THE HISTORICAL QUARTERS OF ISTANBUL

 CEMBERLITAS



The 57-meter-tall Cemberlitas Column, also called the Column of Constantine, was taken from the Temple of Apollo in Rome and moved to Istanbul. After being damaged by fires and natural disasters over the years, the column was hooped during the reign of Mustafa II to make it stronger. This is how it got the name "Cemberlitas" (the Hooped Stone). Today, the Nuruosmaniye Mosque, the Corlulu Ali Pasa Madrasah, and the Cemberlitas Bath are some of the historical landmarks that draw tourists to the area.


EMINONU



Eminonu is one of the most beautiful places to have fish for dinner. It is on the Historical Peninsula. During the Byzantine and Ottoman times, the quarter was home to the government. It is also where the city of Byzantium was founded, which was one of the first settlements in Istanbul. During the Ottoman era, this area was where the customs office was. It is now home to Gulhane Park, the New Mosque, the Spice Bazaar, and the Hunkar Pavilion.


BAKIRKOY


Bakirkoy is on the western side of Istanbul. It dates back to the Bronze Age, and in 384 AD, Constantine used it as a place to have fun. Until the Republican Period, the area was known as Makrohori and Makrikoy. During the Ottoman Period, it was one of the most important places in the area.


BEBEK


During the Byzantine Era, Bebek was a small Greek fishing village. It is now one of the most beautiful parts of Istanbul, with historical mansions and other monuments. During the building of the Rumeli Hisar and the siege of Istanbul, Mehmed II sent an officer named Bebek Celebi to this place. The name of the quarter comes from this officer.


BESIKTAS


With its historical buildings and natural beauty, as well as its central location, Besiktas is visited by thousands of people every day. During the Byzantine Era, it was the summer home of the emperors. During the Ottoman Period, the neighborhood became known as a place to live. The area used to be called Bestas, which means "five stones," because there were five stone columns where Hayreddin Barbarossa's ships were moored. Over time, the name changed to Besiktas.


BEYAZIT


Beyazit is one of the most important places in Istanbul's politics and history. Theodosius built Beyazit in 393 to be the largest square in the city. The Beyazit Square, which is one of the city's main transportation hubs, has been the site of many political events. During the Ottoman Period, the square took on a political role. During the Republican Period, it kept that role in the cultural field. People agree that Istanbul University is one of the best and most well-known universities in the world. It is in this quarter, along with the Suleymaniye Mosque, the Second-Hand Book Bazaar, and the Grand Bazaar.


BEYOGLU



Today, Beyoglu is a cultural hub with museums, Taksim Square, Istiklal Street, and historical sites. During the Byzantine era, the Pera neighborhood in Beyoglu was an important trade center where Venetians and Genoese lived. During the Crusades in the 11th century, unfortunately, Pera was also taken over and stolen from. After Istanbul was taken over, the quarter came back to life as a center for art and trade. Suleiman I called the Venetian ambassador who lived here "son of Bey," which is where the name "Beyoglu" comes from. This is where the name of the district comes from.


EYUP


Eyup was one of the first Ottoman-Turkish towns to be built after Istanbul was taken over. The district is south of the Golden Horn and outside the city walls. The area is called Abu Ayyub al-Ansari because a shrine to him was built there. The grave of al-Ansari was found in a dream by Akshamsaddin, who was Mehmed II's teacher and advisor. During the Ottoman Period, one of the most interesting traditions was that when a sultan took the throne, he would put his sword around his waist.


KARAKOY


Karakoy is one of Istanbul's oldest commercial areas, with banks and business buildings. Karakoy has been known throughout history as a port and trade center. It is where the Golden Horn and the Bosporus meet. The old Galata neighborhood is now called Karakoy. At the start of the 11th century, traders from Genoa lived in the area because the Byzantine Emperor gave them permission to do so. In the end, the Genoese built strong walls and towers to protect their lives and property. The Galata Tower, which is also one of the city's symbols, is the most famous of these buildings.


SAMATYA


Samatya is a quarter in the Fatih district that gets a lot of attention from movie and TV producers because of how well its history has been kept. Yedikule is to the west of this quarter, which is part of the Kocamustafapasa Neighborhood. People think that the name of the quarter comes from the Greek word "Psamatyon," which means "sandy." This is because the soil in the area used to be sandy. The area was also settled during the Byzantine era, and it is home to the Church of St. George of Samatya, the Church of St. Nikolaos, and the Kapiagasi Yakup Aga Bath.


USKUDAR


In 1000 BC, Phoenicians moved to where Salacak is now and set up their trading ports and shipyards there. This is how Uskudar got started. During the Roman and Byzantine times, when the area was called Skutari, the settlements were still there. After the Ottomans took over Istanbul, Uskudar became an important center on the Anatolian Side. Uskudar has many mosques, masjids, baths, caravan inns, fountains, libraries, and palaces, mansions, and pavilions built for sultans, pashas, and statesmen. Hezarfen Ahmed Celebi took the first flight in history from Galata Tower to Uskudar.


CATLADIKAPI


During the earthquake of 1532, the Sidera gate in the city's Byzantine walls broke. Because of this, both the quarter and the gate began to be called "Catladikapi" (the Cracked Gate).


FERIKOY


Ferikoy used to be a small Greek village called Hagios Demetritos. Greeks lived there until the turn of the last century. Famous hunters would come to the area to hunt in the forest next to the neighborhood. Monsieur Ferry, a French merchant from the noble families of Izmir and Istanbul, was one of these hunters. Ferry, who lived in Galata, took his rifle on vacation to Hagios Demetritos, where he often went hunting. He liked the village so much that he decided to build a mansion there in the end. The Ferry family came to this mansion and stayed there from time to time. After this time, some newspapers started to call Hagios Demetritos "the Village of Monsieur Ferry." The Darusaade Agasi Behram Cavus Mosque, which was built in 1570 by Grand Vizier Sokullu Mehmet Pasa, the Dekema Apostoli Church, which was built in 1868 and is dedicated to the 12 apostles, the Sirpots Vartanans Armenian Church, which was built in 1861, and the Latin and Protestant graveyards are all historical places in Ferikoy.


GOZTEPE



Goztepe is a quarter on the Kadikoy side of the Anatolian Side. The name "Goztepe," which means "the Observing Hill," comes from the place where Gozcu Baba, a sheik at the Merdivenkoy Sahkulu Convent, used to watch what was going on. Where the convent stands now, a Byzantine emperor named Andronikos used to have his hunting lodge. After Orhan Ghazi took over Izmit, a peace treaty was signed in this lodge. The treaty also said that the lodge could be turned into an Ahi monastery. The Bektashis used the lodge for many years to keep their culture alive while the Turks were in charge. During the reign of Celebi Sultan Mehmed, the Ahi sheiks of the monastery were sent to watch the Byzantines. From then on, people also called the Ahi sheiks the observers. The sheiks of the monastery used to live in this stone building until not too long ago. Hasan Tahsin Baba was the last person to own the land. Today, Sahkulu Sultan Convent is one place where Alevis gather and keep their culture alive.


SUTLUCE


Where Sutluce is now, there was a Greek town called Sut Menbat. A statue of a woman stood in a corner of the village and poured water from its breasts. People thought that the water made women have more milk. So, the quarter came to be known as Sutluce (Milky).


ZINCIRLIKUYU


Zincirlikuyu was built and grew after Yusuf Izzettin Efendi, the son of Abdulaziz, had a summer home built for him in 1870. The fact that the crown sultan may have killed himself by cutting his wrists gave the area a bad name, and people didn't move there. So, most of the time, Zincirlikuyu has been used as a graveyard. It is in the garden of Yusuf Izzettin Efendi's hunting lodge. The hunting lodge, on the other hand, is now used as a vocational high school. The well below the lodge, which is no longer there, gave Zincirlikuyu its name, which means "the Chained Well."


OKMEYDANI


Okmeydani is a part of the city of Istanbul that is in both the Kagithane and Sisli districts. Okmeydani, which means "the Archery Square," is named after the square and dervish lodge that Mehmed II built here for archery competitions. The mile markers in the streets around them tell how far long-distance arrows can fly.


ACIBADEM


Acibadem is southeast of Kucukcamlica. It is known as Battal Ghazi's home, where he kept an eye on Byzantium for a long time in the 8th century. Because of how brave he was, people used to call Acibadem "Al-i Bahadir" or "Battal Ghazi Vineyards." Acibadem was owned by Kizlaragasi Misirli Osman Aga at the beginning of the 17th century. It is between the neighborhoods of Rasimpasa and Kucukcamlica. Murad IV took over the land in 1630 so that Selim III could own it in the 1800s. Many courtier, sultan, prince, and pasha mansions live in Acibadem today. They are spread out across the wide meadows, gardens, vineyards, and groves that lead to Kucukcamlica.


KANLICA


There are many stories about how the name Kanlica came to be. Most people believe that an Ottoman sultan once told his servants to find the part of Istanbul with the cleanest air. He also asks the viziers for help on how to measure how clean things are. One of the viziers says that there should be posts with bloody meats in each quarter. The last one to go off would be in the quarter with the fewest people. The Sultan gives the signal, and Kanlica (Bloody) is first. The name of the quarter comes from the Ottoman sultan.


KUZGUNCUK


One of Uskudar's neighborhoods, Kuzguncuk, is known for its historical homes and atmosphere, as well as its small modern cafés and restaurants. People think that the name comes from Kuzgun Baba, a saint who lived here during the time of Mehmed II. The name also refers to an area in the Anatolian Side that has kept good relationships with its neighbors. The first things that come to mind when you think of Kuzguncuk are homes with bay windows and big plane trees.


BALAT


During the Byzantine era, Balat was a neighborhood where wealthy Greek traders lived. At that time, it was called Petrion. Residents of the quarter left their homes right before Mehmed II took over Istanbul. They only came back after Mehmed II promised that their way of life and religion would not be changed. Balat, like Haskoy, which faces the quarter on the other side, had a large Jewish population and is now home to many mosques, churches, and synagogues that are still standing.


KADIRGA


Kadirga gets its name from the Turkish word for galley, which is kadirga. This is because it was once a part of the coast where galleys, or big ships, moored. In Kadirga, you can see both how people live in the neighborhood and how Ottoman Istanbul looked.


HAYDARPASA


During the Ottoman Empire, Haydarpasa was known as a place to go for fun. Since the beginning of the 20th century, the Anatolian railway network has started in this neighborhood. After being built in the 19th and 20th centuries, many buildings in Haydarpasa date back to the Ottoman era.

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