Yeşilköy

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In this house the Treaty of 1878 has been signed.

Yeşilköy (named before 1926 San Stefano or Santo Stefano, Greek Άγιος Στέφανος pronounced Aghios Stephanos - rendered in Turkish as Ayastefanos) is a part of Bakırköy district of the greater Istanbul. It is located along Marmara Sea about seven miles west of Istanbul city centre. Before the rapid increase of Istanbul population in the 1970s Yeşilköy was a village and a sea resort.

1 History
2 Yeşilköy today
3 Images of Yeşilköy
4 References

[edit] History

Its original name (Άγιος Στέφανος, pronounced Aghios Stephanos, Greek for Saint Stephen) derive from a legend: in Byzantine times, the ship carrying the bones of the saint from Constantinople to Rome was forced to stop here because of a storm. The bones were taken to a church until the sea calmed down, and this gave the name to the church and to the place.

In 1203 on the beach of Agios Stefanos landed the Latin Army of the Crusaders, which one year later would conquer Constantinople during the Fourth Crusade.

In the 19th century the whole village was owned by the powerful Armenian Dadyan family, which got it as present from the Sultan after they refused to emigrate abroad.

The Marina of Yeşilköy.

During the Crimean war the French stationed here, and built one of the three lighthouses of Istanbul. In Yesilköy the Russians had their headquarters during the war of 1878, and here was signed the Treaty of 1878 between Russia and the Ottoman Empire. Here was also taken the decision to send into exile Sultan Abd-ul-Hamid II to Thessaloniki.

In 1912, during the Balkan wars, thousand of soldiers sick because of Cholera were brought here, and about 3,000 died and were buried near the train station.

In nineteen and early twentieth century Yesilköy was a favorite coastal resort and hunting place for the Istanbul upper class, and had a mixed population, made of Turks, Greeks, (now almost completely emigrated), Armenians (who still nowadays live there in numbers) and Levantines (Italian and French people of Istanbul). As signs of these presences remain the Italian mission, the Italian catholic cemetery, Armenian and Greek churches. All the churches are dedicated to St. Stephen.

The village got its present name (Yesilköy: "Green Village" in Turkish) in 1926, because of the legislation which imposed to give a Turkish name to each community. The name was given by the writer Halit Ziya Uşakligil, who lived here.

[edit] Yeşilköy today

Yeşilköy – whose population is mainly affluent - retains some notable examples of wooden Art Nouveau houses built between the end of nineteen and the beginning of twentieth century. It has a Marina and beautiful sandy beaches.

Istanbul Atatürk International Airport is located in its vicinity.

Yeşilköy has a station on the Suburban train line Sirkeci-Halkali. The first Station was built in 1871, and contributed to its booming as resort.

Yeşilköy borders to the northeast the neighbourhood of Yeşilyurt, to the southwest that of Florya.