A-Wander in Bey Mahallesi

Speaking to a local earlier today, it was suggested that we should go for a stroll in Bey Mahallesi (mahalle meaning neighborhood). So, after lunch we pointed our feet in that direction.

This was apparently a neighborhood that was once populated by rich families. Armenians and the Muslim Ottoman population lived here … in stone houses built in the style of the civil architecture of the day … narrow, alley-like streets creating a cobblestone maze where everyone went about their daily lives. Some of the houses have since been converted into boutique eateries, shops, and museums.

First, we checked out the Atatürk Memorial Museum … representing the residence where he was hosted during the War of Independence. The original house was destroyed during the war. One of the rooms has been furnished with some of the furniture from the room in which he slept … others have been converted into exhibit space featuring displays of historic photos and his personal belongings, including a coffee cup and several suits. In one room, we found a small display of ethnic clothes that stood in stark contrast to Atatürk‘s European styled suits.

Our meandering walk eventually took us to Kurtuluş (Liberation) Mosque in the nearby Tepebaşı neighborhood.

The mosque, which was an Armenian church known as St Mary's Church Cathedral when it was built in the late 1800s, was converted in 1986. At that time, the top of the bell tower was demolished and the rest of it was built into a single-balcony minaret. From what the caretaker who let us in for a quick peek told us, the bell itself is on display at the Gaziantep Museum.

The church-turned-mosque looked very familiar. When I took a closer look at the buildings around me, the light bulb went off. Turns out that it was the mosque that was visible from the window of our room when we were hosted in Gaziantep by our friends in 2019.Read more