POTENTIAL
FOR FUTURE PROJECTS
During 2000-2001 after discussions arrangements were made to transfer control of the old Buca Anglican church ‘All Saints British Protestant church’ from the Buca municipal council to an interim authority who then gave it to the Izmir Independant Protestant church (The Baptists) for rent free use of the building. The council who were experiencing difficulties to justify costs of restoring the leaking roof, were thus freed from this responsibility and the building and cemetery’s long-term future was guaranteed. This happy set of circumstances are unlikely to be replicated when it comes to preserving the remaining architectural heritage.
The Izmir heritage commission [Izmir Röleve Anıtlar müdürlüğü] under the auspices of the headquarters in Ankara [Anıtlar ve Müzeler Müdürlüğü] at present has 5 restoration projects being [as at 2001] pursued at varying speeds. In addition a few restorations affected by private individuals are undertaken with the consent and inspection of the commission. Of the official ones, 3 have relevance to the Levantine past.
1- Halilrıfatpaşa Köşkü – in the Karantina area (restored during 2001-2002)
3 storied stone building (not Levantine) but bearing many traditional Izmir architectural elements. Original owner was a 19th century Ottoman pasha and later owners, now restored as the offices of ‘Türkiye tanıtım araştırma demokrasi ve laik oluşum vakfı’ (Tülov) [Association for the promotion of Turkey]. Address: Şehit Nihat bey caddesi, no: 186, Konak. More on this building in assocation web site, in Turkish here:
2- On ‘Birinci kordon’ (seafront Alsancak), next to present Greek consulate, a former Greek house where Ataturk stayed in his visit, lower floor to be a cultural exhibition hall, upper envisaged as an Ataturk museum. Since April 2002 this building is operational as the Atatürk müzesi – Ataturk museum.
3- Mithatpaşa cad, Karataş eski sayaç atölyesi [Old electrical clock workshop – Karataş]
Formerly used by the Belgian tram company, post restoration ‘Müzik ve sahne sanatları merkezi’ [Music and theatre centre].
4- Agora, in Çankaya, repair of perimeter wall of old Roman market.
5- Forbes mansion, Buca (Since February 2001 work at a standstill but building is secured against rain seepage, recent information lacking).
The present economic climate is likely to lead to a further reduction of restoration work resulting in many more buildings passing the point of no return in terms of restoration feasibility. Clearly if funds are available from outside sources only the most noteworthy and least damaged have to be selected.
The head of the ‘Izmir Röleve Anıtlar müdürlüğü’, Esin Kuleli, 2-3 years ago was involved in a working group named Çekül. Despite ownership problems, a central project workhouse in Basmane was determined and restoration plans for this building exist. The project was intended to cover a large area of Basmane-Çankaya, centre of Turkish and former Jewish neighbourhoods, though the final number of buildings is not determined. Lack of funds caused the project to be placed on hold, though if funds are available in the future, the existing official and volunteer team is ready to proceed.
The plans of the Heritage commission are at the same vetted by the ‘1nolu koruma kurulu’ [the primary preservation agency], submitted for approval in the monthly ‘Koruma kurulu’ [Preservation agency] meetings. Funding is double sourced, Dösimm (the kitty of the culture ministry) and the general directorship. The first protection association is responsible for determining protection sites etc., the heritage commission is the investment agency as well as inspecting the sub-contractors throughout the period of the project. The first protection association is responsible for the Izmir and Çeşme areas, while the second is organised in 7 cities of the Aegean and dealing with those regions.
In 1996 (June 3rd-14th) Istanbul was the host for the international ‘Habitat II’ conference dealing with all aspects of housing, settlement and urbanisation on a global scale, sponsored by UNESCO, which was a follow up to the conference held in Montreal 20 years before. In the favourable project climate established straight after, a major urban protection and regeneration scheme was worked out between the architectural departments of the Berlin (Mr Kramer, Zeynep hanım) and Istanbul technical universities (Fikret Evcil, Yılmaz Kuyumcu), together with the council of Fatih then under the control of a later interior minister, Saadettin Tantan. The local beautification societies provided local support from the start. The project was to receive financial support from UNESCO (7m $), promise from the European commission (650m euro) and the Turkish building fund [toplu konut fonu] (2m $).
Note: These figures I haven’t independently verified and are based on the testimony of Mr Mustafa Ünal, the vice president of the Fener beautification society, who I interviewed.
The area was to be along the Golden Horn, from Fener to Balat, the old Greek and Jewish neighbourhoods respectively (from the Greek Patriarchate to Ayvansaray, where the Byzantine land walls join the sea walls of the Golden Horn).
Note: The ethnic mixes of the past is more complicated, as in the depths of the Ottoman Empire, Fener was a favourite neighbourhood of the Genoese and Venetian merchants. The aristocratic families were not all a relict of the Byzantine Empire. They included those with Italian and Germanic origin left overs from the Latin Kingdom that ruled the city in the 13th century, Greeks from the Aegean islands, and Rumanians
p.54.
Greeks living here, until recently formed the majority of the local population, were known as a distinctive group and are referred to as the ‘Phanariots’. Just prior to the imminent Ottoman conquest of Istanbul, they had fled to the islands of Aegean and Morea, but a proclamation by the conquering Sultan Mehmet II, declaring freedom of belief and right to conduct commerce brought them back. For over 3 centuries, they represented an intermingling of cultures in Istanbul, holding such important offices as grand-vizier (equivalent to a modern prime minister – Rum Mehmet Pasa), court [Divan] translators and political consultants (Panayotaki Nikosi), governors of Moldavia and Wallachia
p-92.
Plans, project centre house, and ultimate use of houses, such as an alcoholic treatment centre, were all worked out, with even the beginnings of an encouraged movement in of artisans and celebrities (the genial TV personality Savaş Ay etc.), buying property, to assist in the regeneration. 200 buildings were earmarked with the possibility of later expansion. The inventory included the mansion of the influential ‘court’ official Dimitrie Kantemir, on the hill above.
Note: The story of this individual is a story in itself. According to source
p-54, ‘The gentlemen of Fener had a special place in the
culture of the Ottomans and high offices in the governing apparatus…
Dimitrie Kantemir (1673-1723) was (possibly) a Tatar from Rumania who
was sent to Istanbul as child for education in the Ottoman Palace school
and through a complicated set of circumstances, caught the eye of the
Palace, rose up to become the Prince (volvod) of the Rumanian region
of Moldavia in 1710. He spoke 9 languages, became a historian, was an
accomplished composer in Turkish music and recorded Turkish music of
the 16th and 17th century, allowing for their survival till today. He
wrote a major work, ‘The history of the growth and decay of the Ottoman
Empire, London, 1734-1735’, translated by Nicholas Tindal (1687-1774),
and lived for a long time in this now crumbling 2 storied mansion complex.’
It is this building that was envisaged to be the core of the restoration
project, as a ‘restoration
school’. This adventurous character later accompanied Peter the
Great in his expansionist campaign
into Persia in 1722, composing several addresses to the people to be
subjugated.
Official start for the project, with officials present, was given in the grounds of the now vacant representative of the ‘Jerusalem Patriarchate’ (non-conformist Greek – Hagios Yeoryios Metochion, since the 17th century 1r-p.93) church nearby. Strickly this is a mansion and the residence of the representative of the monastery of St. Catherine on Mount Sinai from 1686 until 1967, when it was confiscated by the government, for no obvious reason apart from the fact that the sect no longer had any local adherents. However the elections in the April of 1999 was held in an atmosphere of disinformation with the religious party [Fazilet] scaring the people that post restoration the houses would be taken from them. The atmosphere was further poisoned by ‘nationalistic elements’ making claims that the scheme was a ploy to elevate the status of the Patriarchate to that of Vatican, with schemes to buy-out the neighbouring properties, thus the establishment of a 5th column of neo-Byzantines! The tactic worked for them as the majority of the population were relatively recent migrants from Anatolia, squatting and suspicious of all change. The new mayor, Albayrak on the day of victory placed all files of the UNESCO outside the door of the room allocated to their officials and despite making sounds later of possible resurrection, has not made any positive moves. The effects to the snub to UNESCO and the loss of considerable funds, which were on the point of release, are likely to be felt for a good time yet. Istanbul will probably never again be presented with a project of this scale to effect inner city regeneration and long term tourism prospects. The lost opportunity is still felt by people like Mr Ünal, who nevertheless still keeps an eye on the neighbourhood to prevent the locals from making architectural ‘improvements’ to their property, which are officially listed, though sometimes old doors etc are ripped out before these ‘raids’. There is nevertheless a gradual decay of these mostly wooden buildings. Mr Ünal was able to name a few of the former occupants of surrounding houses, their profession and approximate dates of departure (mostly middle class Greeks, tailors etc and mostly in the 60s), however this information is not being recorded and is set to be lost with the passing of the current elderly generation.
There is a web site detailing the project outline and financial contributions of this still-born project. There is also a web site concentrating on the architectural heritage of Fener-Balat area.
This unfortunate story shows some of the extra difficulties of working out restoration projects in Turkey. However the local politics in Izmir has none of the more extreme elements, and the present/recent city municipality, has shown a great keenness in restoration of ‘common heritage’ including the Jewish cemetery of Gürçeşme in 2001, involving considerable financial outlay borne completely by the city and district (Konak) councils. However this project was helped by the promise of an increase in cultural tourism; a combination of descendants visiting from Israel and those seeking the grave of a prominent local sage, Rabbi Hayyam Pallachi. At the age of 73 he was decorated by the sultan of the time, Abdülmecit I (r. 1839-1861) and some of the 72 pieces of work are still referred to in the Jewish schools worldwide. The estimated 2000 annual Jewish visitors often do more than visit his tomb, but do the ‘triangle of brilliants’ [pırlanta üçgeni], involving also an immersion into the sacred pool fed by a spring, located within the cemetery buildings. The final stage of the pilgrimage involves visiting the synagogue of the sage Pallachi, Bet-Illel, like many other Jewish places of worship in the former Jewish neighbourhood of Ikiçeşmelik. Like many Izmir synagogues of Izmir, the drift of its congregation has meant it has been ‘invaded’ and in a parlous state. There is a possibility of its restoration. It is beyond the scope of this article to go into the rich Jewish heritage of Izmir, however there is a web site on the life of one of the most influential sages of the city during the 17th century, Sabbetai Zevi:
Recently there has been an increase in interest in his nominally Moslem followers, still clinging to that quasi culture, known as Sabetians [Sabetaycı].
The situation with Levantine heritage cannot be promoted in the same financial returns options and outside funding would have to be sought. Any project would need a team that included an architectural institution, such as the department of a university, to lend the venture credibility and thus attract funding from serious institutions. The building to be restored would have to serve a particular, probably benevolent function, with the details of that organisation also worked out in advance to ensure long term viability of the building. The success of the project is to be more likely with the correct choice of ‘cause’, with the historical relevance of the building probably being of secondary importance to the financial backers. However this report is partly intended to provide the colour in presenting the cultural heritage to would be backers.
In Bornova the situation is somewhat different to elsewhere in that many Levantine properties are still occupied by descendants who thus preserve the detail, and the city council has placed funds to renovate some of the more prominent buildings. The situation was not always so, as with the expansion of roads leading up to the square, and the enlargement of that public space, meant many properties either were completely destroyed or lost substantial acreage. Some such as the Paterson house lost its protective walls, leaving it more exposed to development and later vandalism. That property suffered a major fire in the 1980s followed by a restoration work that involved more cement than an attempt to replicate the architecture, making it virtually unrecognisable when compared to old photographs. The building is now in the process of a second council renovation, but the costs would preclude the possibility of returning the property as it stood pre-sale. Another Levantine property undergoing Izmir council restoration is the long abandoned Murat (Edwards) house across from the Anglican church. The Belhomme (Xenopoulo) house was restored by Helene Armand, a descendant of those families, who was wealthy enough to privately finance the repairs in the 80s despite the fact that she did not live in the house. The council renovated the property in their turn in 1997 (see Bornova council web site for photo) and it now serves as the local municipal library.
On a passing note another former church, in central Izmir, I briefly investigated the potential for restoration was the ‘Aya Vukla’ (Agios Voukolos) church in the Basmane region of Izmir, one of the few standing Greek Orthodox churches in the region. The city authorities have used the building for a variety of purposes since the last services there in the 40s. In the 60s to the 70s it was the site of the Izmir archaeological museum, between 1984-1999 as a venue for general storage and the practice of the state opera singers before a mysterious fire in 1999 which has damaged the roof allowing rain water deterioration. Funds have since not been forthcoming for a suggested theatre hall. There are a few local people, such as the head of the Izmir chamber of commerce, Ekrem Demirbaş, expressing a wish for restoration of the property with the view of a culture and arts centre, however the momentum by local authorities is lacking. The stocky built classical style building is nearing the point of no-return as rain water continues to soak in. According to the librarian at the Fener Orthodox Patriarchate, Yorgo Benlisoy, the building was built in 1866, named after the first bishop of Smyrna, a student of Saint John the Evangelist. He was succeeded as bishop by Polykarpos (Saint Polycarpe), who was to be famously martyred. The church was clearly built on the site of a temple, as pagan icons were exposed while excavating for foundations. However it is not clear if the ionic columns adorning its elaborate entrance are from this former temple. The church of Agios Voukolos apparently still belongs to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and as recently as 2003 a huge concert, attended by Patriarch Bartholomeos, was held in Thessaloniki, Greece, to raise funds for its restoration.
The only other standing Greek church in Izmir is along the Yeşildere road, in worse condition as it is gutted and access prevented as it is just within military land. Virtually all the Greek churches across Anatolia, many of them still standing in living memory (Alaşehir, Kula etc) are now in a state of ruin, or gradually heading towards a point of no return (Ayvalık – Cunda). However on a positive note, the council in the Aegean region market town of Söke is currently engaged in a project to restore the former Greek neighbourhood of the town (Kemalpaşa), with funding provided by the European community work and skills programme.
There is a rising level of interest in the Levantine heritage in Turkey, particularly in Izmir, and the latest panel was held in Izmir on 6th of March 2003, with the participation of Turkish-American association, university professors, researchers and local Levantine representatives on the subject of ‘Levantines and Levantine culture, with its history, social, economic, cultural and traditional aspects’ considered. On a similar vein there was an evening panel (4th of January 2005) on the subject of ‘living together with varying beliefs’ [farklı inançlar ve birlikte yaşam] held in the recently established Izmir city museum and archives centre. These one evening panel, obviously could only touch upon. However all such initiatives can only be welcomed.
There is a pilot project aiming at the compilation of an inventory of historical buildings in Istanbul initiated with the support of the Ministry of Culture, run by the non-governmental organization ‘Tarih vakfı’ [The Economic and Social History Foundation of Turkey] that has a range of activities including publishing books and organising exhibitions, details of which can be seen in their web site. This association also has been active in oral history projects, and there has been a similar valuable project run in Izmir by the tv documentary presenter Enis Rıza. There is an on-going project based in Galata, Istanbul, headed by Mr Nuri Kaya, a Galata based photographer who has started a cultural twinning project with the city of Genoa, and a web site details the aims and participators in this project. This project campaigns to prevent further encroachment of shoddy developers in the Beyoğlu and Galata districts, and some members of our forum, have taken an active interest in this worthy project, click here for more details.
During 2000-2001 after discussions arrangements were made to transfer control of the old Buca Anglican church ‘All Saints British Protestant church’ from the Buca municipal council to an interim authority who then gave it to the Izmir Independant Protestant church (The Baptists) for rent free use of the building. The council who were experiencing difficulties to justify costs of restoring the leaking roof, were thus freed from this responsibility and the building and cemetery’s long-term future was guaranteed. This happy set of circumstances are unlikely to be replicated when it comes to preserving the remaining architectural heritage.
The Izmir heritage commission [Izmir Röleve Anıtlar müdürlüğü] under the auspices of the headquarters in Ankara [Anıtlar ve Müzeler Müdürlüğü] at present has 5 restoration projects being [as at 2001] pursued at varying speeds. In addition a few restorations affected by private individuals are undertaken with the consent and inspection of the commission. Of the official ones, 3 have relevance to the Levantine past.
1- Halilrıfatpaşa Köşkü – in the Karantina area (restored during 2001-2002)
3 storied stone building (not Levantine) but bearing many traditional Izmir architectural elements. Original owner was a 19th century Ottoman pasha and later owners, now restored as the offices of ‘Türkiye tanıtım araştırma demokrasi ve laik oluşum vakfı’ (Tülov) [Association for the promotion of Turkey]. Address: Şehit Nihat bey caddesi, no: 186, Konak. More on this building in assocation web site, in Turkish here:
2- On ‘Birinci kordon’ (seafront Alsancak), next to present Greek consulate, a former Greek house where Ataturk stayed in his visit, lower floor to be a cultural exhibition hall, upper envisaged as an Ataturk museum. Since April 2002 this building is operational as the Atatürk müzesi – Ataturk museum.
3- Mithatpaşa cad, Karataş eski sayaç atölyesi [Old electrical clock workshop – Karataş]
Formerly used by the Belgian tram company, post restoration ‘Müzik ve sahne sanatları merkezi’ [Music and theatre centre].
4- Agora, in Çankaya, repair of perimeter wall of old Roman market.
5- Forbes mansion, Buca (Since February 2001 work at a standstill but building is secured against rain seepage, recent information lacking).
The present economic climate is likely to lead to a further reduction of restoration work resulting in many more buildings passing the point of no return in terms of restoration feasibility. Clearly if funds are available from outside sources only the most noteworthy and least damaged have to be selected.
The head of the ‘Izmir Röleve Anıtlar müdürlüğü’, Esin Kuleli, 2-3 years ago was involved in a working group named Çekül. Despite ownership problems, a central project workhouse in Basmane was determined and restoration plans for this building exist. The project was intended to cover a large area of Basmane-Çankaya, centre of Turkish and former Jewish neighbourhoods, though the final number of buildings is not determined. Lack of funds caused the project to be placed on hold, though if funds are available in the future, the existing official and volunteer team is ready to proceed.
The plans of the Heritage commission are at the same vetted by the ‘1nolu koruma kurulu’ [the primary preservation agency], submitted for approval in the monthly ‘Koruma kurulu’ [Preservation agency] meetings. Funding is double sourced, Dösimm (the kitty of the culture ministry) and the general directorship. The first protection association is responsible for determining protection sites etc., the heritage commission is the investment agency as well as inspecting the sub-contractors throughout the period of the project. The first protection association is responsible for the Izmir and Çeşme areas, while the second is organised in 7 cities of the Aegean and dealing with those regions.
In 1996 (June 3rd-14th) Istanbul was the host for the international ‘Habitat II’ conference dealing with all aspects of housing, settlement and urbanisation on a global scale, sponsored by UNESCO, which was a follow up to the conference held in Montreal 20 years before. In the favourable project climate established straight after, a major urban protection and regeneration scheme was worked out between the architectural departments of the Berlin (Mr Kramer, Zeynep hanım) and Istanbul technical universities (Fikret Evcil, Yılmaz Kuyumcu), together with the council of Fatih then under the control of a later interior minister, Saadettin Tantan. The local beautification societies provided local support from the start. The project was to receive financial support from UNESCO (7m $), promise from the European commission (650m euro) and the Turkish building fund [toplu konut fonu] (2m $).
Note: These figures I haven’t independently verified and are based on the testimony of Mr Mustafa Ünal, the vice president of the Fener beautification society, who I interviewed.
The area was to be along the Golden Horn, from Fener to Balat, the old Greek and Jewish neighbourhoods respectively (from the Greek Patriarchate to Ayvansaray, where the Byzantine land walls join the sea walls of the Golden Horn).
Note: The ethnic mixes of the past is more complicated, as in the depths of the Ottoman Empire, Fener was a favourite neighbourhood of the Genoese and Venetian merchants. The aristocratic families were not all a relict of the Byzantine Empire. They included those with Italian and Germanic origin left overs from the Latin Kingdom that ruled the city in the 13th century, Greeks from the Aegean islands, and Rumanians
p.54.Greeks living here, until recently formed the majority of the local population, were known as a distinctive group and are referred to as the ‘Phanariots’. Just prior to the imminent Ottoman conquest of Istanbul, they had fled to the islands of Aegean and Morea, but a proclamation by the conquering Sultan Mehmet II, declaring freedom of belief and right to conduct commerce brought them back. For over 3 centuries, they represented an intermingling of cultures in Istanbul, holding such important offices as grand-vizier (equivalent to a modern prime minister – Rum Mehmet Pasa), court [Divan] translators and political consultants (Panayotaki Nikosi), governors of Moldavia and Wallachia
p-92.Plans, project centre house, and ultimate use of houses, such as an alcoholic treatment centre, were all worked out, with even the beginnings of an encouraged movement in of artisans and celebrities (the genial TV personality Savaş Ay etc.), buying property, to assist in the regeneration. 200 buildings were earmarked with the possibility of later expansion. The inventory included the mansion of the influential ‘court’ official Dimitrie Kantemir, on the hill above.
Note: The story of this individual is a story in itself. According to source
p-54, ‘The gentlemen of Fener had a special place in the
culture of the Ottomans and high offices in the governing apparatus…
Dimitrie Kantemir (1673-1723) was (possibly) a Tatar from Rumania who
was sent to Istanbul as child for education in the Ottoman Palace school
and through a complicated set of circumstances, caught the eye of the
Palace, rose up to become the Prince (volvod) of the Rumanian region
of Moldavia in 1710. He spoke 9 languages, became a historian, was an
accomplished composer in Turkish music and recorded Turkish music of
the 16th and 17th century, allowing for their survival till today. He
wrote a major work, ‘The history of the growth and decay of the Ottoman
Empire, London, 1734-1735’, translated by Nicholas Tindal (1687-1774),
and lived for a long time in this now crumbling 2 storied mansion complex.’
It is this building that was envisaged to be the core of the restoration
project, as a ‘restoration
school’. This adventurous character later accompanied Peter the
Great in his expansionist campaign
into Persia in 1722, composing several addresses to the people to be
subjugated.Official start for the project, with officials present, was given in the grounds of the now vacant representative of the ‘Jerusalem Patriarchate’ (non-conformist Greek – Hagios Yeoryios Metochion, since the 17th century 1r-p.93) church nearby. Strickly this is a mansion and the residence of the representative of the monastery of St. Catherine on Mount Sinai from 1686 until 1967, when it was confiscated by the government, for no obvious reason apart from the fact that the sect no longer had any local adherents. However the elections in the April of 1999 was held in an atmosphere of disinformation with the religious party [Fazilet] scaring the people that post restoration the houses would be taken from them. The atmosphere was further poisoned by ‘nationalistic elements’ making claims that the scheme was a ploy to elevate the status of the Patriarchate to that of Vatican, with schemes to buy-out the neighbouring properties, thus the establishment of a 5th column of neo-Byzantines! The tactic worked for them as the majority of the population were relatively recent migrants from Anatolia, squatting and suspicious of all change. The new mayor, Albayrak on the day of victory placed all files of the UNESCO outside the door of the room allocated to their officials and despite making sounds later of possible resurrection, has not made any positive moves. The effects to the snub to UNESCO and the loss of considerable funds, which were on the point of release, are likely to be felt for a good time yet. Istanbul will probably never again be presented with a project of this scale to effect inner city regeneration and long term tourism prospects. The lost opportunity is still felt by people like Mr Ünal, who nevertheless still keeps an eye on the neighbourhood to prevent the locals from making architectural ‘improvements’ to their property, which are officially listed, though sometimes old doors etc are ripped out before these ‘raids’. There is nevertheless a gradual decay of these mostly wooden buildings. Mr Ünal was able to name a few of the former occupants of surrounding houses, their profession and approximate dates of departure (mostly middle class Greeks, tailors etc and mostly in the 60s), however this information is not being recorded and is set to be lost with the passing of the current elderly generation.
There is a web site detailing the project outline and financial contributions of this still-born project. There is also a web site concentrating on the architectural heritage of Fener-Balat area.
This unfortunate story shows some of the extra difficulties of working out restoration projects in Turkey. However the local politics in Izmir has none of the more extreme elements, and the present/recent city municipality, has shown a great keenness in restoration of ‘common heritage’ including the Jewish cemetery of Gürçeşme in 2001, involving considerable financial outlay borne completely by the city and district (Konak) councils. However this project was helped by the promise of an increase in cultural tourism; a combination of descendants visiting from Israel and those seeking the grave of a prominent local sage, Rabbi Hayyam Pallachi. At the age of 73 he was decorated by the sultan of the time, Abdülmecit I (r. 1839-1861) and some of the 72 pieces of work are still referred to in the Jewish schools worldwide. The estimated 2000 annual Jewish visitors often do more than visit his tomb, but do the ‘triangle of brilliants’ [pırlanta üçgeni], involving also an immersion into the sacred pool fed by a spring, located within the cemetery buildings. The final stage of the pilgrimage involves visiting the synagogue of the sage Pallachi, Bet-Illel, like many other Jewish places of worship in the former Jewish neighbourhood of Ikiçeşmelik. Like many Izmir synagogues of Izmir, the drift of its congregation has meant it has been ‘invaded’ and in a parlous state. There is a possibility of its restoration. It is beyond the scope of this article to go into the rich Jewish heritage of Izmir, however there is a web site on the life of one of the most influential sages of the city during the 17th century, Sabbetai Zevi:
Recently there has been an increase in interest in his nominally Moslem followers, still clinging to that quasi culture, known as Sabetians [Sabetaycı].
The situation with Levantine heritage cannot be promoted in the same financial returns options and outside funding would have to be sought. Any project would need a team that included an architectural institution, such as the department of a university, to lend the venture credibility and thus attract funding from serious institutions. The building to be restored would have to serve a particular, probably benevolent function, with the details of that organisation also worked out in advance to ensure long term viability of the building. The success of the project is to be more likely with the correct choice of ‘cause’, with the historical relevance of the building probably being of secondary importance to the financial backers. However this report is partly intended to provide the colour in presenting the cultural heritage to would be backers.
In Bornova the situation is somewhat different to elsewhere in that many Levantine properties are still occupied by descendants who thus preserve the detail, and the city council has placed funds to renovate some of the more prominent buildings. The situation was not always so, as with the expansion of roads leading up to the square, and the enlargement of that public space, meant many properties either were completely destroyed or lost substantial acreage. Some such as the Paterson house lost its protective walls, leaving it more exposed to development and later vandalism. That property suffered a major fire in the 1980s followed by a restoration work that involved more cement than an attempt to replicate the architecture, making it virtually unrecognisable when compared to old photographs. The building is now in the process of a second council renovation, but the costs would preclude the possibility of returning the property as it stood pre-sale. Another Levantine property undergoing Izmir council restoration is the long abandoned Murat (Edwards) house across from the Anglican church. The Belhomme (Xenopoulo) house was restored by Helene Armand, a descendant of those families, who was wealthy enough to privately finance the repairs in the 80s despite the fact that she did not live in the house. The council renovated the property in their turn in 1997 (see Bornova council web site for photo) and it now serves as the local municipal library.
On a passing note another former church, in central Izmir, I briefly investigated the potential for restoration was the ‘Aya Vukla’ (Agios Voukolos) church in the Basmane region of Izmir, one of the few standing Greek Orthodox churches in the region. The city authorities have used the building for a variety of purposes since the last services there in the 40s. In the 60s to the 70s it was the site of the Izmir archaeological museum, between 1984-1999 as a venue for general storage and the practice of the state opera singers before a mysterious fire in 1999 which has damaged the roof allowing rain water deterioration. Funds have since not been forthcoming for a suggested theatre hall. There are a few local people, such as the head of the Izmir chamber of commerce, Ekrem Demirbaş, expressing a wish for restoration of the property with the view of a culture and arts centre, however the momentum by local authorities is lacking. The stocky built classical style building is nearing the point of no-return as rain water continues to soak in. According to the librarian at the Fener Orthodox Patriarchate, Yorgo Benlisoy, the building was built in 1866, named after the first bishop of Smyrna, a student of Saint John the Evangelist. He was succeeded as bishop by Polykarpos (Saint Polycarpe), who was to be famously martyred. The church was clearly built on the site of a temple, as pagan icons were exposed while excavating for foundations. However it is not clear if the ionic columns adorning its elaborate entrance are from this former temple. The church of Agios Voukolos apparently still belongs to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and as recently as 2003 a huge concert, attended by Patriarch Bartholomeos, was held in Thessaloniki, Greece, to raise funds for its restoration.
The only other standing Greek church in Izmir is along the Yeşildere road, in worse condition as it is gutted and access prevented as it is just within military land. Virtually all the Greek churches across Anatolia, many of them still standing in living memory (Alaşehir, Kula etc) are now in a state of ruin, or gradually heading towards a point of no return (Ayvalık – Cunda). However on a positive note, the council in the Aegean region market town of Söke is currently engaged in a project to restore the former Greek neighbourhood of the town (Kemalpaşa), with funding provided by the European community work and skills programme.
There is a rising level of interest in the Levantine heritage in Turkey, particularly in Izmir, and the latest panel was held in Izmir on 6th of March 2003, with the participation of Turkish-American association, university professors, researchers and local Levantine representatives on the subject of ‘Levantines and Levantine culture, with its history, social, economic, cultural and traditional aspects’ considered. On a similar vein there was an evening panel (4th of January 2005) on the subject of ‘living together with varying beliefs’ [farklı inançlar ve birlikte yaşam] held in the recently established Izmir city museum and archives centre. These one evening panel, obviously could only touch upon. However all such initiatives can only be welcomed.
There is a pilot project aiming at the compilation of an inventory of historical buildings in Istanbul initiated with the support of the Ministry of Culture, run by the non-governmental organization ‘Tarih vakfı’ [The Economic and Social History Foundation of Turkey] that has a range of activities including publishing books and organising exhibitions, details of which can be seen in their web site. This association also has been active in oral history projects, and there has been a similar valuable project run in Izmir by the tv documentary presenter Enis Rıza. There is an on-going project based in Galata, Istanbul, headed by Mr Nuri Kaya, a Galata based photographer who has started a cultural twinning project with the city of Genoa, and a web site details the aims and participators in this project. This project campaigns to prevent further encroachment of shoddy developers in the Beyoğlu and Galata districts, and some members of our forum, have taken an active interest in this worthy project, click here for more details.