Fanar, Fener, Phanariotes

 

Fanar (Φανάρι in Greek, Fener in Turkish) is a neighborhood in Istanbul, Turkey. Its name comes from the Greek word "Fanari", meaning a street light, after a lit monument with one entrance called Porta Phari that was there during Byzantine times. Phanar used to be a gated community. The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate was moved here since 1661. One of the most reputed institutions of the community was the Greek Lyceum, which was established with special rights granted by Sultan Fatih II to the Greek Patriarchate. Along with theological studies, courses of classical and modern philosophy, philology and literature were taught here to sons of wealthy and noble aristocratic families, who were pursuing careers at the Ottoman court or to Phanariot princes to the Romanian principalities. Greek Phanariotes from wealthy Greek families were appointed voivodes of Wallachia and Moldavia by the Ottoman Empire.

Princes of Phanariot descent who ruled as voivodes came from the families of Cantacuzene or Mavrocordat; from 1710 to 1821 six Mavrocordato, five Ghika, four Callimachi, three Soutzo, three Racovitza, two Mourousi, one Mavroyeni reigned as princes in Bucharest or Jassy. This position as well as that of Grand Dragoman, and Grand Dragoman of the Fleet gave significant power and wealth to the Phanariots in a Muslim society.


(Greek School at Fener Kirmizi Mektep/Red School)

The Fourth Crusade led in 1204 to the temporary disintegration of the Byzantine Empire and the creation of a feudal state under the rule of French, Flemish, and Italian nobles and of Venice.

The restored Byzantine Empire (1261–1453) recovered only parts of Greece, most of which continued under the rule of French and Italian princes until conquered by the Ottoman Turks (completed in 1456). Genoa held Khíos until 1566; Venice retained Crete until 1669 and the Ionian Islands until 1797. In its numerous wars with the Ottomans, Venice also held Athens, Évvoia, and several other ports and islands for brief intermittent periods prior to 1718.

The Ottoman Turks practiced religious tolerance. Many Greek families (notably the Phanariots; see under Phanar) were important in the administration of the empire, and the Greek merchants living in Constantinople and in the ports of Asia Minor, notably Izmir (Smyrna), were very prosperous; but Greece itself languished in obscurity and poverty.