Editor

Altuğ Yılmaz

Languages

Turkish, English

Translation

Elif Kalaycıoğlu,
Nazım Hikmet Richard Dikbaş

1st edition - November 2012
480 Pages
Free

Love, teh profound mystery of Creation, lies at the source of the universal principles of natural law. Every human being is bestowed with human dignity. And this human dignity means that every human being, needs and is entitled to as a human right, to live in a state governed by justice. The Organization of the State should afford the individual the right to assembly in order to actualize his or her human rights at more advanced levels; and the right to established legal personalities such as associations or foundations; and the only grounds for any restriction over these rights and freedoms can be the principle of 'not harming others'.
Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Hatemi, from the foreword

The 1936 Declaration was used as a cover-up for the persecution of minority foundations by the Republic of Turkey. The 1913 and 1936 declarations, prepared by all minority foundations upon the request of the state, are officially treated as 'declarations of properties'; whereas teh 2012 Declaration -the most comprehensive balance sheet produced so far of the loss sufferred by Armenian foundations in Istanbul, in a chain of injustice that has continued for almost a century- is a 'declaration of unlawful seizures'.

The story told in this book is not the story of structures made of stone or concrete, but the story of human beings. The problem is not about 'properties', but an issue of the sustainability of cultural existence. We know that, as long as it fails to face up to the mindset that alienates the ancient peoples of this country and refuses to see them as equal citizens, Turkey's efforts towards democratization will fall short. With the hope and wish that this work will contribute to transformation.

See: www.istanbulermenivakiflari.org

Attachments:
File
Download this file (2012 Declaration.pdf)Please click here to download the book.
Book name
2012 Beyannamesi
2012 Declaration
Subtitle
İstanbul Ermeni Vakıflarının El Konan Mülkleri
The Seized Properties of Armenian Foundations in Istanbul
ISBN
9786058657007
Price
Free
Pages
480
Width
230 mm
Height
310 mm
Weight
2000 gr
Printing
1st edition - November 2012
Language
Turkish, English
Project team
Mehmet Polatel, Nora Mıldanoğlu, Özgür Leman Eren, Mehmet Atılgan
Editor
Altuğ Yılmaz
Translation
Elif Kalaycıoğlu, Nazım Hikmet Richard Dikbaş
Book design
Sera Dink
Graphics application
Lora Baytar
Cover photograph
Berge Arabian
Color separation
and printing
Mas Matbaa

This project is funded by the European Union and the Open Society Foundation.

  • List of Armenian Foundations in Istanbul
  • List of Maps
  • Foreword, Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Hatemi
  • Introduction
  • From Empire to Republic
    • The vaqf (foundations) system in Ottoman law and non-Muslims
    • Minority foundations from the Treaty of Lausanne to date
    • Ownership problems of Muslim minority foundations in Western Thrace
  • Stories of Unlawful Property Seizure
    • Wiped out from a district in a single stroke: The Kalfayan Orphanage building
    • Forced to pay rent in its own property: The Bomonti Mıhitaryan Primary School
    • An educational institution seized in Ortaköy: The Andonyan Armenian Catholic Monastery and School
    • A relentless legal battle: Yedikule Surp Pırgiç Hospital and the landmark case of the IGS building
    • A foundation declared defunct: The Kasımpaşa Surp Hagop Church Foundation
    • The destroyed ‘Civilization of Atlantis’: Armenian Children’s Camp of Tuzla
  • The Inventory: Istanbul Armenian Foundaitons and Their Seized Properties
    • On methodology
    • General overview of the Armenian institutions in Istanbul and their properties
      • Armenians in view of spatial and demographic change in the city
      • Churches, schools, hospitals and cemeteries
      • General statistics about the ownership problem
    • Armenian foundations and their assets in Istanbul according to boroughs
      • Adalar (Princes’ Islands)
      • Bakırköy
      • Beykoz
      • Beyoğlu
      • Eyüp
      • Fatih
      • Kadıköy
      • Kartal - Çekmeköy
      • Sarıyer
      • Şişli
      • Üsküdar
      • Zeytinburnu
  • Conclusion: Analysis and Proposals
  • Appendices
    • Table of Seized Properties
    • Chronology: Legal Regulations About Non-Muslim Foundations
    • Foundation Terms
  • Notes
  • Bibliographies
  • Index