Taksim, From City's Largest Cemetery To the Most Important Center




The district of Galata, which has been a settlement since the end of antiquity, was known as Sykai or İncirlik in those times. In 325 AD, Emperor Constantine fortified this area by surrounding it with walls while constructing Constantinople. During this period, the district had 431 major residences along with churches, forums, baths, a theater, and a port. Emperor Theodosius (408-450) recognized the area as the thirteenth region of the city and organized it accordingly. When referring to this area, the residents living within the walls of Constantinople used the expression "Peran en Sykais," which meant "the fig tree grove across" and was abbreviated as Pera, a name that has survived to the present day.


In 528 AD, Emperor Justinian reconstructed and reorganized this district, just like many other parts of the capital. As a result, the district began to be known as Iustinianai or Justinianopolis. However, due to its significant port and status as a major trading center, the most commonly used name among the local population was Galata, derived from the Italian word "calata," which referred to the sloping terrain near the port.


Until the 17th century, Istanbul's and even Turkey's most significant center, İstiklal Avenue and Taksim Square, had little more than a few vineyard houses. As this area was located outside the Galata walls, the inhabitants of Galata started using the current Tepebaşı, İstiklal Avenue, and Taksim region as their burial grounds. However, the area's transformation into the largest cemetery in the city occurred during the Ottoman era. In 1560, during the reign of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, a major cholera outbreak occurred in Istanbul. As a result, the sultan prohibited burials within the city walls of Istanbul and Galata. From that point on, the deceased were taken outside the walls to Taksim and its surroundings to prevent the spread of the disease. Consequently, a large area extending from Sıraselviler, including the present-day Gezi Park, to Harbiye and Kasımpaşa in one direction, and to Dolmabahçe in the other direction, became a vast cemetery with distinct sections for different communities.




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