Samatya ( el, Ψαμάθεια, pr. ''Psamatheia''; hy, Սամաթիա) is a quarter of the

Fatih Fatih () is a district of and a municipality (''belediye'') in Istanbul, Turkey, and home to almost all of the provincial authorities (including the governor's office, police headquarters, metropolitan municipality and tax office) but not the co ...

district of

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

. It is located along the Marmara Sea, and borders to the west on the neighborhood of Yedikule (the "Castle of the Seven Towers").

Etymology

The name originates from the Greek word ''psamathion'' (), meaning "sandy", because of the great quantity of sand found in the quarter.

History

About 383 AD, the first monastic institution was established in Constantinople, at Psamatheia, at that time still outside the walled city.Tsai, Kathryn (Dr). ''A Timeline of Eastern Church History''. Divine Ascent Press, CA, 2004. p.73. Church of Saint Menas 01

Up to recent times, Samatya was mostly inhabited by

Armenians Armenians ( hy, հայեր, '' hayer'' ) are an ethnic group native to the Armenian highlands of Western Asia. Armenians constitute the main population of Armenia and the ''de facto'' independent Artsakh. There is a wide-ranging diaspora ...

, who were settled here in 1458 by Sultan

Mehmet II Mehmed II ( ota, محمد ثانى, translit=Meḥmed-i s̱ānī; tr, II. Mehmed, ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror ( ota, ابو الفتح, Ebū'l-fetḥ, lit=the Father of Conquest, links=no; tr, Fâtih Su ...

,Müller-Wiener (1977), p. 200 and who own there the church of '' Surp Kevork'', also called ''Sulu Manastiri'' (Water's monastery) – previously an

Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism. Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or " canoni ...

church which dates back to before the Ottoman conquest, and by

Greeks The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Greek Cypriots, Cyprus, Greeks in Albania, Albania, Greeks in Italy, ...

, who have the churches of ''Hristos Analipsis'' and '' Haghios Menas''.Müller-Wiener (1977), p. 186 The quarter was destroyed in 1782 by one of the largest fires of Istanbul ever recorded.

Samatya today

In Samatya there is also an important public hospital, the Istanbul Educational and Research Hospita
İstanbul Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi
Samatya has a station (named "Kocamustafapaşa") on the suburban railway line

Sirkeci Sirkeci () is a neighborhood in the Eminönü quarter of the Fatih district in Istanbul, Turkey. The neighborhood borders to the north the mouth of the Golden Horn, to the west the neighborhood of Bahçekapı, to the east the Topkapı Palace ...

-Halkalı. One of the most picturesque fish markets of Istanbul is placed in the quarter, just opposite the train station. Samatya is also a favorite place for Turkish directors. One of the most famous Turkish TV shows, '' Ikinci Bahar'' ("Second Spring"), as well as

Nuri Bilge Ceylan Nuri Bilge Ceylan (, born 26 January 1959) is a Turkish photographer, filmmaker and actor best known for the Palme d'Or winning '' Winter Sleep'' (2014). Early life Ceylan was born in Istanbul on 26 January 1959. His interest in photography sta ...

's '' Three Monkeys'', were filmed in Samatya.

Notable personalities

* Hrachia Acharian - Armenian linguist * Simon Agopyan - Armenian painter * Mihran Apikyan - Armenian writer and linguist * Sevan Bıçakçı - Turkish jeweller * Levon Larents - Armenian writer * Avedis Zildjian III - Armenian American cymbal maker

References

Sources

* * Quarters of Fatih {{Istanbul-geo-stub