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Showing posts with label pera. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pera. Show all posts

Monday, 29 June 2015

Room Escape Games in Istanbul

I have an urge to escape


I've always loved to play room escape games on web or on mobile. Finding secret objects, solving puzzles, racing against time... And one day I learned that I could really be the one who is trying to escape the room!

Room escape games are very trendy in Istanbul. I knew only a couple of them, so I searched for them at the Internet. You'll have to make reservations in advance and ask for the prices.

ISTrapped


I guess this is the first room escape game in Istanbul (but not the last). I, my sister and a friend of hers tried this, and liked it very much. I won't give any spoiler, only two adjective to define it: mysterious and nostalgic. I think you should try it at least once. It is in an old beautiful building at Asmalimescit, close the Tunnel and Istiklal Street.

Escapist


I haven't been to Escapist (yet). It is very close to my office, so I see its plate almost everyday at Trump Towers Mall. This one is the biggest room game in Istanbul. You have six options here: company, secret experiment, on the trail of past, sacred treasure, the key of Agatha, abandoned.

Tuzak


European coast is always faster to adopt novelties, but Anatolian coast keeps up with them soon. Tuzak is a room escape game at Kadıkoy. It is very close to the bull statue. This time you aren't trying to escape from a room, you are trying to escape from a hotel, Hotel California.

Numara13


It is claimed to be one of the best and the most spooky room escape games in Istanbul. Its story is based on a real story, which makes it more interesting.

Defuse the Bomb


This is slightly different from other room escape games. I guess it feels like you have a part in a TV series. I don't know what happens, if you cannot find the bomb!

Friday, 23 January 2015

Tunel: The World's Second Oldest Tunnel at Taksim

Tunel means tunnel in Turkish, but it has come to define especially this particular one. It is actually a funicular line between Taksim and Karakoy. The journey takes 1,5 minutes, but add a couple of minutes for the passengers to get in and get off.



It is the second oldest (1875) underground line after the London Underground (1863). It was built in Moresque style. I like the colours and the patterns. In 1910 the electrical system became operational. There was originally two parallel lines. Today it has only one line with a short double section. When the two trains come side by side, you can see other passengers.

If you have the lungs, I'll recommend you walk the Yuksek Kaldirim Street, which inspired the famous poet Orhan Veli Kanik. His poem was sung by Levent Yuksel, if you like to listen modern Turkish pop.

Where is Tunel?


Tunel is at the Pera part of Taksim, on the other end of the Istiklal Street other than the Taksim Square. You can get on it either from Karakoy or from Taksim. There are three options for you to reach there: on foot, by tram and by the underground passage of the metro to Sishane.

Monday, 1 December 2014

Gezi Park: The Rebellious Park of Istanbul

Gezi Park would probably be just another park in a city, if it hadn't hosted the greatest "social" demonstration in the history of Turkey. "It all started with a tree", you would hear. But when the police used disproportionate force against peaceful protesters who wanted to protect Gezi Park from becoming barracks, things went crazy. For a couple of months, flying gas canisters were a usual scene from Taksim to Galata and to Harbiye, and also at Kadikoy. It is worth to remind that despite fierce political sayings, the park is still there, safe and sound, and I'm glad to tell you about it.



The History of Gezi Park


When you see Gezi Park, you may find it small in comparision with other parks at other big cities in the world. But the park's newly assigned historical significance makes it larger than life. However, it doesn't mean the only historical memory of the park.

Let's start with earlier records. The area including Gezi Park, Divan Hotel (the hotel next to the park that let the protestors in when the violence was at its peak), Hyatt Regency Hotel, and some parts of Istanbul Radyoevi (broadcasting house) and Harbiye Orduevi (military museum and cultural center of command) was Pancaldi Armenian Graveyard, or Surp Agop Graveyard. (Surp Agop Apartment still exists, but the hospital was demolished last year and the apartment serves as a polyclinic. The graveyard being at the opposite of the hospital was plausible indeed.) The land was given to Armenians in about 1560, when there was a plague. From then on, it was used as a graveyard.

At that time, Pancaldi, Harbiye and Elmadag was considered as being outside the city. The "core" Istanbul was approximately the part where today Eminonu, Karakoy, Galata and Pera (the far end of Istiklal Street). So, the dead was allowed to be buried only outside Istanbul. In 1853, it was confined with walls. In 1856, the name plate was put. In 1865, with the cholera epidemic, burial processes were banned due to its "proximity" to the city. (Things change.)

In 1872, the municipality comandeer the area but Sultan Abdulaziz enacted an addict announcing it belonged to Armenians. In 1926, the burial processes were entirely banned and it was decided that the graveyard was to be transferred to some other place. In 1931, Istanbul Municipality that the land should be assigned to it. The case was closed in 1934 and the large part was given to the municipality. In 1938, it was announced that the graveyard would be demolished and fifteen days were given to transfer the graves, if interested.

The yellow building is Divan Hotel.

In 1939, the graveyard was totally demolished, along with Khor Virap Church. The gravestones were used for the stairs of Yeni Cami (New Mosque) in Eminonu, and for the stairs of Gezi Park, which was being built at that time.

Let's move to another historical part. In 1806, Halil Pasa Topcu Kislasi (Halil Pasha Artillery Barracks) was built at today's Gezi Park. At 31 March Incident, it became the headquarters of rebels who were -in brief- in favour of sharia, and against more liberal policies of Ittihak Terakki Cemiyeti, Party of Union and Progress. (Maybe, things never change.) The rebellion was suppressed by the army.

As Beyoglu (the district which also comprises Taksim, in case you're confused) developed towards Sisli, the barracks lost its function and it became a stadium in 1922. Henry Proust, the controversial city planner, offered authorities a plan that involved Nisantasi, Harbiye, Dolmabahce and Gezi Park. In 1940, after the stadium was demolished, Gezi Park became the first park of the Republic (of which steps were carried from the demolished graveyard).

Well, it isn't a coincidence for Gezi Park to host such heated protests.

Those were the days, my friend.


Where is Gezi Park?


Gezi Park is stuated close to Taksim Square, which is unfortunately a big gray gap nowadays. If you put Taksim on your front, the left road will take you to Macka and ultimately to Besiktas or Kabatas. The right road will take you to Elmadag and Harbiye with a ten minute walk, or Nisantasi with a fifteen minute walk. If you like, you can take the metro from Taksim and go to Osmanbey (adjecent to Nisantasi), Sisli, Mecidiyekoy and further stations.

The bus stations were carried under ground to save Taksim from traffic (and probably with frustration due to the cancellation of "new Taksim" plan). It's a little tricky right now. If you want to get on the buses which passes from Besiktas (and to the coastline, that is Ortakoy, Arnavutkoy, Tarabya, Sariyer, etc., or the Anatolian coast, that is Kadikoy, Bostanci, etc.), you should walk left from the Gezi Park for a while to reach the bus station next to Ataturk Library. If you like to get on a bus which passes from Sishane (to Karakoy, Eminonu, Aksaray, Beyazit, Laleli, Bayrampasa Main Bus Station, Ataturk International Airport, etc.), you should walk down to the station which has an entrance facing Gezi Park. It seems complicated at the first time. It really is. Once I gave up to meet my friend at Kadikoy.

As I mentioned above, Gezi Park is relatively small. You can walk around in ten minutes at best. However, if you sit on a bench or cobblestones, it will take hours to contemplate on its history.

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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