Ottoman European
European architecture, styles and customs entered Turkish life and history through the streets of Beyoğlu, the Europeanized district of Istanbul on the north side of the Golden Horn.
On the south side of the Golden Horn all was “oriental,” Islamic and traditional, backward but in many ways graceful and human.
On the north side were formidable stone buildings in European style testifying to Europe’s progress.
When I first arrived in Istanbul during the 1960s, many of these Beyoğlu buildings were dilapidated. Now, happily, they are being restored, and Beyoğlu is again becoming Istanbul’s “status” address.
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