Galleria Ataköy, the first modern

shopping mall A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a North American term for a large indoor shopping center, usually anchored by department stores. The term "mall" originally meant a pedestrian promenade with shops along it (that is, the term was used to refe ...

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 ...

, is situated in the western suburb of Ataköy,

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, ...

. It was built following the recommendation of then

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Turgut Özal Halil Turgut Özal (; 13 October 192717 April 1993) was a Turkish politician, who served as the 8th President of Turkey from 1989 to 1993. He previously served as the 26th Prime Minister of Turkey from 1983 to 1989 as the leader of the Mothe ...

, who was inspired by the shopping mall

Houston Galleria The Galleria, stylized theGalleria and also known as the Houston Galleria, is an upscale mixed-use urban development and shopping mall located in the Uptown District of Houston, Texas, United States.Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, United States. Galleria Ataköy was opened in 1988 by Turgut Özal.

History

Galleria Ataköy reflected the changing face of Turkey in the late 1980s and became a symbol of modern life with the stores selling a wide range of goods, most of them imported, cafés and restaurants, which made going there a popular day out. At weekends in particular, people rushed to Galleria from all over the city. Due to its close distance to Ataköy Yacht Marina and Atatürk International Airport, Galleria was also very popular for tourists. For several years, Galleria was without any competitor, but it blazed a trail down as other shopping malls were opened in Istanbul.

Features

Galleria attracts with its 140 stores on two floors an average of 1.2 million visitors monthly. The complex housed

Printemps Printemps (; meaning "spring (season), springtime" in French language, French) is a French department store chain (french: grand magasin, links=no, literally "big store"). The Printemps stores focus on beauty, lifestyle, fashion, accessories ...

, the renowned French

department store A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store made a dramatic app ...

, in the beginning. It hosts upscale Turkish stores, features fast food restaurants and cafeterias, entertainment centers, movie theaters, a bowling alley, and an ice skating rink. The shopping mall has a covered car park for 2,000 vehicles. In 1990, Galleria was judged the world's most outstanding mall by the

International Council of Shopping Centers The International Council of Shopping Centers, doing business as ICSC, is the global trade association of what it calls the "Marketplaces Industry" (i.e., shopping centers, shopping malls, and all other retail real estate). Founded in 1957, it fe ...

(ICSC) for sophisticated blueprint design, rapid construction, and unique structural features. Address:
Sahilyolu, Ataköy - Bakırköy
Istanbul

References

* From the Grand Bazaar to the modern shopping centers in Turkey. Turkish Council of Shopping Centers & Retailers (AMPD)

External links

Official website

International Council of Shopping Centers
1987 establishments in Turkey Bakırköy Buildings and structures completed in 1987 Shopping malls in Istanbul {{Turkey-struct-stub

History

Features

See also

References

External links