Ortaköy/Μεσοχώρι

Pervititch Maps colored according to community the structure belonged to: Muslim in yellow, Jewish in blue, Greek in orange, and Armenian in pink (Source: Ümit Erdim)

The neighborhood of Ortaköy developed out of two parallel sets of valleys running perpendicular to the ocean and cut across by a stream that fed into the Bosphorus. Its fertile lands had been settled prior to the Byzantine period under the name of Archeion which later took on the name Hagios Fokas after the Byzantine monastery built in the region. The neighborhood supported vineyards and gardens near the mouth of the stream that was reported by Petrus Gyllius, a French natural scientist in the sixteenth century, to produce artichokes. Its early inhabitants were peasants tending to the gardens or fishermen and boatmen who worked in the bustling port. After the conquest of Constantinople in 1453, the Hagios Fokas monastery was destroyed and the neighborhood took on the name of Mesochori (Μεσοχώρι). It would later be referred to as Ortaköy in Turkish. 

The shoreline of Ortaköy (Source: Sebah Joaillier)

Into the sixteenth century, the neighborhood was characterized as a fairly homogeneous Christian neighborhood which traveler Evliya Çelebi corroborates. In this period Sephardic Jews exiled from Spain began to settle in the region. The intensification of Jewish settlement was exacerbated by fires in Jewish neighborhoods in 1618 which pushed migration into Ortaköy. Eremia Chelebi Kömürjian, writing as a contemporary of Çelebi, described how Ortaköy began to be characterized as a Jewish neighborhood while retaining a sizable Greek and Armenian population. The reign of Sultan Suleiman I also introduced the movement of Muslim populations that settled on either side of the stream in the sixteenth century. In the following century, the valley regions of the neighborhood were characterized as more densely populated by Muslims while the coastal areas saw the settlement of non-muslims as well as the building of seaside mansions. 

Postcard of the Ortaköy waterfront (Source: Salt Research)

In the seventeenth century, the area around Ortaköy was designated as a coastal resort area where the daughters of the Sultan were gifted or built themselves palaces on the shores of the Bosphorus. The coastline was soon dotted with yalıs which were wooden, often three-story waterside mansions built in a row. The style of these yalıs varied with inspiration drawn from Art Nuevo, Neoclassical, and eclectic styles. By the eighteenth century, most of the summer mansions in Ortaköy belonged to Muslim elites but residence records show Jewish, Greek, and Armenian property owners. In the nineteenth century, following the construction of the Dolmabahçe Palace and the Çırağan Palaces, the area rapidly urbanized and the neighborhood lost its unique summer resort charm. Integration into the urban fabric of the city Ortaköy became a suburb. The Neighborhood's development was exacerbated by the expansion of the Şirket-i Hayriye’s continuous ferry line service to Ortaköy in 1851. In the early nineteenth century, Ortaköy had many coffeehouses and shops to serve the growing population. 

At the intersection of the two main districts of the neighborhood is Ortaköy Square, home to the major religious structures of the neighborhood: the Mecidiye Mosque, Etz-Ahayım Synagogue, the Surp Asdvadzadzin Church, and Hagios Fokas Church, the oldest religious structure in the neighborhood. 

Greek Institutions:

Bell Tower of Hagios Fokas (Source: Kayıhan Türköz)

The original structure of Hagios Fokas (Αγίου Φωκάς) dates to the Byzantine period but was destroyed in the conquest of Constantinople. It was rebuilt soon after in the same location. In 1719 a fire destroyed the new structure and it underwent renovations in 1819 and 1865 after a fire in 1853. In addition to Hagios Fokas there is also an Hagios Georgios (Αγίου Γεωργίου) church with an accompanying cemetery. In 1798, the community built a school in a wooden building near the Greek cemetery. A new school was built in 1876 which housed 40 students.  

Jewish Institutions:

(Source: Wikimedia commons)

The Etz-Ahayim (Tree of Life) Synagogue (בית הכנסת עץ חיים) was built in 1628 but underwent fire damage in 1703 and 1813. The Synagogue was rebuilt for a second time and reopened for service in November of 1825. The repairs were made through the support of the Commando family, a prominent Jewish family in the region. In 1855, the London Jewish Society opened a school in Ortaköy. The Etz Ahayim Synagogue established a mixed school on its land in 1881. Other important Jewish institutions included the Vasıf Pasha Jewish Orphanage and School and the Jewish cemetery.

Armenian Institutions:

The  Surp Asdvadzadzin Church (Source: Beşiktaş Municipality)

The Armenian community operated two churches in the neighborhood: the Surp Asdvadzadzin Church (Սուրբ Աստուածածին Եկեղեցի) and the Armenian Catholic Church (Սուրբ Գրիգոր Լուսավորիչ եկեղեցի). Associated with the Catholic church was a library and the Surp Asdvadzadzin Church managed a school. As with the other minority communities, the Armenians had their own cemetery.

(Source: Salt Research)

Muslim Institutions:

The Mecidiye Mosque comissioned by Sultan I. Abdülmecit and built in 1854 by Armenian architect Nikogos Balyan and commissioned by Sultan Abdülmecit I serves as the local place of worship for the muslim members of the neighborhood. Other landmarks include the Damat İbrahim Pasha Fountain.

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References

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Atalan, Özlem. 2015. “Ortaköy-Kuruçeşme Arasindaki Sahilsaraylar; 19 Yüzyil.” International

Periodical For The Languages, Literature and History of Turkish or Turkic 10 (Winter): 83-

120.

Erdim, Ümit. n.d. “İstanbul’daki Musevi Okullari Ve Koruma Sorunları, Ortaköy Etz Ahayim

Sinogogu Musevi Mektebi Örneği.”

Fişek, Büşra Sümeyye. n.d. “Mekânsal değişim izinde kentsel morfoloji incelemesi: Ortaköy

ve Kuzguncuk.” Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University Institutional Repository.

Cebioğlu, Gülşah. 2013. “İstanbul'da Yeniden Işlev Verilen 16. Yüzyıl Çarşı Hamamlarına

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Direkli Hamam-Üsküdar.” ProQuest Dissertations & Theses.