Istanbul’s isle of diversity

A vestige of Turkey’s multicultural past, Muslims, Jews, and Christians
coexist happily on the Princes Islands

The Christian Science Monitor
July 28, 2005

By Yigal Schleifer

Burgaz lies less than an hour’s ferry ride from the urban sprawl of
Muslim-dominated Istanbul, but the unspoiled island teems with ethnic
diversity.

Part of an archipelago known as the Princes Islands, Burgaz and its
sister islands have for decades been a summer home for Istanbul’s
minority communities, especially Jews, Greeks, and Armenians. Indeed,
the hilly islands are probably one of the world’s few places where a
church, synagogue, and mosque happily coexist within walking distance of
each other.

Despite their dwindling presence in Istanbul, ethnic minorities continue
to flock to the islands during the summer, preserving perhaps the last
vestige of the cosmopolitan multiculturalism that once typified Turkey’s
capital.

In a country that has struggled with minority issues in recent decades,
these oases in the Sea of Marmara offer a rare glimpse of a way of life
that is slowly disappearing.

“They represent the multicultural aspect of Turkey in one small spot,”
says Robert Schild, an Istanbul businessman and amateur historian who is
working on a documentary about Burgaz.

“The islands are probably the only spot in Istanbul where you can still
hear Greek and Ladino [Judeo-Spanish] spoken on the street.”

Mr. Schild calls the islands “a living ethnographic museum.” On little
Burgaz, less than a mile from end to end, Schild says he has so far
counted 20 different ethnic groups represented among its 5,000 summer
residents, from Jews and Greeks, to Alevi Muslims, Chaldean Christians,
and even some Austrian nuns who live in a residence belonging to a
Catholic-run Istanbul hospital that dates back to the late 19th century.

It’s not hard to grasp why visitors flocked here. The islands dazzle
with pristine greenery. Wooden Victorian-style mansions line the
islands’ streets, while horses pulling colorful fringe-topped carriages
compete with pedestrians and cyclists for space. Cars are not permitted.

In a book about Istanbul, historian John Freely relates this florid
account by a 19th century European traveler: “….nowhere does the
delighted eye repose on coasts more lovely, on a bay more gracious, on
mountainous distances more grandiose … nowhere in short do bluer
waters bathe more gently a thousand shady coves, a thousand poetic cliffs.”

Many denizens concede, however, that the island’s character is changing.
As Istanbul’s minority communities shrink, the Princes are also losing
their diversity. Burgaz has only one Greek fisherman left, and Buyukada
– the largest of the islands – just a lone Jewish fishmonger.

Indeed, Greeks wereonce a major part of Istanbul’s ethnic fabric; today
less than 2,000 remain in the city. Even fewer make it out to these
islands where several defunct Orthodox monasteries still stand.

Sotiris Varnalidis, born in Istanbul but living in Greece for more than
30 years, comes back to Heybeli Island every summer to help maintain the
buildings of the shuttered seminary where he once studied.

“It’s very depressing to see the number of Greek people going down every
day,” says Varnalidis. “Compared to today, the island used to be much
more crowded.”

Tiny Kinali, however, remains home to a bustling summertime Armenian
community. On the island’s main strip, the Sirin Sarkuteri delicatessen
does brisk business selling homemade eggplant salad and stuffed peppers.

Behind the counter, Zafer Cukur, a mustachioed man in a short-sleeved
white shirt, says the shop moves to the island for the summer, closing
down its store in Istanbul’s Armenian district.

“The island has more of a feeling of the typical Armenian lifestyle,”
says Tamar Kac, a young advertising executive who grew up spending
summers on Kinali.

“When the afternoon comes, you can smell everyone cooking their stuffed
vine leaves and other typical Armenian foods,” she adds.

“Parents are choosing Kinali because their kids can make friendships
with other Armenians. In terms of community it’s a beneficial place.”