Balyan family

Balyan (often Balian ) is the surname of several important Ottoman architect and architect of Armenian descent.

The family was in Constantinople Opel, now Istanbul, resident. In the 18th and 19th centuries, they designed and built many important buildings, including schools, churches, mosques, houses and palaces for the respective Sultan, his family and other wealthy people. Five generations of this family to dominate the landscape of present-day Istanbul, in particular, nine members of the family have helped to shape the European appearance of Istanbul as architects prevail.

The architects of the Balyan family preferred Western architecture and Western design. They took also Ottoman Turkish designs. Their most famous and largest structure is the Dolmabahçe Palace, one of the world's most beautiful palaces of the 19th century.

The builder

Merametçi Bali Kalfa ( from the village of Balen in Karaman, † 1800) was the first architect of the famous dynasty. It replaced an Armenian palace architect whose son he was. When he died, his son Magar his place.

Krikor Amira Balyan (1764-1831) is the first truly famous family member. It was originally named after his grandfather, Bali and later took the first of the name Balyan. He was the son of Mason Minas and father of Ohannes Amira Severyan, both also builders. Krikor had good relations with two sultans and built palaces, mosques, bridges. In 1820 he had for involvement in a religious dispute to Kayseri into exile, but was soon on his mediation Armenian friends back to Konstantin Opel. He died in 1831 after he had built for four sultans in a row.

Amira Balyan Senekerim (1768-1833) is the younger brother of Krikor Balyan. He built with his brother, but also independently. Evidence of an Armenian church in Ortaköy in Istanbul. He also built the fire tower in Beyazıt district ( Serasker 's Tower ).

Garabed Amira Balyan (also Karabet; * 1800 in Istanbul, † November 15, 1866 in Istanbul) is a son of Krikor Balyan. He built with his son Sultan Abdülmecid I Nigoğayos for the Dolmabahçe Sarayi in Istanbul. He also built many other buildings in Istanbul, alternately with his brothers. With his son Sarkis, he built the Beylerbeyi Sarayi.

Nigoğayos Bey Balyan (also Nikogos and Nigogos; born November 19, 1826 † February 27, 1858 ) has also worked as an architect in the construction of Dolmabahçe Sarayi together with his father Garabed. He studied architecture with his brother Sarkis in Paris and opened a School of Architecture in Istanbul at the western architecture spread. With his father, he built the Baroque Ortaköy Mosque on the Bosphorus. He was only 32 years old.

Sarkis Balyan Bey (1835-1899) is also a son of Garabed Balyan. He designed countless representative sacred and secular buildings, is the architect of the Ciragan Sarayi and the Beylerbeyi Sarayi (both with his father Garabed ) and the Hamidiye Mosque. Because life-threatening persecution to which the whole people of the Armenians was exposed and assumptions that attracted genocidal forms, he had to flee to Europe and could not return until 15 years later. Sarkis supported his life, Armenian writer, musician and actor.

Also sons of Garabed were Agop (Jacob ) Bey Balyan ( 1837-1875 ) and Simon Bey Balyan ( 1846-1894 ). They were both, like Nigoğayos and Sarkis, " royal architect ," and have decisively shaped the face of then Istanbul. They studied all four at the École des Beaux -Arts in Paris. Many of their buildings still stand today.

Levon Bey Balyan (1855-1925): He was the last scion of the great Armenian dynasty of architects of Balyan in Ottoman Empire.