People queue to visit Fener Greek School

ISTANBUL

People thronged Fener Greek Orthodox Secondary School and High School, one of the most historical schools with captivating architecture in the country, as it opened its doors to welcome visitors on the occasion of New Year’s bazaar, filling the streets with meters-long queues.

Widely known as “Red School,” Fener Greek Orthodox Secondary School and High School was opened to visitors with a New Year’s bazaar for one day, as it does every year.

The architecture of the school fascinates those who see it, while only students and instructors are allowed to enter the school during the education period.

People get a chance to see the inside of the school and shop at its bazaar once a year.

Those who came to visit the bazaar in the school located in the Fatih district caused both vehicle and pedestrian traffic. Long queues formed at the school’s entrance and extended to the end of the Sancaktar Slope, where the school is located.

Moments of tension also erupted among those waiting in line for hours in the schoolyard and on the street.

While many people were waiting outside at the entrance, the scene inside was no different.

The bazaar was organized in three large classrooms at the school, while vendors exhibited New Year’s decorations, jewelry and various souvenirs for visitors at their stands.

Many visitors waited in line for hours to see the bazaar, while there were also those who came from outside the city to see the inside of “Red school.”

Burak Tazeoğlu, a visitor who stated that he came from the southeastern province of Gaziantep just to visit the bazaar, said he had been waiting at the gate of the historical school for three hours.

“I come from Gaziantep to Istanbul just for this bazaar. I left the house at 7 a.m. and have been on the road since. I’ve been here for another three hours in the crowd,” Tazeoğlu explained.

“It is my third visit to the school, but I have never been able to see the inside before,” he added.

Özlem Şensoy, another visitor, stated that she had been waiting in the queue for more than two hours, adding that she was not only curious about shopping at the bazaar but also about the architectural atmosphere of the building.

“We will visit the school for the first time since it started the tradition of welcoming people once a year. We are excited. I am curious about its architectural texture, as it looks majestic from the outside. It is a place that always impresses me whenever I pass by. I wonder how it is from inside and how its architecture is,” Şensoy expressed.