Yenikoy

Known in antiquity as Neapolis ( New City ), records show that the name of the district was changed to Genikoy ( Geni Village ) after the conquest of Istanbul, when families from the Romanian district of Geni settled here. In the days of Suleyman the Magnificent ( 16th century ) its name was changed to Yenikoy. The Greek inhabitants used the name Neohorion ( meaning Yenikoy, New Village ).

The largest church in Yenikoy is the Aghios Gheorghios. There is a picture of the Kamariotissa Virgin inside the church. The Surp Hovhannes Migirdic Church, housing a large oil painting of Jesus in a gilded frame, is also in the district. The Yenikoy Synagogue ( 19th century ) was built by Count Abraham de Camondo.

Sait Halim Pasa Yalisi, badly damaged by fire in 1995, should be mentioned as the foremost among the other important buildings in Yenikoy. The mansion was designed by Architect Petraki Adamanti in the 19th century and took its name from Egyptian Khedive Mehmet Ali Pasa's grandson, Sait Halim Pasa. According to some sources, Nikolaos Aristarkes Yalisi stood on the same spot in the 18th century. Among the attractive mansions lining the shore, Cezayirliyan Yalisi is important: the mansion, together with the land around it, was given by Abdulhamid II to Franz-Joseph I, Austro-Hungarian Emperor. The building was restored to become the Austrian Summer Embassy ( 19th century ). Today it is the Austrian Consulate-General and Cultural Centre.

Afif Pasa Yalisi ( 20th century ) was built by Koca Resit Pasa's daughter Ferendiz Hanim, and was later purchased by Ahmet Afif Pasa. The waterside residence of Aleksandrios Karateodori Pasa, Minister of Public Works ( 19th century ), is a building by Sarkis Balyan. Aleksandrios Karateodori Pasa was the son of Dr. Stefanos Karateodori, founder of Imperial School of Medicine.