Together with Kasım Zoto, the founder of the <a fr-original-style="" href="https://www.armadahotel.com.tr/default_en.asp#?utm_source=aposto" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); text-decoration: none; background-color: transparent; outline: none; cursor: pointer; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: auto; box-sizing: border-box;" target="_blank">Armada Hotel</a>, we are once again on his pleasure ferry, the so-called gentleman's boat, which he built in Cankurtaran. This time we watch the neighborhood from the sea, without docking at the shore and lighting the hıdırellez fire: Where is Cankurtaran?For me, Cankurtaran starts from Erol Taş Kahvesi, which is unfortunately closed now. This is an area predominantly inhabited by Roman people who migrated from northern Greece after 1945. Over time, real estate prices increased with tourism, so people sold their properties and left the neighborhood. Nowadays, the tourism-urban balance has changed due to the increasing number of hostels and hotels in the neighborhood. The neighborhood has taken on a structure where its inhabitants cannot stay long even if they settle.&nbsp;<h2 dir="ltr" fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85); font-weight: 500; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">An established hotel and lit fire for the neighborhood</h2>Our being here was actually shaped by the story of the building we are in now. It all started with the restoration of the buildings built by Barbaros Hayrettin Pasha for the Levents on Ahırkapı Street. We have been a part of the neighborhood ever since. I think maintaining the culture of the place you are in depends on getting to know your neighbors and ensuring unity. For this reason, our priority has always been the relationship we have established.&nbsp;The Ahırkapı Hıdrellez Festivals we organize in the neighborhood are the best example of this bond. We wanted to remind Istanbulites of Cankurtaran again, and while doing this, the Roman residing in our neighborhood and the Ahırkapı Roman Orchestra became our biggest supporters. In the early days, the festival had 600 people. In 10 years it reached 100.000 people, but in 2010 we ended the festival for various but mainly security reasons. I would like the next route of hıdırellez to be Sultanahmet. These events that create an environment for sharing are very valuable in terms of connecting neighborhoods.

Spring, 2023. 163 acres of land. In between Topkapı Palace and Sarayburnu. Green as far as the eye can see. But I feel blue. I am in the middle of one of the biggest parks in Istanbul: Gülhane. The witness of Tanzimat Edict, of the Spring and Flower Festival, of the Archeology Museum. Whose is it today?&nbsp;A couple, younger than the cedar trees, looking at the view where the trees sway in the sky like the arteries of the city. Long-bearded old men walking on the back of their shoes are in a hurry. Children calmly pass by. Some of them have bagels in their hands, handed to them by their parents and eaten without appetite. On one side are tourists with bags of Turkish delight and candy walking without knowing where they are going. A child holding a Turkish flag, questioning whether Atatürk spoke to the trees in the park.&nbsp;<img src="https://images.aposto.com/2023/2/5/1678435023630.png" style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px; border-style: none; position: relative; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; box-sizing: border-box;" width="550" ratio="0.67" fr-original-style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable">To Cankurtaran<hr fr-original-style="" style="height: 0px; overflow: visible; border-bottom: none; clear: both; user-select: none; break-after: page; box-sizing: border-box;">"The number of foreign tourists coming to Istanbul in 2022 was 16 million 18 thousand 726, an increase of 77 percent compared to the previous year. Fatih hosted more than 29 million tourists in the first 8 months of last year." These things came to my mind while my eyes followed the hotel signs and my ears followed the hum of the tram and the crowd. Armada, Sumengen, Sultan, Avrasya, Blu. "When the data for 2021 is analyzed, we see that the highest number of overnight stays in Istanbul is Fatih with a number over 4 million." There are 2878 tourism facilities in Fatih. Or was it 278? I found the answer when I stopped in front of the market called "Discount", in English.&nbsp;Today, I passed one stop, a few centuries, and I don't know how many areas are occupied by touristic facilities. From Gülhane to Giritli, where hope and despair stand side by side waiting for tulip bulbs to bloom. I walked towards Ayşe’s (Şensılay) house, the heart of Cankurtaran which is one of 57 neighborhoods of the Fatih district, the furthest point of the Historical Peninsula. To reduce the noise of the madding crowd and listen to the sounds of the neighborhood. Loudly.From Gülhane to Giritli.Istanbul, March 9, 2023Elif

Istanbul based urban culture magazine documenting cities through their neighborhoods and communities. 