Although this part of town houses less historical landmarks than the historical part of Istanbul, neglecting the modern part of Istanbul would be a shame. It still has a fair amount of must-see sightseeing spots and is the place to be if you’re in for shopping, wining and dining or a great night out. The modern part of Istanbul is the area north of the Golden Horn and consists of boroughs such as Beşiktaş, Galata, Karaköy, Nişantaşı, Ortaköy, Şişli, and Taksim. Below you find an overview of the ones you may (unknowingly) wander around in as a tourist.

Taksim

Taksim Square symbolizes the heart of modern Istanbul and is a popular meeting point for a day or night out. Leisure time in this area is mostly spent on Istiklal Caddesi or one of its many side streets. Taksim is ‘open’ day and night, seven days a week – it’s a place where you’ll never walk alone! During the day the place is packed with shoppers, and after dusk it remains a bustling area with party animals conquering the streets till early morning.

You can find footage of the borough in the Taksim video gallery. For still impressions, visit the Taksim photo gallery or the Istiklal Caddesi photo gallery.

Beşiktaş

Beşiktaş - Istanbul, Turkey.

Located in the intersection of Barbaros Boulevard, Beşiktaş Avenue and Çırağan Avenue, the Beşiktaş borough lends its name to the district of Beşiktaş.

In Byzantine times Beşiktaş was known for the Ayios Mamas Palace (the emperors’ summer residence), the Fokas Monastery, and the Ayios Mihael Church. The latter was built in the period of Constantine I and was a famous center for Greek, Armenian and Georgian pilgrims. The residence identity of the area came during the Ottoman era. The cove of Beşiktaş was convenient/favorable/suitable to use as a dock even before the 17th century. So, Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha (1478-1546) – the chief commander of the navy in the Ottoman Empire (Kaptan-ı Derya) – started to use the bay to anchor the Ottoman fleet. He had a seaside mansion (yalı) built for himself and stayed there when he was in Istanbul.

In the 17th century the bay became a swamp. So it was filled and turned into a refined garden area for the Ottoman sultans. From then on palaces and kiosks/villas were built for the sultans and their relatives. Mahmut II – who officially reigned in Topkapı Palace for 31 years (1808-1839) – actually spent most of his time in the palaces of Beşiktaş. Finally his son Abdülmecit had the Dolmabahçe Palace built in 1855 and Beşiktaş became the official residence of the sultans.

Although after the declaration of the Turkish Republic Beşiktaş lost its reputation for hosting the sultans. However, it kept its importance since Atatürk stayed in the Dolmabahçe Palace when he was in Istanbul and he also died there.
Beşiktaş gives its name to the Turkey’s oldest sports club – Beşiktaş Gymnastics Club (Beşiktaş Spor Kulübü) It is also the third football club founded in Turkey. Beşiktaş Barbaros Hayrettin Paşa Pier, the monument of Barbaros, the tomb of Barbaros Hayreddin Paşa (Türbesi), the Sinan Paşa Mosque and the Istanbul Naval Museum (İstanbul Deniz Müzesi) are the places of interest.

Ortaköy

Ortaköy by night, taken from the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey.

One of the popular boroughs in the Beşiktaş district is Ortaköy, literally translated ‘middle village’. It inherited the name from its location: in the middle of the European bank of the Bosphorus. One of the main characteristics of Ortaköy is that it has always been a cosmopolitan area which hosts Turkish, Greek, Armenian and Jewish communities. Today it is one of the main places of interest for locals and tourists alike because of its seaside cafés, restaurants, night clubs and bars spread around the area. Unfortunately, Ortaköy is also very well-known for its packed traffic, especially at the weekends.

The most outstanding structure of this small neighborhood is the Ortaköy Mosque which is located by the sea on the Ortaköy square. The Neo-Baroque style designed mosque was ordered by Ottoman sultan Abdülmecit.

Galata

Located on the northern shore of the Golden Horn, Galata is sloped and goes downwards to the sea from a hilltop. It is one of the historically rich boroughs of the Beyoğlu district. The famous Galata Tower on the small square of Galata and the Galata Bridge take their names from Galata, which means Celtic in Greek. It is believed that the Celtic tribe of Galatians camped in the area. After looting the Balkans and the west of Anatolia around BC 280-274, Galatians settled in the central Anatolia around Ankara and Yozgat.

The Galatasaray Lyceé (halfway on Istiklal Caddesi), the famous Galatasary Football team (Galatasaray Futbol Kulübü) and the Galata Mevlevihanesi Whirling Dervishes Lodge on Galip Dede Street also take their names from Galata. On Büyük Hendek Avenue you can find the Neve Shalom Synagogue which is the central and largest Sephardic synagogue in Istanbul. Down by the seaside the Galata dock stretches 758 meters long from the Galata Bridge towards Fındıklı on the north-east European bank of the Bosphorus. Although located in Karaköy it is named after Galata. Built between 1892 and 1895, the Galata dock is Istanbul’s and also Turkey’s first modern dock where the cruise ships anchor.

Karaköy

The Kamondo Steps in Karaköy, Istanbul.

Karaköy is one of the oldest and historical boroughs of the Beyoğlu district. Located on the northern part of the Golden Horn mouth on the European side of the Bosphorus and connected to Eminönü by the Galata Bridge, Karaköy has been the center of trade serving as a dock since the Byzantine era.

In the last 10 years of the 19th century the area became the banking center with the Osmanlı Bankası. This bank, which played the role of treasury and government bank, opened its central building here, followed by the Italian and Austrian insurance companies.

Today, serving a hub for both intercity and international transport, Karaköy is also an important commercial center with various mechanical, plumbing, electronic and electrical appliance shops in the Perşembe Pazarı.
Noteworthy cosmopolite monuments and places of interest are:

• The Zulfaris Synagogue used as the Five-hundredth Anniversary Foundation Museum of Turkish Jews (500. Yıl Vakfı Türk Musevileri Müzesi), inaugurated on November 25, 2001
• Istanbul Modern, Turkey’s the first and only private museum for contemporary art inaugurated in 2004
• Turned into a mosque by Mehmet II the Conqueror in 1475, the Arab Mosque is the only remaining Gothic church from the ante Ottoman period
• Donated by the Sephardic Jewish banker Abraham Kamondo, the baroque style built Kamondo Stairs climb up the hill from Voyvoda Street to the 19th century neighborhoods.

Completely safe during day time, yet not to be wandered after dusk, Karaköy has also name and fame for the city’s red light district.

Şişli

The Şişli borough is located in the Şişli district, located between the Sarıyer district in the north, the Beşiktaş district in the east, the Eyüp and Kağıthane districts in the west and the Beyoğlu district in the south.

Full of farming fields and vineyards the area had very little settlement until the mid 19th century. The trading middle-class Levantines, Jews, Greeks, Armenians and also Turks who lost their houses in the 1870 fire of Beyoğlu moved to the area and built homes with an European look: big stone buildings with high ceilings and art nouveau wrought-iron balconies.

The first horse pulled tramways started operating in 1871 and its line reached Şişli in 1881. In 1898 the Şişli Etfal hospital was built in the memory of Abdülhamid II’s daughter who died when she was only eight months old. Şişli became the last stop of the electrical tramway in 1913 and from then on it kept on growing rapidly. After the foundation of the Turkish Republic Şişli kept on building on the main road (Halaskargazi Street) and the area around it.

Today offices, banks, big shops, cafes, and restaurants occupy the large buildings on the avenues, yet the back streets are still residential. Europe’s largest and the world’s second largest (urban-area) shopping mall, Cevahir, is located in Şişli. Built in Ottoman style, the Şişli Mosque is a grand landmark situated between the Halaskargazi and Abidei Hürriyet Avenues.

Nişantaşı

Nişantaşı, home to the jet-set of Istanbul, Turkey.

Within the Şişli district Nişantaşı is located on the Vali Konağı Avenue and is surrounded by the Maçka, Harbiye, Osmanbey and Teşvikiye neighborhoods.

The area was used by the Ottoman soldiers to improve their shooting skills on target stones. Nişantaşı means ‘target stone’ and that’s where the name of the area comes from. In the mid 19th century Sultan Abdülmecid established two obelisks to set the beginning and the ending points of the borough. He also ordered the construction of the Teşvikiye Mosque and the police station. The area grew in the second half of the 19th century and became popular due to its central position, being close to both the Yıldız Palace and Pera (Beyoğlu).

Until the 1930s Nişantaşı was the area of mansion houses, after which its face rapidly changed to elegant apartment blocks. Its Art Nouveau apartment buildings are still well-known.

Today Nişantaşı is one of Istanbul’s most residential estates boroughs with luxurious restaurants, cafes, pubs, night clubs, galleries, boutiques and stores of world famous brands. It is the hometown of wealthy and well-educated figures of the Turkish jet-set, culture and art.

[Photo Credit Kamondo Steps: bu]

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Inaugurated on 17 January 1875, Istanbul’s Tunnel (Tünel) is the world’s shortest and third-oldest passenger terminal, after the underground systems of London and New York. This one-stop funicular climbs the steeply uphill for 500 meters from Karaköy to Tünel Square at the southern end of Istiklal Caddesi in the Beyoğlu district. Only recently, after five months of renovations, it’s back in service and polished to a new shine.

Obtaining Permission to Build the Tunnel

Tünel is actually and initiative of the French engineer Eugene Henri Gavand. He observed people shuttling between Galata (today Karaköy) and Pera (today Beyoğlu). In those days, people used to work in the low Galata (the center of trade, stock exchange and customs) and live in the uphill Pera with its hotels, embassies and dwellings. The French engineer therefore thought of an alternative way of connecting those two districts of then Constantinople, hence saving people the difficult walk of climbing 60 meters.

He was accepted by Sultan Abdülaziz of the Ottoman Empire to present his elevating railway project to connect both districts. He could convince the sultan, who granted Eugene Henri Gavand permission for his Tünel project on 10 June 1869.

Constructing Tünel

The actual construction of Tünel started on 30 June 1871, and was completed on 5 December 1874. The tunnel consists of two trains running simultaneously on the same track, with only a short duplex part of the track in the middle, where two trains pass side by side and continue their ways to opposite directions. The installation was powered by two steam engines of 150 HP. The original wooden wagons used to have both sides open and were illuminated by gas lamps as no electricity was available in those years.

To convince the public of the railway’s safety, the initial runs were carried out with animals on board only. Only after a magnificent inauguration ceremony with the participation of distinguished native and foreign guests on 17 January 1875 the normal runs to serve people started.

The Tunnel throughout the Years

Tünel was out of operation for about 3,5 months during the Second World War due to a shortage of spare parts. It was completely renovated to its present structure by a French company called Electro Entreprise. After 96 years of service, the nostalgic wooden carriages were replaced by modern metal versions. However, the red-beige paintings reconstructing the timber claddings still evoke the old days of the railway.

Currently, the two steel cars, each 16 meters long and on pneumatic tires, run simultaneously in opposite directions, carrying a total of 170 people in 90 seconds over a distance of 573 meters. At cruising speed, the train goes approximately 25 km/h. The underground system is no longer powered by steam machines, but with a 350 HP electrical engine.

Tünel Today

Today, the tiny Tünel is still useful for most of Istanbul’s population. It is part of the municipal transport network and integrated tickets are valid. At the same time tourists are attracted by this combination of century-old history and modernity. Look for on the Map with Tourist Attractions in the Modern Part of Istanbul.

At the end of 2008, after five months of renovations, Tünel is certainly worth using and/or visiting. The Karaköy station, set back from the main road just off the Galata Bridge, is by far the nicer of the two. Traditional Turkish tiles patterned with blue-white tulips and quaint but huge pictures of the Galata Tower, Hagia Sophia and other sights welcome passengers.

The best way to get there is via the underpass at the end of the Galata Bridge. Look for the exit/entrance marked Tünel (see picture). To board it (at either station), you will have to buy a token or use your akbil. Tünel operates from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. The maximum wait is two minutes.

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The Golden Horn (Haliç) is an inlet of the Bosphorus with two rivers draining into it at the far end. It is considered to be the world’s largest natural harbor and separates the European shore of Istanbul into two. The best places to observe the Golden Horn’s activity and grace are the Galata Bridge if you want ringside seats, and the Topkapi Palace or Pierre Loti Café if you prefer a bird’s-eye view.

A Chain to Protect the Golden Horn

As a natural and extremely secure harbor, the Golden Horn has played an important role in the development of Istanbul and was often the subject of attacks. With the absence of tides and currents, the Byzantine Empire had its naval headquarters in this 7,5 km long Bosphorus inlet.

To protect the city of Constantinople from naval attacks, two security measures were put into place. The first and predictable measure was the construction of walls along the shoreline. The second security measure however, consisted of pulling a huge iron chain from Constantinople to the old Galata Tower, hence preventing unwelcomed ships from entering the Golden Horn.

Only on three occasions, the chain across the Horn was either broken or circumvented:

• in the 10th century, the Kievan Rus’ dragged their ships out of the Bosporus, carried them around Galata and again launched them in the Golden Horn.
• in 1204, during the Fourth Crusade, Venetian ships were able to break the chain with a ram.
• in 1453, Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II also used the circumventing tactic by towing his ships across Galata by using greased logs since previous attempts to break the chain had failed.

The Golden Horn Today

From the 7th century BC onwards the banks of the Golden Horn have attracted settlers, enabling Constantinople to become a rich and powerful port. After the Conquest of Constantinople in 1453, there was an even bigger influx of Greek, Jew and Italian merchants as well as other non-Muslims.

For hundreds of years the city’s trade was conducted by ships that off-loaded their goods in warehouses lining the Golden Horn. Together with the warehouses, more and more nearby factories started to rise. Unfortunately, this industrial activity also heavily polluted the water of the Golden Horn.

Nowadays however, the (container) ships use the port on the Sea of Marmara and the pollution has been addressed. In recent years, over four thousand buildings on the shores of the Golden Horn have been demolished, the businesses moved to new centers outside the city, the shores turned into parks and gardens, and wastewater treated.

Both shores of the Golden Horn are connected by no less then four bridges. The most famous one is undoubtedly the Galata Bridge, which connects Eminönü with Galata. This bridge, with its lower deck of restaurants and bars, replaced the much-loved earlier pontoon bridge. This original Galata Bridge was reconstructed south of the Rahmi Koç Museum. In between these two bridges you’ll find the Atatürk Bridge. The fourth bridge – Fatih – is located deeper in the Golden Horn. A new pedestrian bridge, based on drawing created by Leonardo da Vinci in 1502, will soon be finished.

Why is it Called the Golden Horn?

There are two legends that explain the adjective ‘golden’. According to the first legend, the Byzantines threw so many valuables into it during the Ottoman Conquest that the waters glistened with gold.
The second and more plausible story says that name is given because of the gold light that seemingly comes out of the river when the sun goes down. A view you can’t afford to miss!

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