Kegham Kavafyan
Illustration — Kavafyan as the principal of Getronagan High School (center) in 1923 Kegham Kavafyan (Գեղամ Գաւաֆեան, born 1888 Constantinople, Ottoman Turkey – November 30, 1959 Switzerland) was an Ottoman Armenian architect. He is noted for his construction plans for the Süreyya Opera House in the Kadıköy district of Istanbul, Turkey.
Kegham Kavafyan

Public domain
- Born
- Kegham Kavafyan was born in 1888. · Istanbul.
- Died
- Kegham Kavafyan died on 30 November 1959.
- Nationality
- Ottoman Empire
- Occupation
- architect · head teacher · writer
- Education
- Berberian School
- Languages
- Armenian
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
Illustration — Kavafyan as the principal of Getronagan High School (center) in 1923 Kegham Kavafyan (Գեղամ Գաւաֆեան, born 1888 Constantinople, Ottoman Turkey – November 30, 1959 Switzerland) was an Ottoman Armenian architect. He is noted for his construction plans for the Süreyya Opera House in the Kadıköy district of Istanbul, Turkey.
Admitted source layer · organised and presented by VALÉORINE
Note VALÉORINE
Kegham Kavafyan was an architect, head teacher and writer, of Ottoman nationality. The architect was born in Istanbul.
Kegham Kavafyan was educated at Berberian School. The architect worked for Getronagan Armenian High School and held the position of director. Languages used include Armenian.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
VALÉORINE
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for Kegham Kavafyan. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
World of VALÉORINE
Documentary connections
Only confirmed graph relationships appear here. Images are shown only when their identity and reuse rights both pass the documentary gate.
Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q6383451 · wikipedia · Kegham Kavafyan
In this article
Biography
Biography
• Illustration — Süreyya Opera House in Kadıköy, Istanbul, designed by Kavafyan. Kavafyan was born in Constantinople to Armenian parents. He received his primary education at the Armenian Surp Haç Tbrevank School in Üsküdar. He continued his education at the prestigious Berberian Academy. In 1910 he graduated from the École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées, a Civil Engineering School in Paris. After returning to Istanbul, he began designing and renovating many buildings in the city. By the order of Deputy of Istanbul Süreyya İlmen, Kegham Kavafyan was appointed the architect to the Süreyya Opera House which was completed in 1927. The opera house was known to be the first musical theatre on the Asian side of Istanbul. He also renovated the Mhitaryan Armenian School in the Pangaltı district of Istanbul in 1917. He became the principal of the Getronagan Armenian High School from 1917 to 1927. Kavafyan died in Switzerland during therapy at the age of 71.

Class of 1923 in the Getronagan Azkayin Varjaran (Armenian School) Constantinople - Picture taken in 1921
Collection of Vazken Andréassian
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1888
Kegham Kavafyan was born on 1 January 1888.
1959
Kegham Kavafyan died on 30 November 1959.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Kegham Kavafyan was born at Istanbul.
Birthplace
Istanbul.
Birth place
Literature
Scholarly footprint
A count of publications is evidence of attention, not of standing, and is given here only as a measure.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Koker, Osman. Ermeni kaynaklarından tarihe katkılar, Volume 4. Aras. 2003. 9789757265542.
- 2.Oda'dan Haberler.
- 3.Cengiz Çandar, Ermeniler olmasaydı, İstanbul İstanbul olur muydu?, Radikal, December 10, 2010.
- 4.Turkish Daily News. Curtains rise on opera hall. 2007-12-17.
- 5.Cahit Akyol. Süreyya Sineması kültür merkezi oluyor. Hürriyet. Arkitera. 2005-12-18.
- 6.Batur; Üner, Afife; Göze. Architectural guide to Istanbul, Volume 2. Chamber of Architects of Turkey Istanbul Metropolitan Branch. 2005. 9789753958950.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Wikidata, structured authority record Q6383451: Kegham KavafyanWikimedia Foundation
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
Further particulars
Held on the record
Further particulars
Open the remaining particulars
Kegham Kavafyan is recorded with the occupation head teacher. Recorded as architect, head teacher and writer. Works and catalogued output.
Süreyya Opera House
1927
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Design
11,558 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Kazuyo SejimaDesigner
- Kazys VarnelisDesigner
- Kees ChristiaanseDesigner
- Keg de SouzaDesigner
- Keith AlbarnDesigner
- Keith CritchlowDesigner
- Keith Downes YoungDesigner
- Keith IrvingDesigner
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own a work by Kegham Kavafyan?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.