Streets

Streets

 

Zeyrek, an impressive example of Istanbul’s traditional urban fabric, stands out not only for its wooden houses but also for its organic street network. Alongside its many dead-end lanes, its sloped roads adapt to the area’s hilly topography. The traditional street paving—formed by the irregular arrangement of black and reddish stones—has almost entirely disappeared; however, a small portion still partially survives at one point along İtfaiye Avenue.

Streets are part of a life that spills out from the houses and are shaped not only by architecture but also by the social fabric. Architectural and urban form and social conditions mutually influence one another.

The houses in Zeyrek were designed to meet the needs of a social class with relatively high economic means in 19th-century Istanbul. From the 20th century onward, the neighborhood has been inhabited by a population that reshaped it according to its own needs.

Social research conducted in 1978 revealed a very high rate of migration to Zeyrek. The primary reasons internal migrants preferred Zeyrek were the relatively low rents and its proximity to numerous workplaces in the city center. At that time, only 12.8% of Zeyrek’s population had been born in Istanbul. The remainder were of rural origin, having migrated from the Eastern Anatolia Region—particularly Siirt—or from the Black Sea Region. In terms of social class, the population by the late 1970s can be considered fairly homogeneous; however, tendencies toward social division were observed due to ethnic, religious, and economic factors.

With its houses and streets, Zeyrek is not only a past worth preserving but also a witness—through its present-day residents—to the transformations Istanbul has undergone. This quality of Zeyrek is among the key reasons it has become a focus of research for social scientists, architects, and urban planners.

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Süleymaniye’s organically formed street network, adapted to its sloped topography, and its tight parcel pattern are key elements shaping the urban fabric and skyline. Housing extends from around main axes such as Kirazlı Mescit Street and Onaltı Mart Şehitleri Avenue, descending northward along steep, narrow streets. Detached houses and mansions with gardens—typically set back from the street behind blank garden walls—as well as row houses whose ground floors serve as shops, are composed at varying heights in response to the terrain. Most houses are 2–3 stories, timber structures with bay windows and hipped roofs, set on masonry foundations or ground floors. Roof pitches are arranged so as not to block neighboring views. Some residences feature a cihannüma, an upper lookout room opening to the panorama.

Prof. Doğan Kuban (2005) describes the traditional residential fabric as follows:

1. The buildings are houses, not apartments.
2. The vast majority of houses have gardens, with large trees.
3. The buildings are not of equal height.
4. In the street fabric, the blank garden wall is an important physiognomic element.
5. The street has no sidewalks; it is for the walking person.

Documentation shows that the neighborhood’s traditional residential fabric and community life were being preserved in the 1970s. From the 1980s onward, as residents moved to other parts of Istanbul, Süleymaniye largely began receiving migrants from Anatolia. The arrival of a working, predominantly single population in place of families—along with increased commerce and shifts in the social structure—also led to changes in the architectural and physical environment. Süleymaniye’s social and demographic transformation reflects the broader processes of change in its immediate surroundings and in the city as a whole.