MEMORIES OF A CITY...
The Bosphorus, replete with
a magical beauty in its water, and the mesmerizing architecture of its houses,
pavilions, and splendid palaces along the shorelines. Jason and the Argonauts
sped through here, the Golden Fleece stowed, fleeing Phineus, the King of
Thrace, resisting the temptation of the Harpies.Where the mouth of the
Bosphorus meets the Black Sea was known as the Symplegad, meaning ‘Clashing
Rocks,’ which crushed everything that passed between them. Stories of these
rocks are numerous, but there is one heart-aching love story, about which
rumors continue to this day.
In the 19th century,
Sadullah was paşa (right-hand man) to Sultan Abdülaziz. But Sadullah Paşa and
friends supported the claim of would-be sultan Murad V, helping to exile the
sitting ruler. Murad, though, found himself unable to deal with the pressures
of royal life, losing his mental balance so that his brother, Abdulhamit,
became Sultan Abdulhamit II. The new sultan did not trust Sadullah, and exiled
both him and his friends. Sadullah lived first in Berlin before moving to
Vienna. There, while his wife was waiting for him in Istanbul, he had a
forbidden affair with a maid. When the maid announced that she was pregnant,
Sadullah, torn, fell into a deep depression and ended up committing suicide.
Yet, the story doesn’t end there...
Sadullah’s wife, Necibe,
waited for her husband for more than fourteen years during his exile. Sadullah
had told her that pink was ‘her’ color, and when she received news of his death
she ignored the truth, continuing to wear only pink and continuing her wait for
him. In time, she lost her mind, but still no one could stop her from wearing
pink, and only pink, as she waited for her lost husband. Since her death, some
say a lady in pink appears in the house at night, walking slowly from one room
to another...
The story of the Sadullah
Paşa family is full of sadness. Even today, their yalı (a house next to the
sea) is empty as a result of the story and its reputation for bringing bad luck
to subsequent owners—all of whom either had accidents or suffered bankruptcy
while living in or after leaving this now famous yalı.
Today the yalı stands aloof
in Çengelköy with its rose madder color. And who knows, maybe you will see the
lady in pink during your Bosphorus cruise...
