Yesilkoy, Istanbul - History Forum ~ All Empires

Yeşilk�y (named before 1926 San Stefano or Santo Stefano, Greek Άγιος Στέφανος pronounced Aghios Stephanos - rendered in Turkish as Ayastefanos) is a part of Bakırk�y 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 Yeşilk�y was a village and a sea resort.

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.

During the Crimean war the French stationed here, and built one of the three lighthouses of Istanbul. In Yesilk�y 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 Yesilk�y 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 (Yesilk�y: "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.

Source: Wikipedia