Hasköy, Istanbul

Hasköy is a neighborhood (semt) on the northern side of the Golden Horn in Beyoğlu, Istanbul, Turkey. It includes the officially defined neighborhoods (mahalleler) of Keçeci Piri, Piri Paşa, and Halıcıoğlu, and parts of Camiikebir and Sütlüce.

The words has köy mean "imperial village" and refer to the pavilions and gardens once there belonging to the sultan and his court. (According to another story, the name is a corruption of Aya Paraskevi, the name of a Greek church there.[1])

In the late 15th century, Jews who were expelled from Spain and Portugal took refuge in the Ottoman Empire and settled in Hasköy, among other places. In the late 16th century, the Jewish community of Eminönü was displaced for the construction of the New Mosque (Yeni Cami) and moved to Hasköy. The neighborhood at one time also had many Armenian and Greek residents. It was also a trading center, with dockyards and warehouses. The first Armenian theater company in Istanbul was opened there in 1858.[2]

Major sights of the neighborhood include the Aynalıkavak Palace and the Rahmi M. Koç Museum.

Places of worship in the neighborhood include Maalem Synagogue, Hesed Le Avraam Synagogue, the Karaite Synagogue, the former Mayor Synagogue, Aya Paraskevi (Saint Paraskevi) Greek Orthodox Church, Handan Agha Mosque, and Kırmızı Minare Mosque. From 1633 to 1975, there was also a Surp Istepanos (Saint Stephen) Armenian Church that had been established by Armenian immigrants from Eğin[3]; from 1852 to sometime in the 20th century, there was a Halıcıoğlu Armenian Protestant Church[4]; and from 1889 to 1975, there was a chapel attached to Hasköy's Kalfayan Orphanage, the Surp Asdvadzadzin (Saint Mary) Armenian Church.[5]

Cemeteries in the neighborhood include the Hasköy Muslim Cemetery, the Beyoğlu Greek Cemetery, the Beyoğlu Jewish Cemetery, the Turkish Karaite Congregation Cemetery, and the Camonto Armenian Cemetery.

References

  1. ^ Hürel, page 167.
  2. ^ Hürel, pages 167-168.
  3. ^ Tuğlacı, pages 85-87.
  4. ^ Tuğlacı, page 322.
  5. ^ Tuğlacı, page 81.