Beyazıt Square ( tr, Beyazıt Meydanı) lies to the north of Ordu Caddesi in the district of

Fatih Fatih () is a district of and a municipality (''belediye'') in Istanbul, Turkey, and home to almost all of the provincial authorities (including the governor's office, police headquarters, metropolitan municipality and tax office) but not the co ...

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

. Officially named ''Freedom Square'' (), it is more generally known as Beyazıt Square after the early Ottoman Bayezid II Mosque on one side. The square is the former site of the

Forum of Theodosius The Forum of Theodosius ( el, φόρος Θεοδοσίου, today Beyazıt Square) was probably the largest square in Constantinople and stood on the Mese, the major road that ran west from Hagia Sophia ( Turkish: Ayasofya). It was originally bu ...

(AKA Forum Tauri) built by

Constantine the Great Constantine I ( , ; la, Flavius Valerius Constantinus, ; ; 27 February 22 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337, the first one to Constantine the Great and Christianity, convert to Christiani ...

. Its current form was designed by

Turgut Cansever Turgut Cansever (12 September 1921 – 22 February 2009) was a Turkish architect and city planner. He is the only architect to win the Aga Khan Award for Architecture three times. He is known as "The Wise Architect". He took charge in many towns ...

. Facing the mosque across the square is a medrese that formed part of its complex. In the past this served as a Museum of Calligraphy. After long years of closure, this was under restoration in 2022. On one side of the square is the main entrance to

Istanbul University , image = Istanbul_University_logo.svg , image_size = 200px , latin_name = Universitas Istanbulensis , motto = tr, Tarihten Geleceğe Bilim Köprüsü , mottoeng = Science Bridge from Past to the Future , established = 1453 1846 1933 ...

, its buildings designed by the French architect Marie-Auguste Antoine Bourgeois. It is accessible via a grand Neo-Renaissance arch. The

Beyazıt Tower Beyazıt Tower, also named Seraskier Tower, from the name of the Ottoman ministry of War, is an fire-watch tower located in the courtyard of Istanbul University's main campus (formerly Ottoman Ministry of War) on Beyazıt Square (known as the ...

, once a fire-warning tower, in the grounds of the university is visible from the square. Between the entrance to the university and the mosque is the Beyazit State Library, founded in 1884 and completely renovated and modernised in 2006 by the Tabanlıoğlu firm of architects. During the course of the renovation the remains of a Byzantine church were found below the site. Before its conversion into a library the building had been used as a soup kitchen and

caravanserai A caravanserai (or caravansary; ) was a roadside inn where travelers ( caravaners) could rest and recover from the day's journey. Caravanserais supported the flow of commerce, information and people across the network of trade routes covering ...

. The square has been the site of political protests, including some in 1969 known as

Bloody Sunday Bloody Sunday may refer to: Historical events Canada * Bloody Sunday (1923), a day of police violence during a steelworkers' strike for union recognition in Sydney, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia * Bloody Sunday (1938), police violence aga ...

, and a terrorist attack in 1978 ( Beyazıt Massacre). In 1915 twenty Armenian activists were hanged in the square (

The 20 Hunchakian gallows The 20 Hunchakian gallows ( hy, Քսան կախաղան, , also "The 20 Martyrs" and "The 20s") is the common name for the group of Hunchakian activists who were hanged in the Sultan Beyazıt Square of Constantinople (now Istanbul) on June 15, 19 ...

). Beyazit Square is accessible via the T1 tram line as is the adjacent Covered Bazaar (Kapalı Çarşı). In 2022 Beyazit Square was being entirely reorganised.

Notes and references

External links

Squares in Istanbul Fatih {{Istanbul-geo-stub