva

Üstadım,

Sizin gözlerinizden görmek renklendiriyor her yeri... Harikulade bir fotoğraf, ışık mükemmel ve renkler yine canlı elleriniz dert görmeye :)

Hürmetlerimle...

Haluk Derinöz

Merhaba Gürkan Bey,
rengarenk Arnavutköy manzarası,
tek kelimeyle;
m u h t e ş e m,
ellerinize ve emeğinize sağlık,
saygılar,
Taner

Hello Gurkan,
This photo is very very beautiful, very well composed and with great colours and light. I love it. Congrats, mb

Bonjour Gurkan
C'est très coloré et cela méritait une photo.Bravo pour cette image d'Istanbul et bonne fin de journée.
Amicalement
Gildas

  • Great 
  • jan515 Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2489 W: 48 N: 3013] (14304)
  • [2008-07-26 10:11]

Merhaba my friend Gürkan,
a very good moment have you here shown with that boat and far with that beautiful architecture city with class colors and sharp details. A beautiful picture and interesting note my friend.
Best regards.
Janusz

Merhaba Gürkan bey,
Tarihi mirasımız olan bu güzel yalıları tanıtmanız
harika. Kompozisyon olağanüstü canlı renklerden
oluşuyor. Ellerine sağlık. Selam,sevgiler.
Dr.Seyfettin Güner

Selamlar Gürkan
Rekli hareketli harika bir bogaz görüntüsü,
Yalıların renkleri ve görünümü harika.
Ellerine saglık arkadşım.İyi hafta sonları.
Selamlar
H.Ayhan

Merhaba Gürkan Bey,
Boğaz'dan nefis bir görünüm.Perspektif ve renkler harika.Elinize sağlık.
Selamlarımla..

hAyAti

Merhaba dear Gurkan
Amazing pictoresque village. Beautiful neoclasic arhitecture beside the shore and fine residence on the terraces of the hill. Thanks for explination
Best wishes my friend
Melany

Hi, Gürkan!

Wondefful panorama with interesting note. I like it!

jazmin

  • Great 
  • Kiwis Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1590 W: 0 N: 184] (12916)
  • [2008-07-27 5:56]

Hi Gurkan,
Very well composed and point of view for your shot! Colors are alive. It's a real postcard you show us. Thanks my friend
Regards
Diane

  • Great 
  • ayse51 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1147 W: 62 N: 806] (12527)
  • [2008-07-27 7:41]

Merhaba Gürkan bey,
renklerin güzelliği insanı büyülüyor.Ellerinize sağlık.Necla.

hello my friend..
it seems something beetwen montecarlo and venice!! nice the pov u have taken! reading some news in your note.. i look at a big history about this place.. traditions.. and something really courious! many thanks
ciao Marco

  • Great 
  • wieyos Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1006 W: 41 N: 1909] (7466)
  • [2008-07-27 17:28]

Merhaba Gurkan Bey,

beautiful image of dwellings by the shore. nice colours & well taken too. well done Ustadim!

TFS
Regards
Agoes

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