Featured
Showing posts with label church. Show all posts
Showing posts with label church. Show all posts

Tuesday, 7 July 2015

Arnavutkoy: Beautiful Old Houses Will Take You Back in Time



You may hear about two Arnavutkoy's, but don't get confused. Arnavutkoy district and Arnavutkoy neighbourhood are two different things, although the neighbourhood is in the district. Arnavutkoy neighbourhood is on Bosphorus. It is between Kurucesme and Bebek. You can see Kandilli, Uskudar and Vanikoy on the Anatolian coast.


History 


 Arnavutkoy means "Albanian village" in Turkish, but it almost has nothing to do with Albanians. The original population was mostly Greek. It was actually a Greek village in 16th century. It was famous for its gardens. It continued to be so until 18th and 19th century. Unfortunately, big Istanbul fires affected Arnavutkoy negatively.

 You can still see the Greek style old buildings. The neighbourhood lost some of its beauty, after the Greeks fled to Greece due to 6-7 September 1955 incidents, after the apartments started to rise in 1960's and after in  a causeway was built in front of the mansions 1980's. (Plus third bridge and third airport...) However, it is still one of the most beautiful districts in Turkey.


Sights


 Tevfikiye Mosque: It was ordered by Sultan Mahmut II and was built in 1832. It is a very plain and new looking building, so it may not seem so old at the first look.

 Aya Strati Taksiarhi Greek Orthodox Church: The Hellenic church was built at the beginning of 1900's. It is dedicated to the archangel.

 Arnavutkoy Police Station: This is also a historical building. It is an elegant old building near the coast.

 Robert College: It was founded in 1863 as an American school within Ottoman Empire. In 1871, American Girls' College was also founded. In 1971 Bogazici University was founded on the area of Robert College. Robert Collage was carried to and combined with American Girls' Collage.

 Curious Children Kindergarten:  It was formerly Arnavutkoy Greek School. You can still see the Hellenic architecture.

 Painted Kiosk Pavilion (Izzetpasa Pavilion): The one you'll see today is the replica made in 21th century. The original one was built in 1791. But it burned seven years later. It was demolished i n 1840's, then in 1975. It is the building of Bayraktar building since 1992.

 Akintiburnu: It means "the cape with current" in Turkish. It is a little cape in Arnavutkoy. There is a continuous surface current, of which swirls are still a problem for sailors. There is a small lighthouse on it.


What to Eat at Arnavutkoy


 Especially near Akintiburnu, there are fancy sea food restaurants where you may want to spend your money, if you can afford. There are also lovely cafés around.

How to Get to Arnavutkoy


 Arnavutkoy Port is active throughout the day. You can have a great Bosphorus tour in the ferries that stop by this port. You can also use the bus. However, the traffic jam is very heavy on week ends, because the road is so narrow. If you have time you can at least walk one way to or from Arnavutkoy. The view is so nice that you may not even feel tired.

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.

Sunday, 25 January 2015

St. Esprit Cathedral: Papa Was There

St. Esprit Cathedral resides in Harbiye, on Cumhuriyet Street and next to Babil Street. It had very busy times a couple of months ago, because it hosted Pope Francis.

Today it is surrounded by Notre Dame de Sion High School. The entrance is from Cumhuriyet Street side. It has a lovely yard and a Papa XV. Benedictus statue on it. If you walk the rear street, the Papa Roncalli Street, you can see the bell tower. (The Vatican Consulate is also on the Papa Roncalli Street.)



The construction started in 1845 and the cathedral was open to worship in 1846. The architect is Gaspard Fossati. The cathedral was damaged by an earthquake in 1865. There is an underground grave, which was active until 1927. The grave of Giuseppe Donizetti, who founded Mizika-i Humayun (a military band), is there.



How to go to St. Esprit Cathedral?


It is very easy to visit St. Esprit. It resides in a beautiful district with convenient transportation. There is the bus stop, TRT Istanbul Radyosu, just in front of the high school. If you come from Taksim, you'll have to cross the road. If you come from Mecidiyekoy, you'll be there. You can also walk to and from Taksim, Nisantası, Tesvikiye, Macka and even Besiktas.

If possible, don't miss the Sunday service!

Tuesday, 18 November 2014

The Street That Never Sleeps: Istiklal Street

Istiklal Street, or Istiklal Avenue, is between the Taksim Square and the Tunnel (the second oldest in the world). Istiklal Avenue is famous for its night life, but it has many attractions that shouldn't be missed at daytime. Although the street is losing its essence year by year, it seems that it will not lose its top 10 position in Istanbul.

Istanbul is a great metropolis with lots of interesting things, but Istiklal Street is probably the most colorful part of it. You can play authentic entruments, sing in any language you want, wear a Napoleon costume. You can go drunk, or go mad. That's why Istiklal Street is still one of my favorite streets, despite the meaningless gray concrete of the Taksim Square and attempts to ban alcoholic beverages.



Istiklal Street houses restaurants, bars, shops, bookstores, cinemas, passages, cultural centers, embassies (that's actually why Istiklal Street was made for, wait for the history section) and many more. It is almost impossible to get bored here. Here there are also a lot of activities and gatherings are going on throughout the year.

A little warning: You will learn the meaning of "crowded" here, especially you're walking at the weekend. You should be careful about pickpockets, but it doesn't mean that there is a pickpocket at every corner. Just being careful would be enough. And don't believe the people who invite you a place assert to be great for the tourists, or you'll probably learn the meaning of "expensive".



History


A little bit history will show why Istiklal Street is different than the other parts of Istanbul. Istiklal Street has a very long-standing past. First appearance of the city is after Byzantium era. At that time Galata was a Genovese colony (and the Galata Tower is a Genovese structure.), but the part that Istiklal Street lies today wasn't.

The old city of Istanbul is actually is actually Suriçi (the historical peninsula), which includes Sultanahmet, Topkapı and Eminonu. (Although my grandmother lived in Istanbul, she would say "I'm going to Istanbul" when she was going to Eminonu.) The opposite and newer part of the Peninsula was called Pera (the part over Karakoy and Galata.)



Originally Pera consisted wineyards, orchards and couple of houses. After Ottomans got hold of the city, the trade of Galata developed dramatically. As Latins grew more crowded, they had to find new residences, one of which was Pera. The more the trade developed, the more migrants came from the historical peninsula, including colonies of Venice, Pisa and Amalfi, the French, the Netherlander and the English.

Today Istiklal Street houses lots of embassies which were places at that time. You can see most of them while walking down the street. Beautiful buildings indeed. But you won't probably enter and take photos, because it's forbidden. The embassies and consulates at Istiklal Street are France, Netherlands, Sweden, Russia, England, and the near ones are Italy, Germany and Greece.

Sights


Let's return to present and start from the beginning next to the Taxim Square, and learn about some of the important/interesting buildings or places.

Holy Trinity Church (Aya Triada Kilisesi): When you are about to enter Istiklal Street from Taksim Square, you will see the dome and the towers of this church. I would like to say "the whole of it" but there are some ugly buildings in front of it. There are some petitions to demolish them, so the chuch will show it's glory, but for now you can enter there from the side street. It is an eastern orthodox church. According to the tablet in front of the building, the date it was built is September 14th, 1880.



French Consulate and Cultural Center: This plain and nice building is not only for visas. It has a cosy restaurant and cafe in it. If you want to learn French, here is the place. There is also a cinema hall where you can watch selected movies (not the movies in theatres).

Çiçek Pasajı (originally Cité de Péra, literally Flower Passage): This gorgeous and famous passage was built after the big Beyoglu fire in the place of Naum Theatre in 1876. It had 24 shops and 18 luxurious apartments. In 1908 the owner changed. Lots of flower shops were opened the armistice years and so the name changed. In 1940's the pubs started to attract numerous customers. Today it is mostly remembered by its pubs, but pubs that are usually preferred by intellectuals, writers and artists. It had collapsed all of a sudden in 1978 and it wasn't rebuilt until 1988. The façade of the building is one of the most decorative ones at Istiklal Street and the interior is just as good as that. The prices may be a little bit high, but entering and taking photos are free.



Galatasaray Lisesi (Galatasaray Highschool): Galatasaray Lisesi is importand both historically and touristically. It is in the middle of Istiklal Street and many people meet there (another famous meeting point is Burger King, the one next to the square). It is one of the oldest educational institution in Turkey and the education language is French. You won't probably be able to enter the building, but you can watch its huge doors, reminding its glorious days.



Cezayir Street (Algerian Street): It is also called French Street. It is a nice narrow street with lovely building and cosy pubs. As for me, it looks like a street in a small European city.




Hacopulo Passage (Hazzopulo Passage): There are many historical passages at Istiklal Street: Çiçek Pasajı (as mentioned above), Rumeli Passage, Atlas Passage, Halep Passage, Aznavur Passage, Suriye (Syrian) Passage, Elhamra Passage, Markiz Passage, Avrupa (European) Passage. But Hazzopulo is an outdoor passage with teahouses stuffed with the youth. There are also second-hand booksellers and many old stores (Madam Katia Hats, wine house, and so on) that matches well with the nostalgic atmosphere.



Church of St. Anthony of Padua: This is the biggest church in Istanbul, in terms of the building and the congregation. It was first built on Galata in 1230 under the name of Saint François. It was burnt down two times in 1639 and 1660. After 1696, the church was moved to Pera and named as St. Anthony. The architecture of the church is very stunning indeed. The church with red brick façade was built in the place of the old one in 1906 and was opened to worship in 1912. The style is Italian Neo-Gothic. The shape is Latin Crucifix. There is an entrance with two buldings for the sake of the church. You will see this 38 meter long entrance first, then the yard and the church.



Mısır Apartment (Misir Apartimani): Apartman is the Turkish word for apartment. When it is written "apartimani", it is an older spelling and means that you're about the deal an old apartment. It is the neighbour of the Church of St. Anthony of Padua. When the Trocadero Theatre was demolished in 1910, Misirli Abbas Halim Pasha (Misirli = Egyptian) built this apartment as winter mansion. It is one of the first reinforced concrete in Istanbul. There are offices, restaurants, art galleries and many more.

Church of St. Mary Draperis: This church is a little bit hidden compared to the Church of St. Anthony of Padua. You go down some stairs before entering the church. It was established in 1584. It is an old Catholic Roman Parish, actually one of the oldest in Istanbul. The church has a neoclassical enterance that with a little statue of Virgin Mary. This can be seen on the street, but to see the square plan of the church, you have to enter from the gates.



Narmanli Inn (Narmanli Han): This beautiful building was built in 1831. It was used as Russian Embassy until 1880 and Russian prison until 1914, then became a property of Narmanli Family and used as a residence. It hosted many famous writers and artists, including Ahmet Hamdi Tanpinar, the writer of magnificent novel, The Time Regulation Institute (Saatleri Ayarlama Enstitüsü).



Crimean Memorial Church: It is an Anglican Church situated on the Kumbaraci Yokusu. It was built as a memorial for Crimean War in 1868. It has a Neo-Gothic style. Today its congregation is Sri Lankan and Far Eastern.

Asmalimescit: Asma means grapevine, mescit means small mosque, alltogether "the small mosque with grapevines". Because Bayezid II had had a mescit built there. And some time at recent history there was a brothel there (how ironic), so my parents didn't like the idea of me going to the Istiklal Street. But the reality is it was gone with the wind before I even heard of it. I cannot spend much time in Asmalimescit anyway, for the fear that food and drink may be pricy (especially for students). For cheaper drinking options, you can take a look at Nevizade or Kucuk Beyoglu (Little Beyoglu).

Transportation


Istiklal Street is closed to the traffic. The transportation vehicle on the street is the nostalgic tram. It is usually too crowded, so I always prefer going on foot. You can use Sishane metro to reach the other end or just walk down there. But unless there is a storm or a police interference, I don't think it's necessary and boring then walking on the street.

You will probably have no difficulty to arrive at Istiklal Street. As Taksim is a very central place (in fact, more central than the old city), you can either come from Beyazit and Laleli, or from the Anatolian coast, Kadiköy and Bostanci. And good news: The metro line from Aksaray to Yenikapi has just opened. From Atatürk International Airport, you can directly come to Istiklal Street.



Where to Stay


There are many hotels at Istiklal Street, and some are very luxurious. Not so luxurious ones may also be somewhat expensive from hotels situated in other districts. You may try Elmadag, Harbiye and Pangalti (Pancaldi) hotels for price comparison. Nisantasi and Tesvikiye may be as expensive, but if you are willing to walk for a while or take a taxi, Fulya is also a pretty alternative. Karakoy hotels and Eminonu hotels are close to both Taksim and Sultanahmet. There are also some hostels there.
Copyright © 2015 Istanbul Friendly