Beykoz

Sister cities

• Mohács

History

The mouth of the Bosphorus in ancient times was used as a place of sacrifice, specifically to petition the Twelve Olympians, including Zeus and Poseidon, for a safe journey across the Black Sea, without which no one would venture into those stormy waters. The first people to settle the upper Bosphorus were Thracians and Greeks, and the ancient name for the area was Amikos (Αμικός in Greek) or Amnicus (Αμνικός), named after a Thracian king. However, the area has changed hands many times since. As well as being a strategically important crossing point, the Bosphorus is rich in fish. Consequently, Beykoz has been invaded by groups from around and beyond the Black Sea: Thracians, Bithynians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, and finally Turks. In the Ottoman period, the land behind Beykoz was open country and forest used for hunting and an escape from the city by the Sultans and their court. The hunting lodge at Küçüksu, as well as the fountains and mosques that decorate the villages along the coast, date from this era. The name Beykoz was established at this time and is thought to be derived from Bey (meaning prince, lord, or gentleman) and Koz (the Persian word for village). Koz is also a word for a type of walnut, which is another possible etymology. Under Turkish control, the straits have retained their strategic value, and British troops assembled in Beykoz on their way to fight in the Crimea in 1854. Later attempts were made to bring industry to the area, most importantly the glassworks at Paşabahçe, which began as small workshops in the 17th century and by the 18th and 19th centuries were a well-established factory making the ornate spiral-designed or semi-opaque white glassware known to collectors worldwide as 'Beykoz-ware'. On the hillsides above the…