The neighbourhood of Tatavla, today known as Kurtuluş, was once one of the wealthiest and most populous Greek Orthodox parishes of Istanbul. At the top of the hill, at the beginning of the “straight road” (Kurtuluş Caddesi), lies the open community complex, which includes the Church of St. Demetrius (Aya Dimitri Rum Ortodoks Kilisesi), the Greek school (Özel Kurtuluş Rum İlköğretim Okulu), and the Tatavla Sports Club (Kurtuluş Gençlik Kulübü).
By the late 19th century, around 20,000 Greeks lived in the neighbourhood, earning it the nickname “Little Athens” (Küçük Atina in Turkish). After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the Greek population declined, but the area retained its Greek character until the September 1955 riots.
The building that houses the Kurtuluş Sports Club, officially Kurtuluş Gençlik Kulübü, at 80 Safa Meydanı, 80240, Kurtuluş, Istanbul, was constructed in 1896. It was originally built as the Educational Assistance Building of the “Proodos” (Progress) Association. That same year the Herakles Sports Club of Tatavla was founded, which later became the Kurtuluş Sports Club. It remains the oldest existing sports club in Turkey.
The Greek School of Tatavla, officially Özel Kurtuluş Rum İlköğretim Okulu, at 65–67 Safa Meydanı, 80240, Kurtuluş, Istanbul, was built in 1887 and operated until 2003.
This video was produced in September 2012 as a visual accompaniment to the research conducted by Katerina Polychroniadi, Kalliopi Dimou, and Spyros Nasainas, titled Spatial Organisation of Rum Communities in Istanbul: Urban, Architectural and Photographic Documentation, part of a research programme at the National Technical University of Athens.