Passing through narrow passages

At least 14 historical passages can be found off İstiklal Avenue, with such evocative names as Çiçek, Atlas, Aslıhan, Avrupa, Rumeli, Aznavur, Suriye, Hazzopulo, Markiz, El Hamra, Halep, Nil, Crespin, Tünel and Hristaki A Turkish passage (pasaj) conjures up narrow streets between buildings in Istanbul’s Beyoğlu/Pera district, most often lined with shops selling trinkets, ribbons, etc. In some of them, two people can’t walk side by side; in others, a horse and cart might make it. Almost all date from the 19th century.

Beyoğlu and Karaköy were the main areas where the Ottomans permitted foreigners to live after the conquest of the city in 1453. Beyoğlu itself spread north along the spine of the hills to where Taksim Square is today, but as its buildings were usually of wood there were frequent fires. The rebuilding after the fire of June 1870, which had devastated the area between Taksim and Galatasaray with the loss of more than 3,000 buildings, has given us almost all of the structures that we still have today along the north half of İstiklal Caddesi - four to six storied buildings with stores and businesses on the ground and first floors and, once upon a time, luxurious apartments on the upper floors. The street was dubbed the Champs d’Elysee, a reference to the famous Paris boulevard, in spite of its lack of resemblance.

Inhabitants of Beyoğlu

In the 19th century, Beyoğlu’s inhabitants were primarily members of the Greek and Armenian minorities and catered to foreigners and Ottoman Turks who were attracted to its relative freedom. The Ottomans had always been keen on keeping their “citizens” apart from foreigners, so any of the latter who applied for permission to reside in greater...