Beyoğlu
From Freepedia
Beyoğlu is a neighborhood located in İstanbul, Turkey, separated from the old city by the Golden Horn. It encompasses other neighborhoods north of the Golden Horn including Galata, and is connected to Old İstanbul by the Galata Bridge.
The area that is now known as Beyoğlu has been inhabited for millennia, records exist showing that a settlement existed on the northern shore of the Golden Horn since the time of Christ. As the Byzantine Empire grew, so did Byzantium and it's environs. Modern-day Beyoğlu was considered a suburb of Byzantium as early as the 5th century. It was around this time, that the area began to be called 'Galata, and saw a fortress built in its vicinity by Emperor Theodosius II.
It would also later house European mercenaries, who would construct the Galata Tower, in what was then known as Pera. In 1273, Pera was given to the Republic of Genoa by the Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII Palaeologus in return for Genoa's support of the Empire after the Fourth Crusade and the sacking of Constantinople. Pera became a flourishing trade colony, ruled by a Podestà. It remained under Genoese control until May 29, 1453 when it was conquered by the Ottomans along with the rest of the city in the Siege of Constantinople.
Its association with Europeans did not end with the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople. During the 19th century it was home to many European traders, and housed many embassies, many of which stand to this day. The presence of so many Europeans made it the more modernized part of İstanbul, especially when compared to the Old City. European presence allowed for influxes of modern technology, fashion, and arts into Turkey through Beyoğlu. Thus, it was one of the first parts of İstanbul to have telephone lines, electricity, trams, municipal government, and even an underground railway, the Tünel.
The rapid modernization taking place in Europe, and which was leaving Turkey behind was symbolized by the differences between Beyoğlu, and its neighboring districts across the Golden Horn. When the Ottoman sultans finally began a modernization program, they began building numerous buildings in Beyoğlu that mixed traditional Ottoman styles with newer European ones. In addition, the Ottoman sultan stopped living in Topkapi Palace, and built a new palace near Beyoğlu, called Dolmabahçe Palace.
During the Republican Period Beyoglu went into gentle decline, a process which accelerated after violence against non-Muslim minorities in 1955 and after the invasion of Cyprus in 1974. The widespread political violence between leftist and rightist groups which afflicted Turkey in the late 1970s affected the area particularly badly and accelerated the decline with middle-class flight to newer suburban areas such as Levent and Yeşilköy. By the late 1980s many of the previously grand apartment blocks were home to penniless immigrants from rural Anatolia, and many of the shop fronts on Istiklâl Caddesi were boarded up. However, beginning in the early 1990s, a conscious programme of urban renewal began which brought large numbers of young professionals back into the area and revitalised the main shopping artery.
Modern day Beyoğlu is a center of tourism, and an important part of İstanbul. Istiklâl Caddesi runs through the area, terminating at Taksim Square. Throughout Beyoğlu there are many cafes, restaurants, cinemas and bars along with being home to many foreign consulates the British and German consulates being amongst the most impressive buildings in the area. Also in Taksim is the famous Galata tower. The famous Istiklal Caddesi runs through Beyoğlu, terminating at Taksim Square.
Beyoğlu also has many historical Mosques, Tekkes and Turbes and several Sufi orders such as the Cihangiri (pronounced Djihangiri) order were founded here.
Due to the close proximity of Western consulates in this area and the cosmopolitan atmosphere of the area in general there are also a large number of foreign people of all nationalities living in this area. The area is also home to significant Turkish Christian and Jewish communities, and contains a broad social mix as a result of gentrification.
Among the more notable buildings in the area is the Pera Palace is the name of an hotel in İstanbul, built in 1892 by George Nagelmackers. Agatha Christie wrote there her most famous novel, Murder on the Orient Express. Her room is still a museum.
