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    Istanbul's heritage at risk : the Galata district
    (FrancoAngeli, 2020) Orlandi, Luca; Ivkovska, V.; Architecture; ORLANDI, Luca
    Istanbul's Galata district is a multicultural crossroad in the Mediterranean. Throughout Istanbul's transformation into a modern metropolis Galata maintained its distinctive and cosmopolitan character due to the cultural diversity of its inhabitants. This aspect of Galata was perpetuated by the continuous arrival of foreigners, who brought their own culture, traditions, and religion. This study demonstrates the architectural richness of the district by examining its coexisting civilizations, past and present. The district today faces the alarming possibility of disappearance due to neglect and lack of improvements. It is important to define Galata and its past layers as a historical and cultural asset and to preserve the richness and multicultural origins of this integral part of Istanbul's identity.
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    Reminiscences of Ottoman vernacular in Galata
    (Center for Cities, University of Moratuwa, 2019-06) Orlandi, Luca; Architecture; ORLANDI, Luca
    The aim of this paper is to present the lost heritage of the vernacular architecture in Galata district in Istanbul that existed during the Ottoman period. It presents the Ottoman vernacular houses that once existed in the area that were lost throughout the centuries due to the big fires and rapid reconstructions. The paper presents this rich vernacular architecture by detecting its existence and analysis from gravures, sketches and images from the past. After the Ottoman conquest, Galata as well as the city of Constantinople was affected by the process of Ottomanization. The transformations were very much predominant in the urban layout and the texture of the area was improved by more domestic and traditional architecture in wood, remarking Galata into a typical Ottoman environment. After the conquest, the former Genoese colony evolved, in architectural manner. This was achieved through the towns‘ growth marked with arrival of foreigners, the so called ‘Franks’ or Levantines, who were attracted to those lands by the new possibilities to expand trades and commerce from the European and Mediterranean coasts towards the East. These populations settled in the Galata area, bringing their own cultural habits, customs, traditions as well as religion, —contaminating” the already existing and mixed local population, composed predominantly of Greeks, or better Rum, Armenians and Jews and later on of Moors, Arabs as well as Turks. The Ottoman Galata was affected severely during the mid-nineteenth century and up until the proclamation of the Turkish Republic, when the rich vernacular built environment slowly disappeared leaving very little traces today, of what once used to be a typical example of an Ottoman vernacular in the capital. The paper traces this history and presents a glimpse into the ottoman vernacular in Galata.
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    Book PartPublicationOpen Access
    Searching ‘Italianità’ in the Dodecanese Islands (1912-1943). Some considerations on Art, Architecture and Archeology through the works of Hermes Balducci
    (Firenze University Press, 2022) Orlandi, Luca; Architecture; Falcucci, B.; Giusti, E.; Trentacoste, D.; ORLANDI, Luca
    The rediscovery and promotion of fourteen islands in the Aegean Sea – renamed the Dodecanese Islands – annexed to Italy as a military possession while formally under the dominion of the Ottomans, might be considered another phase in the search for an Italian identity. From 1912 to 1943 these islands experienced Italy’s ambiguous presence as invaders and colonizers. This paper aims to highlight the concept of Italianità through the works of Hermes Balducci, one of the protagonists of Italian colonial architecture in the Dodecanese Islands. To this end and using lesser-known material, this case study intends to recreate and redefine the past of the Italian presence on these islands and provide an interesting point of view in the search for a lost and rediscovered Italian spirit. For just over twenty years the islands witness the Italian presence in the Dodecanese in an ambiguous position of invaders and colonizers. From 1912 to 1923 several military governors followed one another in the civic and public administration of the islands, but after the rise of Fascism in Italy in 1922, the political attitude towards the new possessions began to change, manifesting the intention to make the islands more ‘Italian’ also through the rediscovery of historical roots that justified its annexation, at least from a cultural point of view. For thirteen years, between 1923 and 1936, the former ambassador in Rhodes, Mario Lago, held the office of Governor of the Dodecanese islands with balance, humanity and great respect for the ethnic components of the local inhabitants. Things changed radically in the following years, when the authoritarian fascist regime wanted to give the colonies a more Italian imprint. From 1936 to 1940 the governor Cesare Maria De Vecchi, count of Val Cismon administered the possessions of the Dodecanese with excessive harshness, with an almost obsessive respect for fascist ceremonial and ideology, showing very little respect for the customs, traditions and rights of Greek, Turkish and Jewish community that even under the Ottoman rule in previous centuries were always respected. At the outbreak of World War II in 1939 a new governor replaced De Vecchi until 1943, when the German Nazis took control of the islands until the end of the war. After 1945 the islands came under British military occupation for two years, before their complete return to Greece. At that time, the greatest interest for European scholars was directed to the classical age and to the rediscovery of the ‘classical’ roots of Western countries, the essence of architecture, the ancient Greek-Roman world and not to study local art and architecture. Therefore, in the name of a supposed past ‘Italianità’ of the possessions, not well identified but attributable to the period of the ancient knights of Rhodes, an architectural program of reconstructions and - based on historical remains and archaeological excavations - was carried out in all the islands of the Dodecanese and especially in the city of Rhodes. In this context, many were the architects, engineers and planners, as well as archaeologists and scholars sent by the Kingdom of Italy to study and research the past of the islands and to plan, design and rebuild these new Italian possessions. The cultural policy carried out by the Italians on the archaeological and monumental heritage had already begun between 1912 and 1913, immediately after the occupation of the islands, and continued uninterruptedly during the fascist era until the German occupation in 1943. The investments were mainly addressed to cultural activities that led to the establishment of the Italian Archaeological Mission, the realization of large excavation and restoration campaigns, the creation of museums and archaeological sites, the birth of the Superintendency of Rhodes and the FERT Historical Archaeological Institute. This paper aims to highlight the thoughts and ideas about Italianità of one of the protagonists of that colonial adventure intended to recreate and redefine the past with the Italian presence during those years. Within this purpose, the example of Hermes Balducci’s works in Rhodes and the Dodecanese Islands stands as a fundamental case study in the search for a lost and rediscovered Italian spirit.
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    From Galata to Pera: Shifting borders in Ottoman Society (1453-1923)
    (Springer International Publisher, 2021-06-01) Orlandi, Luca; Ivkovska, V.; Architecture; Girginkaya Akdag, S.; Dincer, M.; Vatan Kaptan, M.; Maro Kiris, I.; Maro Kiris, U.; ORLANDI, Luca
    Since ancient times the settlement of Galata was positioned on the Golden Horn opposite Byzantium. This area, that became the Genoese walled town, developed inside. Beyond the furthest northern point of the settlement, where the north walls and the tower stretched, lied the endless fields and the uninhabited rural area. Due to many historical, political, economic, social and other factors, later in time, this area beyond the Genoese settlement will become fruitful land for construction of, at the time, the most cosmopolitan part of Ottoman Istanbul. Since life in Galata was intense due mostly to maritime trade and harbor’s activities, the settlement will not be enough to absorb the influx of incoming population and the increase of new trades with the Western powers. As a result, its borders will be pushed and extended outside its walls towards the rural area of the hill and its ridge above that later will become known as Beyoğlu and Pera. These rural areas on the North side of Galata that were mostly occupied with fields and agricultural land as well as cemeteries and groves, will transform through the centuries into an area marked with diplomatic representative residences and palaces. Among these residences slowly, the cosmopolitan city will set up, following Western European models. The rural fields of the past will be replaced with new structures that later will change the entire area into a new cosmopolitan core of modern Istanbul baring the name of Pera withholding all the facilities one could find in any Western European capital, such as theaters, churches, cafes, shops, offices etc. The district of Galata and its walled frontier in time slowly will disappear and the transition from Galata towards Pera they will be put under the name of Beyoğlu that will become the center of the new emerging cosmopolitan bourgeoisie of the late 19th and early 20th century.
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    Il Paesaggio delle Architetture di Sinan. L’esempio della Tracia
    (Ege Yayınları, 2017-12-01) Orlandi, Luca; Architecture; ORLANDI, Luca
    The aim of this work is to describe and analyze some aspects of the Ottoman architecture developed during the 16th Century, through the works and the masterpieces left by the great Ottoman architect Sinan. In particular, an investigation on the works made by the masterbuilder in the minor centers and along the main trade routes of Thrace, rather than the major works presents in the big cities as Istanbul or Edirne are presented in details. First of all, in this work it has been defined a specific case-study: the Ottoman Thrace. Undoubtlely, this region, known since the ancient time, is one of the best example where Sinan was able to develop works, both in architectural and urban scale, making of him a sort of site planner, rather than a city planner, by designed urban features and elements that fitted very well in the territory and in the environment, creating a sort of ‘Ottoman landscape’ still visible – sa far as it is possible – even today crossing those lands. The present work is divided in two main parts, each of them divided into two chapters. In the first chapter of the present work, the historical, political and social events and the Ottoman territorial administration in the 16th Century are presented. Moreover, the Ottoman system routes and tracks for the caravans and the locations for the station posts, called at that time menzil station, or terminal, are studied and analyzed, and the study concerns the trade routes and the network of supply systems and the roads for the military campaigns towards Europe as well, very important for the Ottoman’s sovereigns and policies. In the second chapter Sinan is introduced as the biggest Ottoman architect of all the time, compared often to its High Renaissance counterparts such as Michelangelo or Palladio. A short history of his life, through the examples of his major works underlining his cleverness to choose the places for his designs according to the patronage of the moment and to decide, case by case, the best solutions for the planning of the area are analyzed. Another point of this chapter reveals Sinan as a leader in the development of the classical Ottoman architecture and the importance of the role of Sinan in the territorial organization and administration as Chief of the Royal Architects. The other main topics describes in the second part of this work, in chapter three, are related to the Thrace region during the Sinan’s age, the main previous Ottoman buildings precence and his planning and transformations in the minor centers and along the main road axis. The Thrace is seen as an overland routes net to arrive from West to the core of the Ottoman Empire and viceversa. Istanbul and Edirne had been both capitals of the Ottoman Empire and at the same time the Thrace was a region of exchanges and trades between East and West. Finally, the last chapter entirely concerns the traveller’s literature, or travelogues. In particular, are taken in to considerations journey’s diaries, accounts, memoires or descriptions made by several travellers in the last four centuries, about many places along the roads, both overland and on the sea, through Thrace. In most of the cases, these descriptions show the relations between the architectures or the plans made by Sinan and the territories or the landscapes of Thrace. In the conclusions, the role of Sinan as a ‘site planner’ and his contributions to the Ottoman architecture in the interested areas, through the design or re-design of the territory are discussed. A glimpse to the present conditions of the Sinan’s works in Thrace, their actual use and the contemporary transformations in the territory is also take in consideration. A glossary that contains the major Turkish and Ottoman terms used in this work and one appendix that include all the Sinan’s works in the Balkan areas and in Thrace other then a complete and up to date bibliography on Sinan, are added as well.
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    ArticlePublicationOpen Access
    Ottoman urban environment in the Balkans: The case study of Ohrid, Macedonia
    (Drum Press, 2023-06-01) Ivkovska, V.; Orlandi, Luca; Architecture; Özkuvancı, Özge; Camiz, Alessandro; Ceylanlı, Zeynep; ORLANDI, Luca
    As part of the eighth AACCP symposium Cities in Evolution: Diachronic Transformations Of Urban And Rural Settlements, this article will try to give an outlook of the urban environment and the architecture in the Ottoman Balkans presented through a case study. The spatial development of the Balkan towns, especially those in the European territory of Rumelia, has its roots in Ottoman concepts strongly influenced by local pre-existing conditions. However, the Ottoman concepts were deeply founded in the institution of the pious foundations and the quarter. Typically, the physical shape of a town was consisted of an organic accumulation of these quarters and the house appearance influenced both by the formation of neighborhoods, the organic disposition of streets, and the morphology of the terrain. All these elements can be seen in this case study confirming the continuity and the regional Ottoman era architectural influences and realizations as well as climate, geographic and historical circumstances under which the town has been developing its physical appearance. The Ottoman era house developed its forms in different cultural areas, adapted itself to a variety of climatic and topographical situations and even though many external factors contributed the development of its type of life style and aesthetics of the ethnic groups as well. These in particular are illustrated very well in the houses of the Balkan Peninsula where there was not just merging of elements but also merge of different religions and cultures. The non-Muslim population that was native inhabitants of this area had their contribution to the development of the vernacular, even though interaction with the artisans of the regions. These led to a form of a vernacular where opponent elements stood one by another in harmony in the Ottoman era matrices and their places of worship, the mosques. Ohrid, Republic of Macedonia, is a town that within the borders of the Ottoman Empire was part of the regional architectural influences. The town, positioned on a hill, built by the homonymous lake possess long historical continuity going as far back to neolith eras when in the Ottoman times reached its peak in the urban and house development.
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    Kallithea, Rhodes: a summer thermal bath resort at the border of the Italian Fascist Empire and its reuse today
    (Routledge, 2020-05-01) Orlandi, Luca; Ivkovska, V.; Architecture; Jones, K. B.; Pilat, S.; ORLANDI, Luca
    As part of the architectural heritage left by the Italians during their occupation of the Dodecanese Islands in the Aegean Sea, this article presents the thermal bath resort complex in Kallithea, Rhodes, its history, life and today’s re-use. After the outbreak of the Italian-Turkish war from 1912 until 1940 the Dodecanese Islands, were taken over by the military forces and ruled by the Kingdom of Italy. After the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire and creation of modern Turkey, the Dodecanese Islands were formally annexed by Italy as the Possedimenti Italiani dell’Egeo. Italian colonists started to settle the islands and in 1930s, several years after the military occupation and throughout the fascist era under the guide of Benito Mussolini, numerous architects, engineers, archeologists and scholars were sent from Italy to study and modernize the new Italian possessions, bringing over the political ideology through a well-defined program. Mainly architects and engineers were sent to study and restore the ancient traces of the Italian civilizations left prior the Ottoman conquest, as well as to document and eventually restore some Early Christian, medieval and Byzantine architectural structures, but also to examine and analyze the Ottoman and Muslim architecture left by the previous conquerors. The idea to revitalize this region of the Mediterranean, through a program of new architecture, in order to make it more Italianized and realize the dream of a fascist modernità was placed highly in Mussolini’s agenda. The scope of the paper is to mark the modern architecture left by the Italian architects after the invasion and the colonization of the islands with a focus on the summer bath resort of Kallithea, located on the island of Rhodes (Rodi), in a near vicinity of the town of Rhodes. This spa resort has been selected in order to better understand the richness of the architectural environment, since it is a material evidence of the Italian presence in the territories and a reminder of the remains of the ‘colonialist’ culture that arrived after the decline of the Ottoman Empire and the acquisition of the Dodecanese Islands first by the Italians during the Fascist era and then by the Greeks and their annexation to their State. The Kallithea Bay was famous for many years for its thermal spring waters. In 1927, during the Italian occupation, a comprehensive water bath study was carried out. The modernist architect Pietro Lombardi was appointed to plan the Spa. The architectural plans for the Kallithea baths were considered among the most successful architectural compositions of the time and the main design of some buildings was directly inspired by the Ottoman architecture, in particular by the typical Turkish baths structures already existing on the island. The principal idea of the complex was to maintain a romantic and exotic vision, focusing towards the tourist needs and as a tourist attraction rather than a propaganda delivered through architectural structures. The aim of this paper is to investigate the architectural environment and structures defined within the summer resort of Kallithea and how this complex lived until today. After World War II, due to damnatio memoriae, the Greeks perceived the buildings as evidence of the Italian rule, leaving them abandoned for decades. During the period 1999-2007 the resort was restored and is now operating as a prominent touristic destination on the island.
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    Skopje’s transitions and the city’s struggle to preserve collective memories
    (Institute of History Slovak Academy of Sciences, 2019) Ivkovska, V.; Orlandi, Luca; Architecture; ORLANDI, Luca
    Skopje underwent many changes to its urban environment, caused by different factors both human and natural. Due to these impacts the community’s responses have ranged from deeply personal to collective mobilization of attachment that erupted during some periods of rapid change. After the big changes that occurred after the 1963 earthquake and the dissolution of Yugoslavia when Macedonia reached its independence, the city and its citizens continuously struggled to find urban identity that could reflects the collective memories of the previous times. In searching for this urban identity, the last phase of the process was the “Skopje 2014” agenda promoted by the then ruling government. This paper presents the transitions in Skopje’s urban panorama. It analyses and presents how such transformations of urban and architectural environment can affect the urban identity and the collective urban memories.