Medieval Turkish village reinvents itself as tech hub
In the mid-15th century, Sultan Mehmet II strategically dispatched 300 soldiers across the coast from Lesbos; today, the old Janissary village bids for technological, rather than military, power.
Kucukkoy, a picturesque village in northwestern Turkey just 6 miles from the UNESCO-listed town of Ayvalik, has a strong history of migration. Founded by the Janissaries, the elite troops of the Ottoman Empire, in the 15th century, the village first welcomed Greeks from Lesbos, then Bosnians who fled the Balkan wars in the early 20th century and, finally, a colony of artists who sought to escape the big cities in the last decade.
The Aegean village is now preparing for the opening of the Creative Technologies Center, affiliated with Istanbul’s Sabanci University, on Oct. 29, Turkey’s Republic Day. Located in an old elementary school, the center will host the university's summer classes, year-round training on technology and arts to local teenagers, as well as international workshops on science, technology, arts and mathematics.
