at a glance

very few unofficial neighborhoods in rio de janeiro have such a distinct personality, history, and charm as what is known as 'saara'. in the early 18h century, following the establishment of the dock of rio de janeiro, a road was built in order to transfer the cargo to and from the interior of the city.

this street would be named afândega - portuguese for 'customs'. historically the whole region had always received several waves of immigrants from a diverse array of backgrounds.

this was especially the case after world war one, when many immigrants from the then-crumbling ottoman empire arrived in brazil through this very venue, to start a new life.