Aydın Boysan
Quiet Corners of Istanbul: Experiences
Type
abstract
Year
2014
Boysan, Aydın. İstanbul'un Kuytu Köşeleri: Yaşanti. İstanbul: YKY, 2003, 217pp.
ABSTRACT
Quiet Corners of Istanbul: Experiences
İstanbul'un Kuytu Köşeleri: Yaşantı
In this collection of essays, the author, who is an architect and native of Istanbul (born 1921), gathers his memoirs from childhood to the present day, as well as his observations on the destruction of the city’s urban texture. By providing examples from various neighbourhoods and streets in which he has lived, worked and visited, he criticises the damage and obliteration caused to old structures in order to create modern buildings. Narrating the journey of old neighbourhoods and streets from previous centuries to the twentieth century, the author emphasises the importance of common public spaces, such as parks, squares, roads and streets, in the lives of Istanbul’s inhabitants in the 1930s and 1940s; he laments the demise of these spaces.
While his criticisms sometimes exhibit an emotional tone, he provides some very instructive and little-known facts on Istanbul and its inhabitants. His references to his Greek, Jewish and Armenian neighbours and artisans, the Greek tavern-keepers and their friendly relationships with the Muslim inhabitants of the neighbourhoods, reminds the reader that Istanbul’s non-Muslim residents had once been part of the natural social fabric of the city. Having been an eye-witness to the events of 6-7 September 1955, where a group of Turks pillaged and destroyed the shops and livelihoods of non-Muslims, the author severely criticises the indirect support of the governing political party of the time to the mobs.
He also depicts the entities which have now been replaced today by massive business centres, skyscrapers and huge roads. He reminisces about the Istanbul of his past: Kapalıçarşı, the taverns, the coastline, the month of Ramadan, the theatres, the quarters of Beyoğlu and Pera, entertainment and fashion in the first decade of the Republic. The book is all the more interesting for the references the author makes to his encounters with famous theatre actors, artists and politicians in various places in the city. Written in an accessible language, this memoir will be a pleasurable read, as well as providing food for thought for those who are interested in Istanbul’s past, its social life and its problems.
Feryal Tansuğ
Translated by Aysu Dincer
Citation
Tansuğ, Feryal. '"English abstract of 'Quiet Corners of Istanbul: Experiences'". Translated by Aysu Dinçer. In Cities as Built and Lived Environments: Scholarship from Muslim Contexts, 1875 to 2011, by Aptin Khanbaghi, 67. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2014.
Authorities
Collections
Copyright
Muslim Civilisations Abstracts - The Aga Khan University
Terms of Use
Public Domain
Country
Türkiye
Language
English
Related Documents
Quiet Corners of Istanbul: Experiences
Type
abstract
Year
2014
Boysan, Aydın. İstanbul'un Kuytu Köşeleri: Yaşanti. İstanbul: YKY, 2003, 217pp.
ABSTRACT
Quiet Corners of Istanbul: Experiences
İstanbul'un Kuytu Köşeleri: Yaşantı
In this collection of essays, the author, who is an architect and native of Istanbul (born 1921), gathers his memoirs from childhood to the present day, as well as his observations on the destruction of the city’s urban texture. By providing examples from various neighbourhoods and streets in which he has lived, worked and visited, he criticises the damage and obliteration caused to old structures in order to create modern buildings. Narrating the journey of old neighbourhoods and streets from previous centuries to the twentieth century, the author emphasises the importance of common public spaces, such as parks, squares, roads and streets, in the lives of Istanbul’s inhabitants in the 1930s and 1940s; he laments the demise of these spaces.
While his criticisms sometimes exhibit an emotional tone, he provides some very instructive and little-known facts on Istanbul and its inhabitants. His references to his Greek, Jewish and Armenian neighbours and artisans, the Greek tavern-keepers and their friendly relationships with the Muslim inhabitants of the neighbourhoods, reminds the reader that Istanbul’s non-Muslim residents had once been part of the natural social fabric of the city. Having been an eye-witness to the events of 6-7 September 1955, where a group of Turks pillaged and destroyed the shops and livelihoods of non-Muslims, the author severely criticises the indirect support of the governing political party of the time to the mobs.
He also depicts the entities which have now been replaced today by massive business centres, skyscrapers and huge roads. He reminisces about the Istanbul of his past: Kapalıçarşı, the taverns, the coastline, the month of Ramadan, the theatres, the quarters of Beyoğlu and Pera, entertainment and fashion in the first decade of the Republic. The book is all the more interesting for the references the author makes to his encounters with famous theatre actors, artists and politicians in various places in the city. Written in an accessible language, this memoir will be a pleasurable read, as well as providing food for thought for those who are interested in Istanbul’s past, its social life and its problems.
Feryal Tansuğ
Translated by Aysu Dincer
Citation
Tansuğ, Feryal. '"English abstract of 'Quiet Corners of Istanbul: Experiences'". Translated by Aysu Dinçer. In Cities as Built and Lived Environments: Scholarship from Muslim Contexts, 1875 to 2011, by Aptin Khanbaghi, 67. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2014.
Authorities
Collections
Copyright
Muslim Civilisations Abstracts - The Aga Khan University
Terms of Use
Public Domain
Country
Türkiye
Language
English