Early Life
Zacharias Basileios was the only son and eldest of four children of Basilius Zacharoff of Istanbul, born in the Turkish town of Muğla. The name Zaharoff was adopted when the family was in exile in Russia as a result of the anti-Greek "Easter pogroms" of 1821. The family returned to Turkey in the 1840s. By 1855, the family was back in Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul), where they lived in the modest Greek neighborhood of Tatavla.
Young Basileios' first job was as a guide for the tourists to the Galata. He then reputedly became an arsonist for the Constantinople firefighters. The 19th century firemen of Constantinople were not so effective at extinguishing fires, but quite effective at rescuing or salvaging the treasures of the rich for a healthy commission.
Read more about this topic: Basil Zaharoff
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