Rumelifeneri, Istanbul

Rumelifeneri (named after the lighthouse Rumeli Feneri) is a village in İstanbul Province, Turkey.

This article is about the village Rumelifeneri, Sarıyer. For the lighthouse, see Rumeli Feneri.

Rumelifeneri
Village
Rumelifeneri Location in Turkey
Coordinates: 41°14′N 29°07′E
Country	Turkey
Province	İstanbul Province
District	Sarıyer
Elevation	30 m (100 ft)
Population  (2010)
• Total	2,337
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code	34450
Area code(s)	0212
Licence plate	34

Geography

Rumelifeneri is in Sarıyer intracity district of Istanbul Province. At 41°14′N 29°07′E it is a coastal village located at the extreme northwest (i.e., European side) of the Bosphorous Strait. It is a suburb of Istanbul. The distance to Sarıyer is 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) and to the center of Greater Istanbul is about 25 kilometres (16 mi). The population of Rumelifeneri is 2,337[1] as of 2010.

History

Archaeological evidence in the area of the village dates back to the late Byzantine era, although a now lost Greek inscription dating to the 3rd century CE was formerly on display at the Greek cemetery of the village.[2]

The village is named after a local lighthouse, which is attested in portolans and literary sources since at least the 15th century. Petrus Gyllius, who visited it in the mid-16th century, described it as octagonal, and ascribed to it a Byzantine origin. Its Greek inhabitants named it Phanarion (Φανάριον, "lighthouse"), often in the diminutive Phanarakion (Φαναράκιον).[2] In 1768, a fortress was built by a Greek engineer for the Ottoman Empire (Rumeli Fener Kalesi), possibly on older foundations. It is now in ruins.[2] Rumelifeneri was involved was the rebellion of Kabakçı Mustafa.[3]

Before World War I, the village was inhabited by Greeks—some 900 inhabitants in the late 19th century—and had a church dedicated to St. George (possibly built on a Byzantine predecessor), and the hagiasma (sacred well) known as tis Tsirpinas (της Τσίρπινας).[2]

Economy

Rumelifeneri is a fishermen's village. But it is very close to Istanbul, which makes the village a place of seafood restaurants specialized for daily excursion of Istanbul citizens.

References

1. Statistical Institute Archived 2014-04-07 at the Wayback Machine
2. Külzer, Andreas (2008). "Phanarion (I)". Tabula Imperii Byzantini: Band 12, Ostthrakien (Eurōpē) (in German). Vienna: Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften. pp. 582–583. ISBN 978-3-7001-3945-4.
3. A page about Istanbul Vicinity (in Turkish)