Keeping It Within the Family, 1862–1908 Villas (Yalılar) because it boasted over fifty of them.^33 Wealthy Dönme
naturally chose to live in this new suburb, beyond the crowded urban
core, where they could use their fortunes to build themselves spacious,
sumptuous seaside villas. Most Kapancı resided in Hamidiye, where they
tended to live next door to one another, or at least as close as possible.
According to a descendant of the tobacco merchant Duhani Hasan Akif,
“All of the adjacent houses were occupied by relatives and so it was really
a family neighborhood.”^34
Like other wealthy Kapancı, the family of Hasan Akif owned a man-
sion in Hamidiye, only a few houses down from Mehmet Kapancı’s villa,
I was told.^35 The latter’s address was Hamidiye Boulevard 108 , and that
of the former, 120.^36 The 1906 Register of Land and Properties confirms
that Kapancı Dönme resided next to one another or in close proximity in
the district. Mehmet, Ahmet, and Yusuf Kapancı owned villas near one
another on Hamidiye Boulevard (today named Odos Basilissis Olgas), the
younger brothers’ residences being separated by the villa of Osman İnayet
Efendi. I counted only three hundred steps separating Mehmet Kapancı’s
villa (built in 1898 ) and Ahmet’s (built in 1900 ).^37 Ahmet Kapancı’s villa
was next door to that of Osman İnayet Efendi, and neighbored those of
Emin Receb Efendi, also listed in the provincial yearbook as a great mer-
chant, in the same trade as other Kapancı,^38 and Osman Dervish Efendi,
listed as a famous banker and owner of cashmere concerns.^39 All four men
were board members of the Kapancı Terakki school; Ahmet Kapancı was
selected the head of the administrative council of the school in 1910 and
ran the boys’ school; Dervish Efendi ran the girls’ school.^40 If we consider
that Yusuf and Mehmet Kapancı lived nearby, and if the Fazıl Efendi who
resided next to Ahmet Kapancı as mentioned in the 1906 Register was
Mustafa Fazıl, meaning that four members lived next door to one another
(Mustafa Fazıl, Ahmet Kapancı, Osman İnayet, and Yusuf Kapancı), two of
whom were brothers, then half of the founders and early board members
of the school were part of a very close and closed social community. This
was not an ordinary school set up just for any students. As in the central
Karakaş districts, a street in Hamidiye was also named for Şemsi Efendi.^41
Because of their choice of Hamidiye, and the buildings they con-
structed there, the Kapancı appear to be the most dynamic, forward-
looking, and experimental of the sects. This may be related to their close
association with the Mevlevi order of Sufis, which counted among its
members much of the Ottoman urban elite. That so many Kapancı were