Sultan Abdülaziz's visit to Buca

Sultan Abdülaziz's visit to Buca in 1863 has been a story passed down through generations. On his return from his visit to Cairo, the Sultan came to Paradiso (now Şirinyer) to watch the horse races. Buca's European families had a great influence on the Sultan's decision. At that time, the Izmir-Aydın railway was newly built with the contribution of foreign capital, and families from Buca aimed to persuade the Sultan to build a line to Buca. It is already known that the Bucalı Rees and Forbes families had a great influence on the construction of the Buca line in the following years. In addition, the wealthy families of Izmir want to persuade the Ottoman Sultan to organize regular horse races in Paradiso.

Dokuzçeşmeler, built upon Sultan Abdülaziz's visit to Buca in 1863L. Gardey describes Ottoman Sultan Abdülaziz's visit to Paradiso and later to Buca in his book "Voyage du Sultan Abd-ul-aziz, de Stamboul au Caire" as follows:

''On Friday, the Sultan went to Hisar Mosque with his entourage and performed his prayer. Hearing this, a large crowd filled the area around the mosque and the roads where the Sultan would pass early. After leaving the mosque, passing through the Turkish and Armenian neighborhoods and the Caravan Bridge, we went to a place worthy of crowning our pleasures under the bright sun of Ionia. This was a place known as 'Le Grand Paradis- Paradiso'.

Here, a large crowd supporting the Jockey Club welcomed the Sultan, who wanted to lead such useful organizations, with their most heartfelt demonstrations. Later, various equestrian shows were watched with great interest and were completed with great success. The name of one of the Whittalls was also announced among the winners of the race. The honorary award was given to Count Bentivoglio d'Aragon, President of the Jockey Club and French Consul, who deserved it by making every effort to host this famous guest that Izmir is proud of.

Meanwhile, the Sultan invited the count to his tent, expressed his satisfaction, and presented one of his own Arabian horses to the count. After the races, the Sultan went to Buca and rested for a while at the villa of M. Baltazzi (Baltacı).

A newspaper from Australia describes the Sultan's visit, 1863.After the race, the Sultan's orchestra gives a small concert and they are given a meal at the mansion of Baltazzi, a family from Buca with Italian and Greek roots. It is also mentioned that famous families from Buca participated in the race: Blackler, Langdon, Hanson, Amira, Sevastopoulo, Fabrizzi, Carre, Cugino, Schiffmann, Ricci and Catholic and Protestant priests.

There are conflicting statements about whether Sultan Abdülaziz spent the night in Buca. According to some sources, Sultan Abdülaziz spent a night at the Baltazzi Mansion in Buca, and according to some sources, he rested for a while after dinner and returned. Another thing that is known is that the door through which Sultan Abdulaziz entered was sealed as is tradition. According to rumors, the Sultan was admitted through the gate overlooking the Aliotti Garden (now Hasanağa Garden) and as was the custom, the gate was closed and never used again. The Sultan returned to Şirinyer train station on horseback and from there went to Izmir.

One of the known information about Sultan Abdülaziz's visit is that Komenon Street, known today as İstasyon Street, was also built. However, the accuracy of the information could not be confirmed. Considering that the Rees, De Jongh and Forbes mansions and the station had not yet been built at that time, it is clear that today's Istasyon Street would not have much importance for Buca at that time.

The Dokuzçeşmeler monument in Buca was built in honor of Sultan Abdulaziz's visit to Buca in 1863. It still stands today.

Source: atalarimizintopraklari.com