Transformation of the space and traces of social ruptures on the space: The case of Salt Galata

Salt Galata is a building located in Karaköy (formerly Galata) district. Its architecture contains artistic elements. It was built in the last periods of the Ottoman Empire. The purpose of this building is to serve as an official Ottoman Bank. Today, this place is named Salt Galata. It has become a centre of art activities, academic meetings, study area for students and archive. The subject of this thesis is to examine the historical transformation of Galata district and Salt Galata from a sociological perspective. The data of this thesis is conducted through qualitative research method. Secondary texts and archive documents describing the history of the building are used to conduct information about the history of the Salt Galata. In order to understand sprit of today, semi-structured interviews are made with twenty people. These people are the visitors of Salt Galata and the residents of and neighbouring place calling Hırdavatçılar Çarşısı. The theoretical background of the thesis is grounded on the ideas of Henri Lefebvre and the discussions of the sociology of space. The thesis theoretically follows the idea that spaces have historical and social lives. The thesis has discussed that Salt Galata cannot be seen only as a building. Salt Galata consists of different layers of history each of which communicate with other. Today, these historical layers are reappearing in the experiences of individuals concerning this space.