(now Kurtuluş) dressed in traditional costumes during the carnival (
Baklahorani), 1930s. The quarter started life in the 16th century as a residential area for
Greeks from the island of
Chios who were settled here to work in the principal dockyards of the
Ottoman Empire in the neighbouring
Kasımpaşa quarter; they originally lived in Kasımpaşa but retreated uphill to a new area when their church there was turned into a mosque. In 1793 Sultan
Selim III decreed that only Greeks would be allowed to live in Tatavla, a distinction it shared with the small Aegean town of
Ayvalık. In 1832, a fire completely destroyed the neighbourhood, with 600 houses and 30 shops going up in flames. During the 19th century Tatavla's population reached around 20,000 and it hosted several Orthodox churches (Hagios Demetrios, Hagios Georgios and Hagios Eleftherios), schools and
tavernas; It was typically a residential area for Greeks of more modest income. Nevertheless, a number of grand houses were built in the late 19th century, some of which still stand today, especially along Kurtuluş Caddesi. Despite the turmoil of the
Balkan War, followed by
World War I and the
Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922) and then the devastating fire, the neighbourhood continued to be home to a large Greek population (as well as a significant Armenian and Jewish population). However, the
riots of 1955 persuaded most of the Greeks that the time had come to emigrate. == Culture ==