Matild Manukyan
Encyclopedia
Matild Manukyan was a wealthy Turkish
businesswoman of Armenian descent
. She was a real property investor
that later made a fortune in brothel
business.
ic Armenian family in Istanbul, Ottoman Empire
. After finishing the French language
-high school for girls Notre Dame de Sion
, she opened an haute couture
atelier for Istanbul's socialites. Soon, she lost her husband and had to live alone with her son.
Manukyan leased the buildings she inherited from her father in the red-light district
of Karaköy
neighbourhood in Istanbul to brothel owners. In the following years, she became the owner of 14 licensed brothels. She was once accused of employing underage prostitute
s.
She invested her opulent earnings from the sex business into real property. Manukyan was the top taxpayer in Istanbul for five consecutive years during the 1990s and received an award for that by the revenue authority. She displayed her collection of certificates and recognition items she received from the authorities in her home in Şişli
that she called the "M&M Museum".
In an interview, she revealed that she owns around 70 business centers and 500 apartment
s in Istanbul, 200 in Yalova
, three five-star
hotels in Antalya
and Alanya
, 10 villas in Kyrenia
, Northern Cyprus and a factory in Istanbul in the export business. She also noted that she was building a hotel in Germany with 100 beds. She also ran a fleet of around 220 taxis. Luxury items owned by Manukyan included a Rolls-Royce car
, four top model Mercedes
and BMW
cars, and an 18 m yacht
in the Kalamış Marina
in Istanbul.
Manukyan died on February 17, 2001 in Istanbul, and was buried in the Armenian Cemetery of Şişli following the funeral at the Üç Horon Armenian Church in Beyoğlu
. Her only heir is her son Kerope Çilingir, who grew up in the United States.
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
businesswoman of Armenian descent
Armenians in Turkey
Armenians in Turkey have an estimated population of 40,000 to 70,000 . Most are concentrated around Istanbul. The Armenians support their own newspapers and schools...
. She was a real property investor
Real estate investing
Real estate investing involves the purchase, ownership, management, rental and/or sale of real estate for profit. Improvement of realty property as part of a real estate investment strategy is generally considered to be a sub-specialty of real estate investing called real estate development...
that later made a fortune in brothel
Brothel
Brothels are business establishments where patrons can engage in sexual activities with prostitutes. Brothels are known under a variety of names, including bordello, cathouse, knocking shop, whorehouse, strumpet house, sporting house, house of ill repute, house of prostitution, and bawdy house...
business.
Biography
She was born in 1914 to an aristocratAristocracy (class)
The aristocracy are people considered to be in the highest social class in a society which has or once had a political system of Aristocracy. Aristocrats possess hereditary titles granted by a monarch, which once granted them feudal or legal privileges, or deriving, as in Ancient Greece and India,...
ic Armenian family in Istanbul, Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
. After finishing the French language
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
-high school for girls Notre Dame de Sion
Notre Dame de Sion
Notre Dame de Sion School of Kansas City was founded by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Sion in Kansas City, Missouri in 1912 as a Catholic school, albeit one which accepts and welcomes students of other faiths as well. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-Saint...
, she opened an haute couture
Haute couture
Haute couture refers to the creation of exclusive custom-fitted clothing. Haute couture is made to order for a specific customer, and it is usually made from high-quality, expensive fabric and sewn with extreme attention to detail and finished by the most experienced and capable seamstresses,...
atelier for Istanbul's socialites. Soon, she lost her husband and had to live alone with her son.
Manukyan leased the buildings she inherited from her father in the red-light district
Red-light district
A red-light district is a part of an urban area where there is a concentration of prostitution and sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, adult theaters, etc...
of Karaköy
Karaköy
Karaköy, the modern name for the ancient Galata, is a commercial neighborhood in the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul, Turkey, located at the northern part of the Golden Horn mouth on the European side of Bosphorus....
neighbourhood in Istanbul to brothel owners. In the following years, she became the owner of 14 licensed brothels. She was once accused of employing underage prostitute
Prostitution of children
Prostitution of children or child prostitution is the commercial sexual exploitation of children in which a child performs the services of prostitution, for financial benefit. The term normally refers to prostitution by a minor, or person under the local age of majority...
s.
She invested her opulent earnings from the sex business into real property. Manukyan was the top taxpayer in Istanbul for five consecutive years during the 1990s and received an award for that by the revenue authority. She displayed her collection of certificates and recognition items she received from the authorities in her home in Şişli
Sisli
Şişli is one of 39 districts of Istanbul, Turkey. Located on the European side of the city, it is bordered by Beşiktaş to the east, Sarıyer to the north, Eyüp and Kağıthane to the west, and Beyoğlu to the south...
that she called the "M&M Museum".
In an interview, she revealed that she owns around 70 business centers and 500 apartment
Apartment
An apartment or flat is a self-contained housing unit that occupies only part of a building...
s in Istanbul, 200 in Yalova
Yalova
Yalova is a city located in northwestern Turkey, on the eastern coast of the Sea of Marmara, and is the capital of the Yalova Province. Yalova has a city population of 92,166, while the population of the Yalova Province is 202,531. as of 2009...
, three five-star
Star (classification)
Stars are often used as symbols for classification purposes. They are used by reviewers for ranking things such as movies, TV shows, restaurants, and hotels. For example, one to five stars is commonly employed to categorize hotels.-Restaurant ratings:...
hotels in Antalya
Antalya
Antalya is a city on the Mediterranean coast of southwestern Turkey. With a population 1,001,318 as of 2010. It is the eighth most populous city in Turkey and country's biggest international sea resort.- History :...
and Alanya
Alanya
Alanya , formerly Alaiye, is a beach resort city and a component district of Antalya Province in the Mediterranean Region of Turkey, from the city of Antalya. On the southern coast of Turkey, the district has an area of 1,598.51 km2 and 248,286 inhabitants...
, 10 villas in Kyrenia
Kyrenia
Kyrenia is a town on the northern coast of Cyprus, noted for its historic harbour and castle. Internationally recognised as part of the Republic of Cyprus, Kyrenia has been under Turkish control since the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974...
, Northern Cyprus and a factory in Istanbul in the export business. She also noted that she was building a hotel in Germany with 100 beds. She also ran a fleet of around 220 taxis. Luxury items owned by Manukyan included a Rolls-Royce car
Rolls-Royce (car)
This a list of Rolls-Royce motor cars and includes vehicles produced by:*Rolls-Royce Limited *Rolls-Royce Motors , which was owned by Vickers between 1980 and 1998, and after that by Volkswagen...
, four top model Mercedes
Mercedes (car)
Mercedes was a brand of the Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft . DMG which began to develop in 1900, after the death of its co-founder, Gottlieb Daimler...
and BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
cars, and an 18 m yacht
Yacht
A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...
in the Kalamış Marina
Marinas in Turkey
Marinas in Turkey refer to Turkey's ports of call for international and local yachtsmen equipped with modern services routinely expected in recreational boating industry, and they are presently found either in or near Istanbul or İzmir, the two largest port cities of the country, or in or near...
in Istanbul.
Manukyan died on February 17, 2001 in Istanbul, and was buried in the Armenian Cemetery of Şişli following the funeral at the Üç Horon Armenian Church in Beyoğlu
Beyoglu
Beyoğlu is a district located on the European side of İstanbul, Turkey, separated from the old city by the Golden Horn...
. Her only heir is her son Kerope Çilingir, who grew up in the United States.
Trivia
- On September 28, 1995, Matild Manukyan was seriously injured on her left leg in a firearm attack, which originally targeted her security guard and driver.
- Manukyan (played by Ahu TuğbaAhu TuğbaAhu Tuğba is a Turkish actress.Her real name is Tuğba Çetin. Born into a wealthy family of Istanbul, she graduated from Istanbul's American High School for Girls, high school section for girls of Robert College, and attended, but not finished, English language studies at Concordia University in...
) was featured in a 2006 TV miniseriesMiniseriesA miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
named Meçhule Gidenler (literally Those Who Go to Uncertainty) directed by Bülent Pelit. The series has not been broadcasted yet.