Tatavla: A Corner of Ottoman Istanbul

Tatavla, or Kurtuluş as it is known today, is an Istanbul neighborhood roughly surrounded by Kasımpaşa, Yenişehir, Dolapdere, Sinemköy, Feriköy, Cinderesi, and cemeteries. The 1964 decree expelling Greek nationals residing in Turkey, and the subsequent emigration of Turkish citizen Rums with familial and business ties to them, led to a rapid decline in Kurtuluş's Greek population after 1965. Today, Tatavla's churches, holy springs, Greek primary school, and sports club are still well-maintained. A handful of Greek community members, the remainder of this whole story, continue to live in Kurtuluş as a bittersweet memory of old Tatavla.