Boris Johnson's Turkish Village & Bosphorus Mansion

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Milliyet Newspaper, 24 July 2019)

NY Times article click here for related article.

Ali Kemal's bio click here for the Armenian Weekly 
article


                            Kalfat, the London of Çankırı.

The Turkish roots of new British Prime Minister Boris Johnson are in
Kalfat village in Çankırı province, where Johnson's greatgrandfather
Ali Kemâl, a Turkish journalist and politician in the early 20th century,
was born.

//Ed. Note: Ali Kemâl married a British woman named 
Winifred Brun, who died in 1910 giving birth to Boris 
Johnson's grandfather Osman Kemâl Wilfred Johnson.  
Ali Kemâl's second wife Sabiha Sultan was the daughter 
of Tophane Müşiri Zeki Paşa, in whose Bosphorus 
mansion Ali Kemâl lived for a time - see related story
below.//

The sign one sees when entering Kalfat says that the village was
established in 1954 and that it has a population of 3,645.  In reality,
Kalfat has been a settled village for hundreds of years but because of
out-migration its population is now about 1,500. The name 'Kalfat'
comes from 'kaleyi fetheden' (fortress conqueror).

Yesterday, when Johnson officially became PM, the village celebrated,
with villagers saying that "just as a Turkish PM or President can
come from anyone's village, so too can an English PM!"  Village
chief Bayram Tavukçu bragged that "we're very pleased that we've
sent a PM to England.  All the people of Kalfat are very proud."



We (Milliyet reporter Ayşegül Kahvecioğlu) met with Boris Johnson's
cousin Satılmış Karatekin, who said he "hoped Johnson would come
to visit.  His father came here to honor his roots. When he comes will
feed him our börek and a sweet we call 'höşmerim'".

Former Kalfat Mayor Mustafa Bal, said that Johnson's father Stanley
Johnson visited Kalfat in 2009 and that he (Bal) paid a return visit to
London in 2012, where Stanley Johnson was also visiting at that time
from the U.S.  While in London, he received a warm, brotherly
welcome from Boris, whom he invited to come to Kalfat. Boris
promised to come, saying "I'll certainly come to Kalfat. That's my
home!"


     Kalfat is about 50 kilometers due west of Çankırı city.

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türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 25 July 2019)




Under the Fatih Mehmet Sultan Bridge, on the European side.

The magnificent Tophane Müşiri (Field Marshal) Zeki Paşa Yalısı on
the Bosphorus is up for sale at a price of 550 million TL (about $100
million). New British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's greatgrandfather
Ali Kemâl lived in the mansion for a time when he was married to
Zeki Paşa's daughter Sabiha Sultan. 

The 130-year-old mansion, which has 23 rooms, 8 bathrooms and
was built by French architect Alexandre Vallaury, has five stories,
interior space of 2,489 square meters and a 4,032-square meter
garden.   


The mansion is just beyond R.(Rumeli)
Hisarı on the left, European, side of the 
Bosphorus.