The "Memory Places and Cultural Heritage - Antalya Kaleiçi Houses" project, which was carried out by Muratpaşa Municipality in Antalya and brought the history of Kaleiçi's daily life from the chest to the present, was introduced on Anastasia Zagorulya's Instagram account named antalyalocalguide.

The stories accumulated behind the windows covered with bougainvilleas, in front of the doors opening to narrow streets and in the large courtyards of Kaleiçi, the historical city center of Antalya, the capital of Turkish tourism, were brought together in the project of Muratpaşa Municipality.

TRACING

The first leg of the project started in 2022. In the first stage, 11 structures were traced. Archives were scanned, clues were sought from photographs, and residents were interviewed. The stories were compiled and the history spanning many years was told in 11 separate documentaries.

Hassun Kaptan Mansion, which was built by Italian and Turkish masters in 1875 and introduced dates to the people of Antalya, Çerçiler House, where Hasan and Nesli Kıvırcık couple, who came from Thessaloniki on exchange, lived with their 5 children, the house of Count Salih, who was the headman of the neighborhood for 40 years, and the house of Ayşe and Derviş Kulaksızlar couple, who came on exchange. The stories of Pashas Mansion, which was bought by Mustafa Pasha Akdemir, who worked as a police officer in Antalya Municipality at the time, from a Cretan family, became the subject of documentaries.

THE STORY OF 51 BUILDINGS

The second phase of the project was completed in 2023. Documentaries were prepared for 40 more mansions. Melek's House, where the family known as 'White Arabs' emigrated from Alexandria in the 1800s lived, Soykam's Phaeton Garage, which was used for horse-drawn carriages while Antalya was struggling with malaria in 1918, was purchased by French Patrich Walch in 2004 and was used for 2 years. The history of many buildings, including the history of the mansion, which was returned to its original state as a result of the ongoing restoration work, was told in documentaries.

PREPARED IN FOUR LANGUAGES

The documentaries were prepared in Turkish, English, Russian and German and can be watched by scanning them with mobile phones thanks to the QR codes placed at the entrances of the mansions. Anastasia Zagorulya, who lives in Antalya and prepares content for the city, explained how to watch these documentaries on her Instagram account named antalyalocalguide.