Karakoy’s Patroness
Story of most controversial woman of Karakoy; Matild Manukyan.
Earlier life
Born in 1914 in France, Matild Manukyan was the youngest of four children of an aristocratic family. Her real name is Eveline Matild Chah Muradyan, before known as the tax record holder.
But before all those things, she came to Istanbul to continue her education in primary and secondary school at Balat Armenian School. After her graduation, she worked as a tailor.
She married her first husband, Aram Çilingir, and they had their baby boy named Kerope Çilingir in 1940. After the passing of Aram, she married her second husband, Dropier Gabriel and stayed married for 11 years.
Business
In the 1950s, Manukyan entered the sex work industry by leasing the buildings she inherited from her father in the red-light district of Karaköy neighbourhood in Istanbul to brothel owners.
One of the brothel owners handed over his business to her to settle a debt, and over the years, she expanded the number of brothels she owned to a chain of 32.
It is said that after a failed marriage and facing financial pressure, she turned to running a licensed brothel, seeing it as a highly profitable venture.
Over time, she became the most powerful and wealthiest brothel owner in Istanbul, operating dozens of establishments, mainly in the districts of Beyoğlu and Karaköy.
By the 1980s and 1990s, Manukyan was one of the richest women in Turkey. She reportedly paid the highest income tax in the country multiple times, a rare feat, especially for someone in her line of work. Newspapers often published lists of top taxpayers, and Manukyan's name appearing there caused frequent public controversy and embarrassment for officials. At her peak, it was rumored that she owned over 30 brothels, hundereds of properties, luxury cars, and even schools that she funded.
Later in Life
