honorable mention
Ezio Gianni MURZI italy
title
The Last Greeks of Istanbul
Not to lose its own identity the community has clear references in His Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, and the religion. Orthodox churches in Istanbul are places of comfort and cultural identity enriched by the golden iconostasis, the complex liturgy, the golden regalia. These together with the language and the Greek alphabet set the community apart. The Greek language and alphabet preserve the community identity while isolating it from the context.
Once prestigious Rumlars’ schools and lyceums continue to teach Greek and in Greek to some 100 pupils down from more than a 1000/1500 of the past.
Today’s Rumlars do keep going opening cafès, and publishing houses. A Rum family with a two century history makes a living teaching and translating Greek classical literature into Turkish language.
Buildings may bear the scars of the past but everything is transformed and life takes its priority for the individuals more than for the community.
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entry description
The Greek Christian Orthodox community of Istanbul, or more specifically, the Greeks, or Rumlars, trace their origins and their history back in that prestigious past when the Roman Empire extended its reach to Byzantium, and beyond.Not to lose its own identity the community has clear references in His Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, and the religion. Orthodox churches in Istanbul are places of comfort and cultural identity enriched by the golden iconostasis, the complex liturgy, the golden regalia. These together with the language and the Greek alphabet set the community apart. The Greek language and alphabet preserve the community identity while isolating it from the context.
Once prestigious Rumlars’ schools and lyceums continue to teach Greek and in Greek to some 100 pupils down from more than a 1000/1500 of the past.
Today’s Rumlars do keep going opening cafès, and publishing houses. A Rum family with a two century history makes a living teaching and translating Greek classical literature into Turkish language.
Buildings may bear the scars of the past but everything is transformed and life takes its priority for the individuals more than for the community.
about the photographer
Dr Ezio “Gianni” Murzi is a well-traveled medical doctor who has been working for UNICEF for nearly 20 years in Burkina Faso, Iraq, New York Headquarters, Eastern Europe, and West Africa. After retirement, Gianni turned photographer and, after attending a workshop run by John Stanmeyer and Anush Babajanyan in Istanbul, into a passionate storyteller. Now, Gianni is based in Rome, and he travels where the passion for photography takes him. He likes to work on stories that have social issues worth telling. His portfolio is at http://bit.ly/EzioGianniMurziback to gallery
