From 1453 Constantinople was known as Istanbul meaning "in the city". Constantinople officially became Istanbul in 1930. However it was still referred to as Constantinople until the 1960s.

"Central" Constantinople was basically divided into a Moslem section and a non-Moslem section. The Golden Horn (Corne d'or) separated the Moslem section, "Stamboul", from the European section variously known as Galata, Pera, and Beyoglu. Both of these sections are actually in Europe. The Bosporus separates Europe from Asia. The nomenclature of the European section gets a little confusing as the names in many cases were used interchangeably and in other cases more specific designations were given. The Azarians lived in the "European" section of the city. This is were the embassies, the European hotels, and the Armenian Catholic churches were located.

The known Azarian "addresses" were:

• Beyoghle 1895-1901 and 1908
• Taksim 1903-1905 and 1910-1914

Most of the non-Muslim population of Constantinople lived in this part of town.

• Galata

  Galata was a walled Genoese city until the 19th century. The Galata tower was a lookout point on the northernmost boundary. The tower is a major land mark on the city skyline and a focal point of the European section.

• Pera

  Pera is sometimes used to indicate all of the European section of the city at other times it seems to refer to the specific area north of the Galata Tower. In a 1893 Scribner's article there is mention of "the busy quarters of Galata, or of Pera above."

  At another point in the same article there is reference to: "both cities, Pera and Stamboul."

  Note: "Stamboul" was the Moslem quarter of central Constantinople and encompassed the area south of the Galata Bridge.

• Beyoglu

  By the mid 1800s the Galata/Pera area was not large enough for the non-Muslim population that lived there so the Galata walls were torn down and the neighborhood was enlarged. Elegant hotels and apartments were build on the Grand Rue de Pera. The area then became known as Beyoglu. Beyoglu encompassed the old Galata/Pera. Taxim was a sub-section of Beyoglu.

  Beyoglu was very Europeanized. French was the predominant language. There were communities of French, Italians, Russians, Germans, English, Armenians, Greeks, Jews, Hungarians, and Poles, each with their embassies, schools, churches, etc..

Note: A major problem with identifying some locations in Constantinople is a reflection of the international status of the city. The names are variously in Turkish, French, German, English, etc.

The Galata Bridge and the Old Bridge (Vieux pont)

Two bridges, the Galata Bridge and the old bridge, connected the two "cities" of Stambul and Beyoglu (Galata & Pera).

The Galata Bridge is the more famous of the two. Originally built in 1845 the Galata Bridge was rebuilt between 1910 and 1912. The present bridge dates to 1992.

Climate

The summers are frequently very hot and dry.

Winters are mild but very wet.

"Snow sometimes falls in winter, but the ground rarely freezes, becoming instead a mass of adhesive mud which is rendered still more disagreeable by incessant rain."

National Geographic, May 1915

"Winter in Constantinople is long and disagreeable, not because of its cold, which is rarely severe, but because of its darkness and penetrating dampness...... you cannot count on the sun between October and April. Those six months are really a rainy season."

National Geographic December 1914

Streets were unnamed and houses were unnumbered. However, each neighborhood or quarter had a name. To find a given person first you had to find the quarter and then someone in it would know the person being sought.

Language

"In the polyglot multitude, he who speaks but a couple of languages is considered ignorant and is often helpless. The common handbills and notices are usually printed in four. The sign over a cobbler's shop may be painted in the languages of six different nations, and the cobbler on his stool inside may in his daily talk violate the rules of grammar in a dozen or more. Still the resident who is possessed of four languages will almost always be comfortable and at ease.

First in importance is his own vernacular; then French, for intercourse with the high Ottoman officials and for general society; then Turkish for dealing with the humbler classes; and Greek, as an open sesame among the native Christian population. Howsoever many additional languages one can speak- Italian, Russian, English, German, Arabic, Armenian, Persian, or a dozen besides- they are not superfluous, and on occasion each will be of advantage and use."

National Geographic May 1915

A census in 1886 gave the population of Istanbul at 851,494 a 110% increase from forty years before.

129,243 were said to be foreigners. Of the permanent residents of the city 53% were Muslims, 21% were Greek, 21% were Armenians and 3% were Jews.

In 2008 there were only a hnadful of Greeks, Armenians and Jews remaining.

Earthquake July 10, 1894

July 10, 1894 an earthquake induced tsunami arose around the Prince Islands causing the sea to inundate the golden Horn, flooding the area around the harbor and other low lying areas of the city and damaging many small boats. The bridges across the golden Horne were under water. There was extensive damage along the coast between Istanbul and Adapazari where many villages were totally destroyed with a large loss of life.

The earthquake itself caused much damage in the city toppling parts of the great walls of Theodosian (408-450) and causing major damage to the Grand Bazaar and other public buildings. 138 people lost their lives.

See Istanbul: a brief seismic history

Looking from a street in Stambul (the Moslem side of Constantinople) across the Galata Bridge to Galata and the "European" side of the city. The Galata Tower is visible against the sky.

1912

Looking towards Galata and the Galata Tower.

A pontoon bridge until it was rebuilt, the Galata Bridge was one of two bridges crossing the Golden Horn. The Golden Horn was for centuries the city's harbor where ships off loaded their cargos in to the warehouses that lined its shore.

In 1893 it cost "a penny" to cross the bridge on foot. Varying tolls were charged on animals, carriages, etc. The toll was ended in 1930.

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This "view of the port" (the Golden Horn) looks towards the European section of the city. The Galata Tower is in the center.

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Karakeui

Place de Karakeui (Karakoy Square) is on the European end of the Galata Bridge. Karakoy is the modern name for the old Galata.

"There is no city in the world where so many different types of humanity meet and jostle each other and the stranger at every turn. Every nation in Europe is represented, and every nation of Asia as well."

Scribners 1893

Constantinople Place de Karakeui (Karakoy).

Scribners 1893

No postmark

Yusek Caldirim is a steep street that runs from Kayrakoy to Galipdede Street and then on to Istiklal Cadessi. It is the most direct route from the heights of Pera to the Galata Bridge. It can be seen in the background of the Karakoy postcards. From this photo one can get a sense of just how much the Place de Galata has changed.

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Several of the main thoroughfares of Galata are, in fact, staircases.

The above two post cards show different views of Bukuk Kendek Street which runs from the Galata Tower to Yolcusade Iskender Street. Notice the large number of dogs lying in the street in the second picture.

Constantinople, Vue panoramique de Galata et Pera

City Life

We are in the European quarter of the city, where business men of many nations and many races carry on trade. Some streets in the neighborhood are wider but many of the important thoroughfares are like this, mere lanes, running steeply up and down hill, where large buildings and small, old buildings and new shoulder each other along the way. This narrow lane of stone steps leads to the Grand Rue of Pera where the fashionable shops are located. The storekeepers may be French, German, Greek, Italian, Armenian, Russian, Persian or Jewish, but nearly everyone here can speak a little French.

Buying goods here either at wholesale or at retail prices is a slow process, for prices are not definitely fixed. The seller always asks more than he expects to get. The purchaser offers less than he expects to give. Each one argues and pleads; each makes concessions to the other. Finally an agreement is reached.

Geography.- Industrial history.-

It is Constantinople's geographic position, at the doorway between Europe and Asia, that has made people from many lands come together here for business. Quantities of good come by caravan, on the backs of donkeys and horses. Vessels come here from the Black Sea ports; from Mediterranean ports; from western and northern Europe; from America; from India, China and Japan. All bring cargoes from other lands. All carry cargoes home. Constantinople has also railway communication both with Europe and (from Scutari at the other side of the Bosporus) with Damascus and other trade centers of western Asia.

A street in Galata

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The Grand Rue de Pera is now known as Istikal Caddesi.

Grand Rue de Pera

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Grand Rue de Pera

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Constantinople, Grande Rue de Pera e Tarcho

Constantinople

A very similar photo was included in an article in Sky Life (Turkish Airlines, May 2005) about Galata. "Büyük Hendek Street, one of those created when the defense wall were demolished". I don't known when the walls were demolished but it was before 1875.

A street in Galata, 2005

Constantinople

A view of the entrance from the Bosporus to the Golden Horn. Beyoglu is at the bottom of the picture. The Seragio Point and the Topkapi Palace are at the top right.

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This overview shows part of the Moslem section on the bottom of the picture. In the middle are the Galata Bridge and the Golden Horn, with the Galata Tower on the left. To the right is the Bosporus.

While the Galata Bridge appears a barrier it could open to let large ships into the area between the Galata Bridge and the Old Bridge further up the Golden Horn.

Dans la Corne d'Or. No date.

This view is towards the Galata bridge. Notice the Galata Tower in the distance on the right.

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Family history says that Abraham Azarian was a "purchaser for the French Lines" in Constantinople. Surely he spent time on the docks of the city.

The Galata docks (Quai de Galata) were at the foot of the Galata hill on the Outer Harbor (Bosporus side of the Galata Bridge).

Constantinople, Quais de Galata

Constantinople,Quai de Galata

Post marked 1909

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The Golden Horn, Constantinople

Constantinople, Corne d'or prise de Pera, Amiraute

Constantinople from the American Embassy.

"Showing (in the center of the picture) the building of the Ministry of Marine on the famous Golden Horn with the city below." This picture was taken from a slightly higher position on the hill than the picture above.

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The old bridge looking towards Galata. Note the tower.

Constantinople, Palais Imperial de Dolma-Bagtche, Bosphore

The Dolmabahce Palace is on the Bosporus below Taxim. Alice Azarian said that she and her sisters used to play in the gardens near the palace.

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The Bosporus connected Constantinople to the Black Sea. Boats stopped at many places along the shore.

Posted 1905

Looking towards the New Mosque and the bazaar from the "European" side of the Golden Horn

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Place Emin Eunu Stamboul, Constantinople. No postmark

The Emin Eunu Square was at the Stamboul side of the Galata Bridge.

Another view of Emin Euno Square with the New Mosque (Yeni Cami)

Un des portes du Grand Bazar, Constantinople

Interieur du Grand Bazar, Constantinople

La gare a Stamboul, Constantinople

Gare des Chemins de fer Orenteax de Constantinople

Interieur de S.te Sophia, Constantinople

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Two postcards of the same view.

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Hamal or street porter.

According to a National Geographic article of December 1914, most of the street porters were Kurds or Asia Miner Turks. Another National Geographic article from May 1915 says that the hamals had strong organized unions entirely controlled by the Kurds. Hamals proceed at a steady pace and carry everything from crates of chickens to up right pianos on their backs.

Street Scene 1857

Transport de carbons par chameaux

Post marked 1913

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I love this postcard. When Tom and I were in Istanbul in 1969 we saw dancing bears.

Post marked 1909

When Tom and I were in Istanbul in 1969 there were still lots of street dogs.

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The eaux douces d'Europe were where a fresh water river entered the Golden Horn.

It was the Young Turks who later undertook the attempt to exterminate the Armenians.

The following three photos were taken from an article published by Scribners in 1909.

It appears that the "capture" was relatively easy but there was firing in Pera and Taksim, the section of the city were the Azarians lived.

According to the article many people fled the city.

In connection with Taxime (Taksim) it says:

"By the time I reached the vicinity of the Taxime artillery barracks, however, there were other reminders. I saw an iron shutter nearly perforated by dozens of small round holes. The windows of houses, in otherwise good repair, were riddled and broken. Walls were curiously pockmarked, and I saw a shell embedded in one. "

Taxime = Taksim

April 27, 1909

Much of the merchandise in the shops in this bazaar was not from Turkey. There were a lot of objects from further east: Uzbeki suzanis, embroidered skull caps, various ikat items and Indian wooden containers. Most of the artifacts were lovely but I was supprised that there was so little that was actually Turkish.

In the distance are several of the high new rise buildings that are changing the skyline of the city. On the right and barely visible is the first of two bridges that span the Bosporus from Europe to Asia.

We were told that real estate in Istanbul was very expensive. There were many buildings all over the city (like the one in this image and the next image) that where open to the elements with no apparent new construction going on.

Ther are attempts to perserve the old historic buildings. However, many of them are razed to make way for cememt high rises.