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Showing posts with label galata tower. Show all posts
Showing posts with label galata tower. Show all posts

Wednesday, 17 June 2015

Karakoy: From Old Port to New Port

Karakoy is a district of Beyoglu. It was previously called Galata district. Karakoy is its contemporary name. It has always been used as a port. It is one of the oldest parts of the Istanbul. It was also the financial center of the Ottoman Empire in 19th century. Today it is a popular port among cruise ships and has lots of fine restaurants.

Father and daugther are enjoying the view.

Karakoy is very central. Galata Bridge connects Karakoy with Eminonu, Its neigbours are Azapkapi, Sishane, Tophane, and Yuksekkaldirim, which takes you to Istiklal Street. There is an interesting detail about Karakoy. As I said, it has always been a port. Being a port means sailors. Where there are sailors, there are brothels. The brothel at Karakoy is very near to St. Benoit High School. (Parents periodically react against it.)



History


Karakoy has been used as a port since Byzantian times. The Byzantian Emperor let Genoese merchants reside and work there. So, they made solid buildings to protect themselves and their goods. Almost all the walls they built have been destroyed, but you can still see a massive artifact left: Galata Tower. It been said that by 15th century Galata looked like an Italian city.

After the Conquest of Istanbul in 1453, there were three parts at Galata: Genoese, Venice and Catalan. There were Genoese and Ottoman citizens, Greeks, Armenians, Georgians and Jews. (Edmondo de Amicis writes about this colourful at 1870's.) Later, Muslims outweighed the population.

Stairs to Istiklal Street

After 1500, it welcomed the Sefarads who escaped from the Spanish inquisition. In 1854-1856, it was raid by the Europeans (a united force of British, French and Italian soldiers) who came to fight for Crimea War. The soldiers needed a dock for the new coming equipments, but a dock couldn't be built until 1895.

In 19th century, it became a finance and banking center. Ottoman Bank founded its headquarters here. (You can visit the building which is now used as a museum.) Then Italian and Austrian insurance companies opened branches here. In 20th century, the port was widened, and the district was swarming with sailor and passengers. It was famous for its Greek taverns back then. Thousands of Belarussians who escaped from Russia after the October Revolution in 1917 came here and settled.

Kemankes Mustafa Mosque


Sights


Galata Tower: It is one of the oldest and one of the most fascinating artefacts in Istanbul. You should pay an entrance fee which in my opinion is a little bit more expensive than equivalent places (at least in Europe), but the view is worth it. Galata Tower gives you the chance to see a panoramic view of Istanbul. There is partly an elevator and partly stairs. It has a Romanesque style.
Galata Tower from Karakoy
Galata Bridge: The bridge that connects Karakoy to Eminonu. It is both open for pedestrians and vehicles. (Nice walk, nice view and nice seafood restaurants!) It isn't the first bridge built on the Golden Horn and it won't probably be the last. In 1502-1503, Leonardo da Vinci presented a bridge project to Sultan Bayezid II. But it was rejected. Later, Michelangelo was invited to Istanbul for him to present a project. This time, he rejected the Sultan. This last bridge is the fifth Galata bridge and was finished in 1994.

Galata Bridge

Kamondo Stairs: These twin stairs were built in 1850's in the name of Abraham Salomon Kamondo, a member of one of the most important banker families of the time and also a Sefarad. They are made from marble in art nouveau style. People like to take photos there. You may even see brides and grooms from time to time.

Kamondo Stairs

Banks' Street: Its actual name is Voyvoda Street, but if you ask a local "Where is Voyvoda Street?" you probably won't get an answer. (Voyvoda means "governor, landlord" in Slavic. Vlad III, who is thought to be Dracula, is called Kazikli Voyvoda in Turkish. Kazikli means "piled" which refers to the killing style of Vlad III.) The street begins with Karakoy Street and finishes with Yuksekkaldirim Street. The banks here are Ottoman Bank, Deutsche Bank, Russian Foreign Trade Bank, Bank Athens, Commercial Bank of the Near East Ltd, Sumerbank, Garanti Bank. The insurance companies are also interested. (Generali Passage is one of the prominent buildings.) You may recognise other building with round reliefs on them. They used to show what kind of trade the building owner made. For example, if you see a sheep relief, you have right to think that the original owner used to sell sheep.

Generali Han

Turkish Jewish Museum of 500th Year Foundation: This is fairly a new museum. The foundation was founded in 1989, to celebrate the 500th year of Sefarads' coming to the Ottoman Empire. The museum was opened in 2001. The building was previously Zulfaris Synagogue. It is said that the building existed in 1671 and there is also evidence that it was built upon another building from Genoese time. The museum is mainly in chronological order and there is an etnographic section.

Synagogues: There are many synagogues at Karakoy: Neve Salom Synagogue, Tofre Begadim Synagogue (today, an arts center), Italian Synagogue, Or Hodes Synagogue, Yuksekkaldirim Ashkenazi Synagogue.

Churches: And so are churches. San Petro and Paulo Church, Sankt Georg Church, Saint Michael Church, San Francesco Church, Santa Anna Church, Santa Maria Church, San Domenica Church, San Zoni Church, Surp Sarkis Church (oldest Armenian church at Istanbul, dating back to 1360), Surp Hisus Pirgic Church, Saint Benoit Church (as a part of the school), Galata Bulgarian Church, Haghios Nikolas Turkish Orthodox Church, Haghious Ioannis Assyrian Church.


St. Benoit High School: It is one of the oldest schools in Turkey and one of the most deep-rooted Latin-Catholic institutions in Istanbul. It seems to date back to 1783, but its history actually begins in 1362. You can see some part of the building from Kemeralti Street.

Arabic Mosque: It was previously San Paolo Church. Then it was converted into a mosque after 1453. It is the only Gothic church, remaining before 1453. There are few but important documents that show insight about Gothic history.

Underground Mosque: This mosque took its name for being a little lower than the ground. It is nicely decorated, and I think it has a good atmosphere for worshipping. The place was originally a Byzantine dungeon. It dates back to estimated 570's.

Underground Mosque

Sokullu Mehmet Pasha Mosque: This mosque is situated in Azapkapi neighbourhood. It is made in the name of Sokullu Mehmet Pasha. And the architect is: Mimar Sinan! It was built in the style of Selimiye Mosque at Edirne. (Edirne is one of the best places near Istanbul you can visit for the weekend.

How to get to Karakoy


It is very easy to get to Karakoy, except renting a car. The streets are narrow and there is always traffic (and no parking lots), so I suggest you to use public transportation or your feet. You can walk up to Istiklal Street or use the Tunnel. You can use the tram line to and from Kabatas. You can enjoy the Marmara Sea by getting on the ferries to Kadikoy, and you can feed the seagulls with bagels.

You can see Topkapi Palace from Karakoy.


What to eat at Karakoy


There are many restaurants and cafes at Karakoy. If you walk along the port, you'll see restaurants focusing mainly on seafood. The prices are a little high at some places (In Istanbul, everywhere with a sea view is expensive, get used to it), but I think the service is usually good. If you walk inside and around the small streets, you'll find lots of cosy cafes. Karakoy is the new rival of Istiklal Street.

Some cafés at Karakoy


Where to stay at Karakoy


There are many Karakoy hotels, some of which can be expensive (remember the sea view rule), but if you search enough you may find more budget hotels. You can also stay near Karakoy. Then your options will be Taksim, Eminonu, Besiktas, and even Kadikoy.

Unfortunately this isn't a hotel :)

Tuesday, 20 January 2015

From Genoese to Turkey: Galata Tower

Galata Tower is one of the oldest and one of the most fascinating artefacts in Istanbul. You should pay an entrance fee which in my opinion is a little bit more expensive than equivalent places (at least in Europe), but the view is worth it. Galata Tower gives you the chance to see a panoromic view of Istanbul. There is partly an elevator and partly stairs. It has a Romanesque style.

There is also a fun fact about the tower: When you climb it for the first time, be careful who you are climbing with, because s/he may be your future spouse. Believe it or not...

The view from a street of Galata.


History


There was an older tower that was closer to the sea, but the one standing today is relatively newer than that. The older tower was built by the Byzantines, and was destroyed by Latin crusaders in 1204. This Galata Tower was built by the Genoese at a nearby place. It was the biggest building of its time. But it didn't stay as it is. Actually it was looked after well, but it was probably unlucky. It was burned, rebuilt. The conical roof flew away with a storm, rebuilt.

Most of its history is interesting, but the most interesting moment is probably the moment Hezarfen Ahmet Celebi flew with his artificial wings from one continent to another (Galata to Uskudar) in circa 1630-1632. (His brother is Lagari Hasan Celebi, who is also an interesting historical figure.)

Where is Galata Tower?


It is very easy to go to the Galata Tower. You can use the Tunel from Karakoy and walk a couple of minutes. You can come from Taksim Squre on foot (recommended), by nostalgic tram (meh, just take photos of it), and the metro (the walk from underground to Sishane, preferable if the weather is bad). Walk straight from the Tunnel and keep looking for the first square. There stands the tower.

There used to be the youth sitting and chatting at the bottom of it, but the municipality didn't like the liveliness and instead, sold the area to a private tea house. However, you can see and hear "the rebels" sing and chat against all odds.

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.
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