#22 Rijeka – candidate city for ECoC 2020 Mystery Cache

Support the candidacy of Rijeka for European Capital of Culture 2020.

Turska kuća (Casa Turca) podignuta je uza samu glavnu gradsku tržnicu i privlači poglede živopisnom vanjštinom. Ta vanjština odvlači misli prema Orijentu. Zgrada ima višebojno pročelje s prozorima istočnjačkih lukova, s ornamentima biljnih i geometrijskih uzora, arabeskama i arapskim natpisima. Razlog takvoj dekoraciji je podatak da je u zgradi djelovao turski i grčki konzulat. Otvorio ga je Grk – Armenac imenom Nikolai Nikolaki Nikolides, koji je u zgradi živio. Nakon što je nekoliko godina obavljao dužnost turskog vicekonzula, 1898. je imenovan za stalnog konzula. Na fasadi je dao zabilježiti 96 natpisa na četiri varijante arapskog jezika. Oni proizlaze iz Kurana i imaju univerzalno značenje. Riječ je o mislima poput „Spas je u iskrenosti“, „Osloni se o Boga“ i sličnim. Podignuta u neomaurskom stilu, Nikolaidesova kuća zdanje je bez pandana u Hrvatskoj.

The Turkish House was built close to the heart of the city market and attracts visitors thanks to its picturesque appearance. This appearance is reminiscent of the Orient. The building has a multicolour facade with windows created with eastern arches and ornaments of plants and geometric exemplars, arabesques and Arabic inscriptions. The reason behind this kind of decoration is the fact that both the Turkish and Greek consulate operated here. It was opened by the Greek-Armenian, Nikolai Nikolaki Nikolides who lived in the same building. After working for a number of years as the Turkish vice consul, in 1898 he was nominated a permanent consul. He ordered the writing of 96 inscriptions in four different variants of Arabic language on the facade. The inscriptions come from the Quran and have a universal meaning. They are thoughts such as “Truth is our salvation”, “Rely on God” and the like. Built in the Neo-Moorish style, Nikolaides’s house is the only building of its kind in Croatia.