Transformation and Continuity of Sacred Places: The Case of Galata (Istanbul)

Abstract

In historical city centers that are constantly inhabited for centuries, it is a predictable phenomenon that sacred places of different periods often share the same location. This is the case not only for the Historical Peninsula of Istanbul but also Galata, which is the former capital's another ancient district opposite the Golden Horn. Accordingly, Arap Mosque is perhaps the most renowned example to this issue that it shares the same location with two former churches from the Byzantine and Genoese periods. While similar origins of other monuments in Galata like Yeni Mosque have also been discussed by scholars, those cases lacked elaboration from a more comprehensive urban perspective. Following a historical research methodology for specific urban aims, it was seen that spatial connections between the shrines of Galata from its Byzantine, Genoese and Ottoman periods are even stronger on the same plots, which better display a spatial continuity within a historical urban layout for centuries. Moreover, it can be seen that even if a sacred place had a new function, some certain traces still reveal its origins, which stress the multilayered ancient settlement.