Yesilkoy: A Beautiful and Busy District at Marmara Coast
Yesilkoy means "green village" in Turkish. Its original name was Ayastefanos (Saint Stefan) and it was Greek. Yesilkoy was one of the neighbourhoods where Greek population was high. Unfortunately today most of the Greek people are gone, but the neighbourhood is still trying to keep its beauty.
Yesilkoy is a coastal neighbourhood with a Marmara view and a couple of beaches. It is between Florya and Yesilyurt. It is a little farther than the center. That's why it feels like you escaped the city (except weekends). It is one of the most expensive and luxurious neighbourhoods of Istanbul. It looks like Moda at Kadikoy or Tesvikiye with sea.
History
In 1203, the Latin army of Crusaders landed on Yesilkoy coast. In 1204, Istanbul was conquered. In 19th century, the whole neighbourhood belonged to the Armenian family, Dadyans, as a present from the Sultan.
After the Cremeria War, French people settled here and built one of the three lighthouses in Istanbul. Ayastefanos Treaty was signed here in 1878. Its name was Ayastefanos until 1924. In 1930, it name was changed into Yesilkoy for sure.
Most of the Greek population fled to Greece, after 6-7 September 1955 incidents. Today there are some churches and schools, but much more fewer than it was before.
Sights
Yesilkoy is a nice district for a weekend walk in every season. There are many art nouveau buildings and some churches you can enjoy while you are walking. You can also visit Yesilkoy lighthouse. When the weather is hot, you can go to the sandy beaches and enjoy the sea.
How to Get to Yesilkoy
If you come to Istanbul via Ataturk International Airport, then you'll automatically land on Yesilkoy. Yesilkoy is a little bit farther than the centre, but you have the metro from Airport, and bus and "dolmus" from Yesilkoy centre. There are direct lines from Taksim. The train line is being renovated, so we have to wait for it for some time.
