Eski dernek başkanı Ziyaeddin Kul ve şimdiki başkan Şükrü Pündük ile yapılan sohbetlerden edinilen bilgilere göre, asıl Sulukule şimdi Vatan Caddesi’nin geçtiği yerdeymiş. O zamanlar surlar cadde boyunca kesintisiz devam ediyormuş. Şimdiki Vakıf Gureba Hastanesi’nin karşı tarafında, Emniyet’in, yeni Belediye binasının ve alışveriş merkezinin olduğu yerlerde, çok değil 50 sene önce, incir, dut bahçeleri, bostanlar varmış. Sultan Mahalle’den Akgün Otel’e varıncaya kadar olan bölge Sulukule olarak biliniyormuş. Sur boyunca, Surlara bitişik 250 tane ev, caddenin olduğu yerde de 40-50 ev, kahveler, konaklar, gazinolar ve mahallenin tam ortasından, Yenibahçe’den, Yenikapı’dan geçerek denize bir akan bir ırmak varmış.
Mahallenin adı da bu sudan ve surlardan (kule) gelirmiş. Sulukule Caddesi Edirnekapı’dan Topkapı’ya uzanıyormuş. O zamanlar 100 den fazla dansözün yaşadığı mahallede sazlar çalınır, dans edilirmiş.Mahalle sakinlerinin çoğu Bosna’dan, Makedonya’dan, Selanik’ten gelen Rumelililermiş. Mahallede Rumlar ve Ermeniler de yaşarmış. Hem Rum, hem Ermeni kilisesi varmış. Meşhur müzisyen kemancı Tatar Ali, Mısır’lı meşhur kemancı Bülbül Salih’le evlenen ses sanatçısı Safinaz, Ali Şenses ve Huriye Şenses, Kemancı Variye, meşhur ses sanatçısı Gülistan, Bando Başçavuşu Krik Ethem, Bulgar İbrahim, Klarinetçi İhsan, Kandıralı’nın Kaynatası, Kemancı ama Recep, Sofrom Çokyaşar, Meşhur dansöz Anaka, Eleni, Afro, Rodiye Gözüpek, Pedro, Nigar orada otururlarmış.
 |
| Sulukule, 2008 (Fotoğraf: Nejla Osseiran) |
Sonraki yıkımlar 1966’da Haşim İşcan döneminde yapılmış. O zaman “Bir dernek kurun, size Turizm Bakanlığı’na bağlı bir yer verelim” demişler. Dernek faaliyete geçmiş, yeri şimdiki Belediye’nin yüzme havuzuna yakınmış. Uluslararası Çigan Festivali düzenlenmiş ama maalesef söz verildiği gibi yer verilmemiş mahallelilere. 1966’da aniden Sulukule’nin yukarı bölümü de yıkılmış. Yıkımların en şiddetlisi 1966 Mayıs ayında bir düğün sabahı yapılmış. Takoz Mustafa’nın kaynanası Kovalada’nın kızının düğününün olduğu gün, 200 zabıta, 50 güvenlik görevlisi, sabah 9’da makinelerle mahalleye gelip yıkım yapmışlar.
Yıkımların ardından mahallelilerin bir kısmı tekrar yukarıya, Sultan Mahalle’ye doğru taşınmış. O zamanlar Sultan Mahalle’deki Romanlar arabacılık, esnaflık, ticaret ile uğraşırlarmış. Müzisyenlik, dansöz oynatmak Sulukule’deki romanların işiymiş. Fakat 1966’daki yıkımlardan sonra Sulukule’den Sultan Mahalle’ye taşınan romanlar eğlence evlerini, sazlı sözlü danslı eğlence kültürünü burada da devam ettirmişler. Hüsamettin Bahtiyar , Zurnacı Emin, İnci Hala, Kör Remziye, Tarakçı İsmail, Topal Nigar, Lebibe, Galaza Dayı, Saatçi Ali, Hüsram Ağa, Muharrem Ağa, Necati Amca, Bakkal Veli, Arabacı Mestan, Cemal, Canik Hala, Atarabacı Hamdi, Şükrü Güveyler, Lebbe, Bekir Amca, Karanfil Zeki, Karabekir, Horoz , Necla Abla , Bakiye, Siirt’li Şaban 1966 sonrası Sultan Mahalle’de oturuyor, eğlence evi işletmeciliği, at arabacılığı, şöförlük gibi işlerle uğraşıyorlarmış. 1991’de eğlence evleri kapatılmış. Mahalle büyük yoksulluğa ve yoksunluğa terk edilmiş. Derken 2005 senesine kadar avlulu evleri, taş yapıları, tarihi evleri, 19cu yüzyıldaki şekliyle korunmuş sokak dokusu, özgün mimari yapısı ve asırlık çınar ağacıyla tarihi bir koruma bölgesi, sit alanı olan mahalle “çöküntü bölgesi ve yenileme alanı” ilan edilerek yapılaşmaya açıldı. Yenileme Kurulu’nun onayladığı Avan ( ön-taslak) proje üzerinden, kentin ortasında yeni bulunmuş boş bir araziymiş gibi satışa sunuldu. “Çöküntü bölgesi” olarak ilan edildiği için hemen yanıbaşındaki arsalardan 10 kat daha ucuz fiyatlara ve acil kamulaştırma tehdidi ile tapular satın alındı.
Mahallelinin deyişiyle : 2006’da “tekrar bir yıkım geldi”. Devlet karar vermişti. Elden bir şey gelmezdi. 4 sene süren, yerli yabancı pek çok sivil toplum kuruluşunu, üniversiteleri, akademisyenleri, meslek odalarını, öğrencileri, medyayı, sanatçıları harekete geçiren protesto ve eylemlere rağmen mahallenin kaderi değiştirilemedi. 2009’da mahalle tamamen yıkıldı. Erken Bizans dönemi kalıntılarının üzerine, özgün mahalle dokusu yok edilerek, somut ve soyut bütün kültürel miras silinerek yeni insanlar için, yeni inşaatlar yapıldı.
Avan projeye karşı mahallelilerin, mahalle derneğinin ve odaların 2007 senesinde açtığı dava sürüyor. Yeni açıklanan Bilirkişi Raporu Avan projeyi şehircilik ilkelerine göre Hukuksuz ve Kamu Yararına aykırı bulduğunu açıklıyor. Ancak mahkeme yürütmeyi durdurma vermediği için 2009 senesinde yıkımlar tamamlandı, inşaat başladı ve neredeyse bitmek üzere.
Mahalleliler ve Sulukule Roman Kültürünü Geliştirme ve Dayanışma Derneği Avrupa İnsan Hakları Mahkemesi’ne başvurdu, dava kabul edildi.
Funda Oral, Sulukule Platformu Aktivisti
Aralık 2010
Once upon a time there was Sulukule and a neighborhood called Sultan Mahalle.
The neighborhoods Hatice Sultan and Neslişah Sultan, which the Fatih Municipality had declared renewal areas in 2005, are known as "Sultan Mahalle" by the locals. Some of the musician families that moved from Sulukule, a district known for its entertainment tradition, used to live in Sultan Mahalle. In 2006 Sultan Mahalle started to change hands, buildings were sold and demolished.
Information obtained from the interviews with the association's former president Mr. Ziyaeddin Kul and current president Mr. Şükrü Pündük indicates that originally, Sulukule used to be where today passes a large boulevard, Vatan Caddesi. Then, the Theodosian Walls used to extend without interruption along the street. Not so long ago, only in the sixties, there used to be gardens and fields in the area where today stand the police department, the new city hall and a shopping mall facing the Vakıf Gureba hospital. The area from Sultan Mahalle to Akgün Hotel was known as Sulukule. There were 250 houses lined up along the walls, and where the boulevard runs today used to be about 40-50 houses, coffee shops, mansions and entertainment houses. A creek used to run through the center of the neighborhood, all the way from Yenibahçe to Yenikapı and into the sea. The neighborhood took its name from this creek and the walls (the fortress). Sulukule Street used to run from Edirnekapı to Topkapı. The home of more than 100 dancers, music and dance was in the air. Most of its residents were immigrants from Bosnia, Macedonia and Thessaloniki. There were also Greeks and Armenians. There used to be both Greek and Armenian churches. The famous fiddler Tatar Ali, singer Safinaz who married the famous Egyptian fiddler Bülbül Salih, Ali Şenses and Huriye Şenses, fiddler Variye, the famous singer Gülistan, Brass Band Sergeant Krik Ethem, Bulgarian İbrahim, clarinet player İhsan, Kandıralı's brother in law, the blind fiddler Recep, Sofrom Çokyaşar, the famous dancer Anaka, Eleni, Afro, Rodiye Gözüpek, Pedro, Nigar, all used to live here.
|
| Sulukule, 2008 (photograph: Nejla Osseiran) |
Sulukule was expropriated to build the main artery Vatan Caddesi which was opened in 1958. Prime Minister Adnan Menderes had promised to build a private complex for the neighborhood residents; however, could not keep his word as an outcome of the 1960 coup d'état. Back then some of the residents moved to the north of the neighborhood where the gas department is situated today. Others moved to the various parts of İstanbul. Just like today, in those days, too, it was hard to claim rights against expropriation decisions. The compensation amounts paid were low. Most of the residents were uninformed about their rights. Neither had they been able to take out inheritance deeds because their grandfathers did not have surnames.
More destruction followed in 1966 during the administration of Haşim İşcan. At the time the authorities had told the residents that they would be allocated land by the Ministry of Tourism if they would establish an association. The association was formed at an address close to where the city swimming pool is today. An international Gypsy Festival was organized but land was not allocated as was promised. In 1966, the upper part of Sulukule was also demolished without prior notice. The most disastrous of all demolitions came in May 1966 on a morning when all were preparing for a wedding celebration. At 9 in the morning, on the day when Takoz Mustafa's mother in law Kovalada had her daughter's wedding, 200 police guards, 50 guards showed up to demolish the area.
After this demolition, more of the residents moved north, towards Sultan Mahalle. In those days, the Romans of Sultan Mahalle used to work as drivers, artisans and small merchants. Music and dancing were the jobs of the Romans of Sulukule. Nevertheless, the Romans who moved from Sulukule to Sultan Mahalle after the demolition in 1966 continued their music, dance and entertainment culture, and their entertainment houses in their new neighborhood. Hüsamettin Bahtiyar, Emin the Piper, Aunt İnci, Blind Remziye, İsmail the Comb Seller, Gimpy Nigar, Lebibe, Uncle Galaza, Ali the Clockmaker, Hüsram Agha, Muharrem Agha, Uncle Necati, Grocer Veli, Driver Mestan, Cemal, Aunt Canik, Hamdi the Horse-Cart Driver, Şükrü Güveyler, Lebbe, Uncle Bekir, Karanfil Zeki, Karabekir, The Rooster, Necla Abla, Bakiye, Şaban The Lad from Siirt were the new residents of Sultan Mahalle after 1966 and ran musical entertainment houses or worked as horse-cart or car drivers. All musical entertainment houses were shut down in 1991. The neighborhood was abandoned to poverty and deprivation.
The neighborhood, which until 2005 used to be a protected historical area with courtyard houses, stone buildings, historical structures, a street texture dating back to the 19th Century, an authentic architecture and century-old plane trees, was declared a "blighted area and renewal zone" and opened to construction. Based on the Concept (preliminary) project approved by the Rehabilitation Council, the area was put up for sale as if it were some newly discovered vacant land in the city center. Because the area had been declared "blighted area," title deeds were bought with threats of expropriation and at prices 10 times less than of those in the surrounding areas.
Quoting the residents: In 2006, "came another wave of destruction." The state had decided so. There wasn't much to do. The fate of the neighborhood could not be changed in the 4 years that witnessed protests and rallies that mobilized many NGOs, the universities, academicians, professional chambers, students, the media and artists. The neighborhood was entirely demolished by 2009. New buildings were erected for new residents on the remnants of the early Byzantine period by shattering the unique structure of the neighborhood and effacing an entire cultural heritage, in body and in spirit.
The lawsuit which the neighborhood association and the chambers have filed against the Concept project in 2007 is still in progress. The recently declared Expertise Report identifies the Concept project to be Unlawful and in Violation of the Common Good. Nevertheless, demolitions were completed because the court did not grant a motion for stay of execution, constructions started and are about to be complete.
The residents of the neighborhood and the Sulukule Romani Culture and Development Association appealed to the European Court of Human Rights and their application was accepted.
Funda Oral, Sulukule Platform Activist
December 2010
Translation by : Mine Şengel
Hiç yorum yok:
Yorum Gönder