Matilda Manukyan: The "brothel queen" of Turkey

This may seem unusual, but in Turkey, where casinos are banned, prostitution is officially allowed and there are state-run "houses of tolerance". Officially, there are about 60 brothels in the country, in which about 3,000 representatives of the oldest profession work, plus another 15,000 women are officially registered in the system as engaged in prostitution, but not living in brothels. In Turkey, women who engage in prostitution must register and receive an identification card with health data. They are required to undergo a medical examination every three months.

The most famous brothel owner in Turkey was Matilda Manukyan (1914-2001). She was called the "queen of brothels." It is noteworthy that Matilda herself came from an aristocratic Armenian family. Her father was a major real estate owner in Istanbul. After his death, one of his clients gave Matilda his business "for debts." It is easy to guess that this business was a brothel and Matilda became its mistress. Pretty quickly, she created an entire network of brothels and by 1992 had become the richest woman in Turkey with an income of $ 200 million. Moreover, Matilda received 5 Golden Plaque awards as a taxpayer who paid a record amount of taxes to the treasury. For example, in 1994 alone, she paid $10 million in taxes. Of course, it wasn't just the brothels that brought in such income. Manukyan owned hotels, shopping malls, factories, luxury real estate and even an island on the Bosphorus.

Of course, such a bright personality caused a lot of controversy among her fellow citizens. Everyone could choose a topic closer to him for discussion and condemnation of a businesswoman: a brothel owner, an Armenian woman, a lover of living "in a big way", etc. As a result, in 1995, Islamic radicals made an attempt on her. When a bomb exploded in her car, her guard and driver were killed, and Matilda herself lost her leg, but survived. She died on February 17, 2001 and was buried in the Armenian cemetery in Istanbul.

There is a Matilda Manukyan museum in Istanbul called M&M. It is located in the Shishli district in the house where Matilda was born and lived.