Kuzguncuk, located on the Anatolian side of Istanbul, is a district of Üsküdar and is located between Paşalimanı and Beylerbeyi. The old name of the neighbourhood is said to be ‘Hrisokeramos’; this name means ‘Golden tile’. According to the rumour, this name comes from a church built by Iustinos II, whose roof was covered with gilded gold tiles. Another opinion is that the old name of the neighbourhood, ‘Kosinitza’, changed over time and became ‘Kuzguncuk’. According to Evliya Çelebi, the neighbourhood takes its name from a guardian named ‘Kuzgun Baba’ who lived here during the reign of Mehmed II.
Kuzguncuk is one of the first Jewish settlements on the Asian side of Istanbul. Although it is not known exactly when the Jews settled here, it is mentioned as a ‘Jewish Village’ in 17th-century sources. For European Jews, this place was seen as the last stop for those who could not reach the Holy Land; therefore, it was preferred to die and be buried here. In this respect, it has a large Jewish cemetery.
While it is known that Greeks also lived in Kuzguncuk in the same period, Armenians settled in Kuzguncuk as of the 18th century and formed a significant population in the 19th century. During the Ottoman period, the Paşalimanı area of this neighbourhood, where the Muslim population was not dense, was inhabited by Turks with its mosque, pier, fountains and gardens.
Today, Kuzguncuk is a centre of attraction frequently visited by Istanbulites. In the neighbourhood, where the minority population is almost non-existent, the traditional Bosphorus village life continues to bear its traces.