AFRICAN HAN-MOCK UP ROOMS
There are many passage structures in Pera due to its proximity to the Galata Pier, where Europeans live and trade is carried out. There are a total of 34 inn buildings on Istiklal Street, the most important of which are the Anatolian, Rumelian and African Inns.
Ragıp Pasha, one of the chamberlains of Abdulhamid II, named the three passages he had built on Istiklal Street after the three continents over which the empire spread: Rumelia, Anatolia and Africa.
Among these buildings, the Afrika Han, located on Istiklal Street, Büyük Parmak Kapı Street, was built in 1905 for Ragıp Pasha and his family, and in later periods, it hosted the well-established families of Beyoğlu.
Afrika Han, which also serves as a passage connecting Büyük Parmakkapı and Küçük Parmakkapı Streets, consists of four blocks and has a plus-shaped courtyard. The style of the building, which is the work of German Architect Agust Jasmund, is defined as eclectic.
The Afrika Han renovation project undertaken by Siska includes the 168-room building and its passage. The “Passage” structure emerged as a result of the Westernization movements in the 19th century and the integration of the traditional inn type in Ottoman architecture with Western architecture.
The scale of the flats in the building is similar to today’s studio flats. The building, which has a different line from standard hotel designs and whose renovation project is being prepared with the grab&go concept, is aimed to be identified with the dynamic character of Beyoğlu.
