Piyer Loti Coffee House
This coffee house was known under the name Rabia Kadin Coffee House in the 19th century. When a Bulgarian immigrant, Ragib Aga, takes over the coffee house, the name becomes Ragib Aga. When the famous writer Pierre Loti, who came to Istanbul at the end of the 19th century, discovers this coffee house and begins spending long hours here, the name becomes Piyer Loti. Although the owner changes a number of times, the name remains. Here is Pierre Loti`s account of the coffee house:
“The astounding view of Eyup at one end of the Golden Horn… The holy mosque that rises in marble whiteness from a forest made up of very old trees, and the sad hills that are a real city of death with cloudy colors and graveyards sprinkled with marble… On the right, the Golden Horn with thousands of glittering boats, whole Istanbul in a miniature form, mosques whose domes and minarets mix together… ”
The most significant characteristic of Piyer Loti Coffee House, as recounted by Pierre Loti, is its view. Having undergone quite a change, this view is interrupted today by the Golden Horn Bridge that connects the highway to the city. It is also disturbed by the ugly buildings built in the twentieth century. However, cleaning the shore of the Golden Horn of the factories, and enlivening it with cultural sites, draws many Turkish and foreign tourists here.
Ali Coffee House
The coffee house of Ciroz Ali in Defterdar used to be indispensable for Ramadan in Istanbul. Ciroz Ali`s was a firemen`s coffee house and it was the first resort for saving the neighborhood from fires. Ciroz Ali used to employ firemen, and he used to run with his water pump to put out every fire in the neighborhood. When he gets tuberculosis he goes to live with his uncle in Bakirkoy in order to get more fresh air. The firemen in Defterdar send a fireman to Bakirkoy in order to get the news in case anything happens to Ciroz Ali.
Ciroz Ali dies at sunrise. The messenger hops on a rented horse and gallops to Defterdar. When he reaches Defterdar, the firemen realize that Ciroz Ali is dead… They go to Bakirkoy with a 200-strong group. An equally large group of Christian and Jewish people gather together, and the whole crowd carries the corpse on foot to Eyup in one hour and ten minutes, which is an almost impossible pace. The Ciroz Ali Coffee House, the most pompous and joyful of coffee houses in its time, does not live long after Ciroz Ali`s death.
This article is published for EnmarBg. For more interesting information about Bulgaria destinations, please visit bulgaria destinations.
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