Kagithane
Encyclopedia
Kağıthane is a working class
district
of the city of Istanbul
, Turkey
, in a valley inland from the upmarket Etiler
. Built along a stream that runs into the Golden Horn
. The mayor is Fazlı Kılıç (AKP
).
the valley was known as 'Sadabad' and used by the Ottoman
court for hunting, riding and equestrian sports. The valley was full of wonderful tulip fields and in spring people would come along the stream for picnics and days out of the city. There are records of gatherings such as wedding parties being held here. By the late Ottoman period the valley floor had been drained, weekend homes had been built in the valley with lovely gardens, and the area led into the richly forested parks of Kağıthane and Alibeyköy ideal for parties and picnics.
The Ottoman gunpowder factory was the first industrial activity in the valley and dated back to the early Ottoman sultan Bayezid II
. Kağıthane then became home to numerous factories
including flour mills and the paper factories that give the area its name. The area was still far from the city and not heavily populated until the late 20th century. Until then there were gypsy camps in the valley (and there is still a large gypsy community in Gültepe today).
Real growth came to Kağıthane from the 1950s onwards, as the area was settled by migrants from Anatolia
, who came to work in the factories, workshops or building sites. They built small cottages on the valley sides, then brought family, friends and neighbours from the village to live in one of the rooms while they built their own cottages nearby. As many Turkish rural areas have been impoverished for decades there has been no shortage of people prepared to opt for this lifestyle in Istanbul. None of this building was regulated or controlled in any meaningful way and whenever there is a big rain people in Kağıthane are flooded out of their homes. And the houses were scattered all over the sides of the valley with no thought for where they could put roads, drains or any other infrastructure. And Istanbul is vulnerable to earthquakes.
This working class district was a centre of left-wing support during the years of political violence in the 1970s.
From the 1970s onwards as the second generatıon grew up the cottages have been pulled down and replaced wıth grubby, bare-walled six-storey apartment buildings to house the offspring of these families.
Kagithane develops.
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
district
District
Districts are a type of administrative division, in some countries managed by a local government. They vary greatly in size, spanning entire regions or counties, several municipalities, or subdivisions of municipalities.-Austria:...
of the city of Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, in a valley inland from the upmarket Etiler
Etiler
Etiler is a neighbourhood on the European side of Istanbul, Turkey, located in the district of Beşiktaş, close to the business quarters of Levent and Maslak....
. Built along a stream that runs into the Golden Horn
Golden Horn
The Golden Horn is a historic inlet of the Bosphorus dividing the city of Istanbul and forming the natural harbor that has sheltered Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman and other ships for thousands of...
. The mayor is Fazlı Kılıç (AKP
Justice and Development Party (Turkey)
The Justice and Development Party , abbreviated JDP in English and AK PARTİ or AKP in Turkish, is a centre-right political party in Turkey. The party is the largest in Turkey, with 327 members of parliament...
).
History
In the time of Suleiman the MagnificentSuleiman the Magnificent
Suleiman I was the tenth and longest-reigning Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1520 to his death in 1566. He is known in the West as Suleiman the Magnificent and in the East, as "The Lawgiver" , for his complete reconstruction of the Ottoman legal system...
the valley was known as 'Sadabad' and used by the Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
court for hunting, riding and equestrian sports. The valley was full of wonderful tulip fields and in spring people would come along the stream for picnics and days out of the city. There are records of gatherings such as wedding parties being held here. By the late Ottoman period the valley floor had been drained, weekend homes had been built in the valley with lovely gardens, and the area led into the richly forested parks of Kağıthane and Alibeyköy ideal for parties and picnics.
The Ottoman gunpowder factory was the first industrial activity in the valley and dated back to the early Ottoman sultan Bayezid II
Bayezid II
Bayezid II or Sultân Bayezid-î Velî was the oldest son and successor of Mehmed II, ruling as Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1481 to 1512...
. Kağıthane then became home to numerous factories
Factory
A factory or manufacturing plant is an industrial building where laborers manufacture goods or supervise machines processing one product into another. Most modern factories have large warehouses or warehouse-like facilities that contain heavy equipment used for assembly line production...
including flour mills and the paper factories that give the area its name. The area was still far from the city and not heavily populated until the late 20th century. Until then there were gypsy camps in the valley (and there is still a large gypsy community in Gültepe today).
Real growth came to Kağıthane from the 1950s onwards, as the area was settled by migrants from Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
, who came to work in the factories, workshops or building sites. They built small cottages on the valley sides, then brought family, friends and neighbours from the village to live in one of the rooms while they built their own cottages nearby. As many Turkish rural areas have been impoverished for decades there has been no shortage of people prepared to opt for this lifestyle in Istanbul. None of this building was regulated or controlled in any meaningful way and whenever there is a big rain people in Kağıthane are flooded out of their homes. And the houses were scattered all over the sides of the valley with no thought for where they could put roads, drains or any other infrastructure. And Istanbul is vulnerable to earthquakes.
This working class district was a centre of left-wing support during the years of political violence in the 1970s.
From the 1970s onwards as the second generatıon grew up the cottages have been pulled down and replaced wıth grubby, bare-walled six-storey apartment buildings to house the offspring of these families.
Kagithane develops.