The Üsküdar Ferry Terminal, also known as the Üsküdar Pier ( tr, Üsküdar İskelesi), is a

ferry terminal A passenger terminal is a structure in a port which services passengers boarding and leaving water vessels such as ferries, cruise ships and ocean liners. Depending on the types of vessels serviced by the terminal, it may be named (for example) ...

Üsküdar Üsküdar () is a large and densely populated district of Istanbul, Turkey, on the Anatolian shore of the Bosphorus. It is bordered to the north by Beykoz, to the east by Ümraniye, to the southeast by Ataşehir and to the south by Kadıköy; ...

Istanbul ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_i ...

, located along Paşa Limanı Avenue on the

Bosporus The Bosporus Strait (; grc, Βόσπορος ; tr, İstanbul Boğazı 'Istanbul strait', colloquially ''Boğaz'') or Bosphorus Strait is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul in northwestern Tu ...

strait. It is used by Municipal Şehir Hatları (City Lines) ferries as well as private Dentur ferries. Şehir Hatları ferries operate to several piers along the Bosporus and

Golden Horn The Golden Horn ( tr, Altın Boynuz or ''Haliç''; grc, Χρυσόκερας, ''Chrysókeras''; la, Sinus Ceratinus) is a major urban waterway and the primary inlet of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey. As a natural estuary that connects with t ...

, while Dentur operates frequent ferry service to Kabataş and Beşiktaş. The first Üsküdar Pier was built in 1852 and is notable as the first public ferry landing built on the Bosporus strait. The modern terminal was built in 1965. Üsküdar Terminal is located near Üsküdar Square in central Üsküdar, from which connections to bus, train and metro service are available. Another private ferry operator, Turyol, operates ferry service from its pier just north of Üsküdar terminal.

History

Üsküdar Pier was first opened in 1853 by an Ottoman ferry company, Şirket-i Hayriye as the companies first ferry pier on the Bosporus strait. The first pier was located slightly inland, near the

Fountain of Ahmed III The Fountain of Sultan Ahmed III ( tr, III. Ahmet Çeşmesi) is a fountain in a Turkish rococo structure in the great square in front of the Imperial Gate of Topkapı Palace in Istanbul, Turkey. It was built under Ottoman sultan Ahmed III in 1 ...

. The first ferry service from Üsküdar operated to Kabataş, on the European shore of the Bosporus. As Üsküdar grew in the late 19th century, ferry service also increased and the existing pier was not large enough to handle the capacity. In 1905, Şirket-i Hayriye began operating ferry service from Beşiktaş to Haydarpaşa station, via Üsküdar. Passengers used this route to connect to railway service east into

Anatolia Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The ...

. In 1906, the first pier was demolished and replaced by a larger pier. The inside of the pier consisted of decorative tiles, with ticket counters and bird cages. Şirket-i Hayriye was bought by the state-owned Şehir Hatları municipal ferry company in 1945. In the 1950s, the popularity of ferries grew along with passenger ridership. To increase capacity, a larger terminal was built in 1965 and remains in operation to this day.

Services

Üsküdar is a main pier for the municipal ferry service. Şehir Hatları operates ferries to 20 other piers on the Bosporus and Golden Horn, while Dentur operates to two other piers. Among these destinations are Beşiktaş, Kabataş,

Eminönü Eminönü is a predominantly commercial waterfront area of Istanbul within the Fatih district near the confluence of the Golden Horn with the southern entrance of the Bosphorus strait and the Sea of Marmara. It is connected to Karaköy (historic G ...

Karaköy Karaköy (), the modern name for the old Galata, is a commercial quarter in the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul, Turkey, located at the northern part of the Golden Horn mouth on the European side of Bosphorus. Karaköy is one of the oldest an ...

and

Kadıköy Kadıköy (), known in classical antiquity and during the Roman and Byzantine eras as Chalcedon ( gr, Χαλκηδών), is a large, populous, and cosmopolitan district in the Asian side of Istanbul, Turkey, on the northern shore of the Sea o ...

. Ferries leave Üsküdar at an average of 10 minute intervals, making it one of the busiest ferry terminals in Turkey.

References

{{reflist, refs= {{cite web , url=http://www.iett.istanbul/tr/main/duraklar/222001/%C3%9CSK%C3%9CDAR%20MARMARAY-%C4%B0ETT-Duraktan-Ge%C3%A7en-Hatlar-Durak-Bilgileri-Hatt%C4%B1n-Duraktan-Ge%C3%A7i%C5%9F-Saatleri, title=Üsküdar Marmaray - Duraktan Geçen Hatlar, language=Turkish, access-date=15 December 2017 {{cite web , url=http://www.sehirhatlari.istanbul/tr/kurumsal/gundelik-hayatta-sirket-i-hayriye-472.html, title=Üsküdar İskelesi - İskele Hakkında Genel Bilgiler, website=sehirhatlari.istanbul, language=Turkish, access-date=16 December 2017 {{cite web , url=http://www.sehirhatlari.istanbul/tr/kurumsal/tarihce-6492.html, title=Tarihçe, website=sehirhatlari.istanbul, language=Turkish, access-date=16 December 2017 {{cite web, url=http://www.arkiv.com.tr/proje/uskudar-vapur-iskelesi/6585, title=Üsküdar Vapu İskelesi, website=arkiv.com.tr, language=Turkish, access-date=16 December 2017 {{cite book , last=As , first=Efdal , date=2013 , title=Cumhuriyet Dönemi Ulaşım Politikaları (1923-1960) , url=http://www.atam.gov.tr/kitaplar/cumhuriyet-donemi-ulasim-politikalari-1923-1960 , language=Turkish , location=Ankara , publisher=Atatürk Araştırma Merkezi , page=401 , isbn=978-975-16-2635-6 Ferry piers in Istanbul 1853 establishments in the Ottoman Empire Üsküdar