Kamil Pasha

The destruction of the thousand-year-old Sulukule neighborhood (see my previous Sulukule blogs under the ‘Istanbul’ category) and the displacement of its Romani (gypsy) residents continues. This “urban renewal” project will destroy Istanbul’s Romani community –which dates from Byzantine times — by pushing its residents 40 kilometers outside of the city and replacing their neighborhood with middle-class housing complexes. In addition to the residents, little concern is being shown for the archaeological value of the site.

An architect acquaintance told me recently that the razing of Sulukule is part of a larger project that encompasses the entire interior of the old Byzantine walls, prime real estate these days. The project, he told me, belongs to someone close to the prime minister. The plan is to build a corridor of expensive housing in place of the communities (mostly working-class) living there now.

Tags: Istanbul //