To subscribe to the Kent Gezgini channel: ???? / channel Favorite Neighborhood: Kuzguncuk (Refika's Kitchen, Perihan Abla House, Simotas Building) Kuzguncuk, one of the rare neighborhoods where the sincere neighborhood culture thought to be from a long time ago is still alive, is a small village on the Bosphorus with its colorful bay-windowed houses, multi-layered human mosaic, and nostalgic venues. The neighborhood, which is practically flooded by local tourists on weekends with these features, has also become a natural shooting set for the sensational series of Turkish television history! Popular series of the period such as Perihan Abla, Ekmek Teknesi, Hatırla Sevgili, Hayat Bilgisi were filmed in Kuzguncuk. Formerly known as Hrisokeramos (Golden Tile), Kuzguncuk takes its name from a church built by Justinus II (565-578) and covered with gilded tiles. According to some, the name of the district called 'Kosinitza' became Kuzguncuk over time. According to Evliya Çelebi, the name comes from a saint named Kuzgun Baba who lived here between 1451-1481. Kuzguncuk is the first Jewish settlement area on the Asian side of Istanbul. Kuzguncuk is mentioned as a Jewish village in 17th century sources. It is stated that the district was considered by European Jews as the 'last stop before reaching the Holy Land'. It is known that those who could not go to the promised land at least settled in Kuzguncuk and requested to die and be buried there. There is a large Jewish cemetery in the district. In later years, the district became a true cultural mosaic with the settlement of Armenian and Muslim people in the region. In this section, the City Explorer visits the Simotas Building, Nevzat Sayın Office, Perihan Abla House, Kuzguncuk Pier, Cengiz Bektaş Office and Kuzguncuk Garden. It comments on the curiosities about the district from its history to its culture, architecture to its people, facts to its stories… The current owner of the Simotas Building is the famous chef Refika Birgül, whom almost all of us know very well… The building, which consists of offices, kitchens and workshops, is also full of antiques and books that Birgül loves to collect. The building, which was previously owned by the Sevilla and Arditti families, was built in 1923 by the Greek architect Simotas. At that time, it was both the first apartment and the tallest structure of Kuzguncuk, a small Bosphorus village. It had two apartments on each floor and a cistern in the basement. Many Jewish, Christian and Muslim families lived together in the building. In later years, the building passed from the Arditti Family to Alomba Hanım’s adopted son Rafael Fresko. Fresko, who got married and had three children, rented out the apartments while living here. However, the rent demands dropped due to the noise caused by the buckle and wire wool workshop opened in the basement. The Fresko Family also moved to another district after a while. After Rafael Fresko passed away, the building was sold to a filmmaker in 1986. The building, which was used as a residence for many years, was renovated to be converted into an apart hotel. However, the filmmaker's dream came to an end due to financial difficulties. The long years of silence of the Simotas Building ended in 2003 when it was purchased by the Birgül Family. Refika Birgül started a long-term renovation in the building that had been sleeping for 30 years. Today, people from different professions work together, produce, and live a pleasant and collective life in the building that reopened its doors to Kuzguncuk in 2010. Kuzguncuk is also a neighborhood where Perihan Abla, one of the most popular series of the 1990s, was filmed. There are even those who go to Kuzguncuk just to see and take photos of 'Perihan Abla House'! Perran Kutman and Şevket Altuğ shared the leading roles in the comedy and drama series that aired between 1986-1988. The series, which tells the story of Perihan Abla, who has to look after her two siblings, Şakir, who loves her, and the events that take place in the neighborhood, attracted great attention during the time it was shown. We visit the Kuzguncuk District, where all kinds of details about the series, Refika's kitchen, Bosphorus and the memories of the Simotas Building are located. #kuzguncuk #architecture #series #istanbul #citytravel #refika'skitchen