History
Konsolos House was built in the 19th century at a time when Ayvalik was a thriving port town trading in olive oil and soap. The town belonged to the Ottoman Empire and was almost exclusively inhabited by Greeks (Rum). Its Greek name was Ayvali or Kydonies (which like the Turkish name comes from the word for quince). The house is located in the oldest part of town, the neighborhood around the former church of Taxiarchis, which now is a museum well worth a visit. During Ayvalik’s heydays as a major trading hub this is also where the great European powers had their consulates, which inspired the name of the house. The former French, German, and Italian consulates are all nearby.
A historic Ayvalik mansion
Konsolos House was built in the Ottoman style, with the upper floors being made of timber and characteristic bay windows overhanging street and garden. There are also a few - mostly decorative - neoclassical elements. Many of the house's original features survived, including the wooden staircase, wooden ceilings, built-in cabinets, doors, and some of the original plaster, which was exposed again during the renovation. Much of the ground floor used to be a depot for the storage and processing of olive oil, while the living quarters used to be upstairs. The top floor with its particularly high ceilings was used in the hot summer months.
Konsolos House is what is called a rum evi in Turkish, a Roman house. Wait, Roman? Wasn't it built by Greeks?
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Yes, but the Greeks living in Turkey, and before in the Ottoman Empire, are referred to as Rum (Roman). This is because who we call Byzantines today, though Greek-speaking, self-identified as Romans (being the inheritors of the Roman Empire in the East), and Romans they remained in the eyes of the Ottomans. The Ottoman sultans took the title kayser-i Rûm (Caesar of Rome) after the conquest of Constantinople.
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By contrast, Greeks in (modern) Greece are referred to as Yunan (Ionian) in Turkey.
Rum evi explained
Unique industrial heritage
Hard to imagine today, but idyllic Ayvalik was once a major industrial center. From the 19th century until the 1970s, the waterfront was lined with olive oil and soap factories, and smoke stacks dominated the skyline. Olive oil production is still a major source of income in Ayvalik today, but has long moved out of town. The old brick stone smoke stacks and factory buildings are still there, some as picturesque ruins, others converted into ateliers, cafes and restaurants. Ayvalik’s quirky industrial heritage is a huge part of its modern-day appeal and so unique that it made it on the tentative UNESCO World Heritage list.