Fatih

**Fatih** is a municipality (belediye) an destrict in Istanbul, Turkey that encompasses maist o the peninsulae coincidin wi historic Constantinople. In 2009, the destrict o Eminönü, umwhile a separate municipality locatit at the tip o the peninsula, wis mergit intae Fatih. Fatih borders the Gowden Horn tae the north an the Sea o Marmara tae the sooth, while the Wastren mairch is demarkit bi the Theodosian waw. The mayor is Mustafa Demir (AKP).

## History
### Byzantine Era

Historic Byzantine destricts encompassed bi present-day Fatih include: *Exokiónion*, *Aurelianae*, *Xerólophos*, *[[Eleutherion|ta Eleuthérou]]*, *Helenianae*, *ta Dalmatoú*, *Sígma*, *[[Samatya|Psamátheia]]*, *ta Katakalón*, *Paradeísion*, *ta Olympíou*, *ta Kýrou*, *Peghé*, *Rhéghion*, *ta Elebíchou*, *Leomákellon*, *ta Dexiokrátous*, *Petríon* or *Pétra*, *[[Fener|Phanàrion]]*, *Exi Mármara* (Altimermer), *Philopátion*, *Deúteron* an *[[Blachernae|Vlachernaí]]*.

## Ottoman period

The name "Fatih" comes frae the Ottoman emperor Fatih Sultan Mehmed (Mehmed the Conqueror), an means "Conqueror" in Turkis, oreeginally frae Arabic. The Fatih Mosque biggit bi Mehmed II is in this destrict, while his restin place is next tae the mosque an is much visitit. It wis on the ruins o the Kirk o the Holy Apostles, destroyed bi yirdquauks an years o war, that the Fatih Mosque wis biggit, an aroond the mosque a lairge prayer schuil.

Immediately efter the conquest, groups o Islamic scholars transformit the major kirks of Hagia Sophia an the Pantocrator (the day the Zeyrek Mosque) intae mosques, but the Fatih Mosque an its surroondin complex wis the first purpose-biggit Islamic seminar athin the ceety waws. The biggin o the mosque complex ensured that the aurie continued tae thrive ayont the conquest; mercats grew up tae support the thoosans o wirkers involvit in the building an tae supply thaim wi materials, an then tae service the students in the seminar. The aurie quickly became a Turkis neebourheid wi a pairticularly pious character due tae the seminar. Some o this piety haes endured till the day.

Follaein the conquest, the Edirnekapı (meanin *[[Edirne]] Gate*) gate in the ceety waws became the major exit tae Thrace, an this rejuvenatit the neebourheids owerleukin the Gowden Horn. The Fatih Mosque wis on the road tae Edirnekapı an the Fatih destrict became the maist populous aurie o the ceety in the early Ottoman period an in the 16t century mair mosques an mercats wur biggit in this aurie, includin: Iskender Pasha Mosque, ance famous as a centre for the Naqshbandi order in Turkey); Hirka-i-Sharif Mosque, which hooses the cloak o the Prophet Muhammad (The Mosque is in common uise but the cloak is anerlie on show durin the month of Ramadan; the Jerrahi Tekke; The Sunbul Efendi Tekke an the Ramazan Efendi Tekke baith in the Kocamustafapaşa destrict an the Vefa Kilise Mosque, oreeginally a Byzantine kirk. The last fower wur namit efter the foonders o various Sufi orders, an Sheikh Ebü’l Vefa in pairticular wis o major importance in the ceety an wis vera fond o Fatih. Mony ither mosques, schuils, baths an foontains in the aurie wur biggit bi militar leaders an offeecials in the Ottoman court.

Frae the 18t century onwairds Istanbul stairtit tae grow ootside the waws, an then began the transformation o Fatih intae the mass o concrete apairtment biggins that we hae the day. This process haes been acceleratit ower the years bi fires which destroyed whole neebourheids o firthen houses, an a major yirdquauk in 1766, which destroyed the Fatih Mosque an mony o the surroondin biggins, (which wur subsequently rebuilt). Fires continued tae ravage the auld ceety, an the wide roads that run throu the aurie the day are a legacy o aw that burnin. Thare are few firthen biggins left in Fatih the day, awtho richt up till the 1960s the aurie wis covered wi narrae streets o firthen biggins. Nouadays, the destrict is lairgely made up o narrae streets wi tichtly-packit 5- or 6-floor apairtment biggins.

## Fatih the day
At present, Fatih contains auries includin Aksaray, Fındıkzade, Çapa, an Vatan Caddesi that are mair cosmopolitan than the extreme conservative image which the destrict haes in the een o mony fowk (acause o the releegious commonty o the Çarşamba quairter athin the destrict.) Wi Eminönü, which wis offeecially an aurie o the Fatih destrict till 1928, an wi its historical Byzantine waws, conquered bi Mehmed II, Fatih is the "real" Istanbul o the auld times, afore the recent enlairgement o the ceety that began in the 19t century.

The aurie haes acome mair an mair croudit frae the 1960s onwards, an a lairge portion o the middle cless residents muivit tae the Anatolie side an ither pairts o the ceety. Fatih the day is lairgely a wirkin cless destrict, but bein a previously walthy aurie, is well-resourcit, wi a mair thorouly established commonty than the relatively poorer residents o the newly-biggit auries sic as Bağcılar or Esenler tae the wast, which are amaist entirely inhabitit bi post-1980s immigrants who came tae the ceety in desperate circumstances. Fatih, at least, wis biggit wi some degree o central plannin bi the municipality.

Besides the Haliç University an the Kadir Has University, twa different Faculty of Medicine campuses o Istanbul University (Çapa Faculty o Medicine an Cerrahpaşa Faculty o Medicine) are in Fatih.

Mairower, syne 1586, the Orthodox Christian Patriairchate o Constantinople haes its heidquairters in the relatively modest Kirk o St. George in the Fener destrict o Fatih.

Fatih haes mony theatres, includin the famous Reşat Nuri Sahnesi. The aurie is well-servit wi a nummer o schuils, hospitals an public amenities in general. As Fatih is next tae Eminönü, thare is a smawer choice o shoppin than in ither auries, but thare are still boutiques on the main thoroufares, mony o which still cairy a fair nummer o trees. A nummer o Istanbul's langest-establisht hospitals are in Fatih, includin the Istanbul University teachin hospitals o Çapa an Cerrahpaşa, the Haseki Public Hospital, the Samatya Public Hospital, an the Vakıf Gureba Public Hospital. A tramwey runs frae the docks at Sirkeci, throu Sultanahmet, an feenally tae Aksaray, which is a pairt o Fatih.

An aw, the heidquairters o some o the main units o the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, includin the Fire Authority o the ceety, are based in Fatih.

Fatih haes mony historical an modren leebrars, includin the Edirnekapı Halk Kütüphanesi, Fener Rum Patrikhanesi Kütüphanesi (*the Leebrar o the Patriarchate*), Hekimoğlu Ali Paşa Halk Kütüphanesi, İstanbul University Cerrahpaşa Tıp Fakültesi Kütüphanesi, İstanbul Üniversitesi Kardiyoloji Ensitütüsü Kütüphanesi, İstanbul Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Hulusi Behçet Kitaplığı, İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyesi Kadın Eserleri Kütüphanesi, Millet Kütüphanesi, Mizah Kütüphanesi, Murat Molla Halk Kütüphanesi, Ragıppaşa Kütüphanesi, an Yusufpaşa Halk Kütüphanesi.

On the ither haund, the day Fatih is kent as ane o the maist conservative auries o Istanbul acause o the releegious residents o the Çarşamba quairter which is essentially a vera minor pairt o this historical destrict. Çarşamba is famous wi beardit men in hivy coats, the tradeetional baggy 'shalwar' trousers an Islamic turban; while weemen dressed in full black gouns are a common sicht as this aurie is popular wi members o the Naqshbandi Sufi order affiliatit tae a Sheikh. Conservative pairties aye dae well in this aurie.

## Some pairts o Fatih

* Fatih - the central destrict aroond the mosque itsel.
* *Horhor* - a steeply climbin street frae Aksaray up tae the main street o Fatih. Haes some varsity biggins, an some well-kent kebab restaurants.
* *[[Aksaray, Istanbul|Aksaray]]*
* *Laleli*
* *Yenikapı* - an important aurie o Fatih wi its main ferry-boat port o Istanbul
* *Fındıkzade*
* *[[Çarşamba, Istanbul|Çarşamba]]*
* *Şehremini*
* *[[Karagümrük]]* - a wirkin cless neebourheid famous for its hoodlums an the hoolingans o its lawer-league fitbaa team.
* *Fistikagacı* - lees roughly atween Fatih proper an the croudit residential aurie o Koca Mustafa Paşa (near the Marmara shore), vera popular wi Istanbul University students.
* *Vatan Caddesi* - a major road o Fatih, oot o the auld ceety tae the bus station at Esenler an on tae the motorweys tae Europe. Hame tae Istanbul's Central Polis HQ, (which issues resident permits tae foreigners an aw.)
* *[[Balat]]* - Fatih's neebourheid on the banks o the Gowden Horn, wi ance grand but nou narrae impoverisht streets. Umwhile a centre o Istanbul's Jewish population. It is leetit bi UNESCO as a Warld Heritage Steid.
* *[[Fener]]* - it is normally ramfeeselt wi Balat as thay situatit side bi side. The Ecumenical Patriarchate is locatit here. It wis umwhile ane o the major centres o Istanbul's Greek population, kent as the Phanariotes.
* *[[Sulukule]]* - an aurie inhabitit bi Gypsies, near Vatan Caddesi, famous for its buskers an belly dancers.
* *[[Samatya]]* - seemilar tae Fener, Samatya is a neebourheid wi a umwhile lairge Greek commonty an aw. Ane o the maist picturesque fish mercats o Istanbul is locatit here.

Eminönü pairt o Fatih haes mony historical mosques an biggins, mony o Istanbul's best-kent laundmerks. Recent development haes impruivit Eminönü greatly an mony o its windin streets which can at first seem imposin, hae been developit an impruivit, while Eminönü haes stairtit tae repair the mony mosques.

*Sultanahmet - which contains Topkapı Palace, Aya Sofia, the Blue Mosque an Aya Irini amang aboot a thoosan ither incredible pieces o airchitectur;
*Süleymaniye - the huge mosque complex o Suleiman the Magneeficent;
*Yeni Cami (The new mosque) - the mosque that dominates the watterfront bi the Galata Brig; thare is a wide open space in front whaur fowk feed the pigeons.
*The Grand Bazaar - as hintle tae leuk at as tae shop in.
*The Spice Bazaar - anither Ottoman caravanserai, no as huge as the Grand Bazaar but richt on the watter, next tae Yeni Camii;
*Sokollu Mehmet Pasha Mosque - in Kadirga Destrict (the Byzantine **Sophianòn Limin** in Greek).

## Demografics

## Things tae see
The day, thare are still remnants o the sea waws alang the Gowden Horn an alang the Marmara shore, tae gie a sense o the shape o the auld wawed ceety. Thare are an aw a nummer o important airchitectural structurs in the Fatih destrict, includin the Valens Aqueduct athort the Atatürk Bulvarı, the fortress on the ceety waws at Yedikule, the Byzantine Palace o Porphyrogenitus, the Roman column o Marcian, the Fethiye Cami (the umwhile Byzantine kirk o Christ Pammakaristos), the Kariye Camii (the umwhile Byzantine kirk o the Chora), Gül Camii (anither umwhile Byzantine kirk), Fenari Isa Camisi (a complex o twa Byzantine kirks), the Greek Patriairchate wi the Kirk o St. George in the Fener destrict, the Yavuz Selim Camii, an the Fatih Mosque itsel.

The tombs o some o the famous sultans, includin Mehmed II 'the Conqueror' (Fatih Sultan Mehmed) an Selim I 'the Grim' (Yavuz Sultan Selim) as well as ither leadin statesmen o the Ottoman Empire, includin Gazi Osman Pasha are in Fatih.

## References

## Freemit airtins

* Fatih Municipality 
* Fatih Destrict