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Residents in Istanbul’s newly designated neighborhood villages continue traditional farming and animal husbandry while avoiding many challenges of urban living, such as traffic congestion, air pollution and overcrowding.
In the Hüseyinli neighborhood, located in the Çekmeköy district with about 850 residents across 250 households, daily life remains deeply connected to village culture despite its administrative classification as part of the megacity. Locals affectionately refer to Hüseyinli as “our village,” reflecting a strong sense of community identity.
While most Istanbul residents live in densely packed concrete apartment buildings, to access education, employment and cultural activities, they face persistent problems including traffic, limited parking, scarce green space, inadequate public transportation and air pollution. In contrast, residents and visitors seeking clean air, open spaces and natural surroundings travel about an hour to neighborhoods like Hüseyinli, where village life still thrives.
In Hüseyinli, nearly every home has a vegetable garden, and the streets are populated with chickens and geese. Residents engage in farming, raising cattle, blue-egg-laying hens, turkeys and geese. Crops such as wheat, oats and corn are cultivated on local plains, while fruits and vegetables are harvested from private gardens and greenhouses. Unlike urban residents who rely on purified or bottled water, locals draw water from natural springs that flow from nearby forests.
A traditional bakery at the neighborhood entrance offers Black Sea-style village bread twice a week, baked in a stone oven using natural wheat flour and sourdough starter maintained by the bakers.
Neighborhood headman Ilhan Kılınç said village culture remains strong. Residents with gardens raise chickens for natural eggs and grow seasonal fruits and vegetables, preserving produce for winter through pickling and making tomato paste. Some families sustain themselves through animal husbandry, selling milk to factories or neighbors.
Kılınç noted that residents originally from Trabzon have preserved traditional bread-baking methods for decades. He added that, although crop yields have declined compared to past years, Hüseyinli’s clean air, easy access and lower earthquake risk make it a preferred place to live.
The neighborhood proved advantageous during the pandemic, with residents living separately in their homes and easily accessing open gardens, reducing the risk of infection compared to dense urban settings.
Interest in relocating to Hüseyinli is growing, with families seeking to raise children in a natural environment away from the city.
One resident, Selamet Kas, who has lived in Hüseyinli for 15 years, described the neighborhood as a rare peaceful area within Istanbul. He maintains the family tradition of raising chickens for eggs, including nutrient-rich blue eggs and grows vegetables in a greenhouse. Kas highlighted the absence of city stress and noise in his daily life.
Fatma Yılmaz continues her family’s tradition of cattle farming, caring for 10 cows and producing dairy products such as yogurt, butter, eggs and cheese. Though she visits the city occasionally, she prefers living close to her animals and managing her garden, which serves as a small market for fresh produce.
Another resident, Ilkay Kılınç, emphasized the psychological benefits of living in Hüseyinli, where natural spring water is used for drinking and cooking. She said she has never purchased eggs or milk from stores and feels calmer surrounded by nature compared to urban life.
Neighborhood baker Erdal Civelek shared that the traditional Black Sea sourdough bread they bake attracts both local residents and city visitors seeking authentic village flavors. He said Hüseyinli’s fresh highland air and rural atmosphere distinguish it from the city and expressed that he could never live in an urban setting.
