The Old Town, within the Byzantine walls, was inhabited mainly by Turks, Donmeh (from the late 17th century), and Turkish refugees from Bosnia after 1878. The area was organized by narrow streets, some ending in squares, others in culs de sac. The houses, of one to three storeys, were surrounded by gardens or lush inner courtyards enclosed by a high stone wall.
Particularly impressive were the three-storey stone seraglios (mansions), with their projecting enclosed balconies ('sachnisia') and wooden lattice partitions, where, as in all Turkish houses, there was a clear separation between male and female quarters.
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