Kâğıthane Creek () is a small river located in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

.() It originates from a source in the east of

Lake Durusu Lake Durusu (also called Lake Terkos or Targus) is a lake in Thrace region of Turkey. It would be eliminated by the planned Istanbul Canal. Description The lake lies in İstanbul Province. The midpoint of the lake is at about . It is situated ...

. Eyüp passes through the districts of

Şişli Şişli () is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Istanbul Province, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 10 km2, and its population is 276,528 (2022). Located on the European side of the city, it is bordered by Beşiktaş ...

and pours into

Haliç The Golden Horn ( or ) is a major urban waterway and the primary inlet of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey. As a natural estuary that connects with the Bosphorus Strait at the point where the strait meets the Sea of Marmara, the waters of the ...

in Kâğıthane. It is rumored that the creek, known as "Barbisos" in the

Byzantine period The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

, started to be referred to as the Kâğıthane Creek due to the paper factory around it during the Ottoman period. Today, the edges of the stream, which has a dense settlement around it, were covered with large meadows in the past. The horses belonging to the palace were grazed in these meadows. The creek was one of the main promenade places for the people of Istanbul. There were boat rides in it. The Ottoman traveler

Evliya Çelebi Dervish Mehmed Zillî (25 March 1611 – 1682), known as Evliya Çelebi (), was an Ottoman Empire, Ottoman explorer who travelled through his home country during its cultural zenith as well as neighboring lands. He travelled for over 40 years, rec ...

talks about the Kâğıthane Creek with all these features in the section he describes Istanbul in his work Seyahatname. In the period referred to as Tulip period in Ottoman history. Yirmisekiz Mehmed Çelebi built the similar mansions he saw during his European trips here. After this date, the meadows on the edges of the stream have become a place where the prominent residents of Istanbul are summer residences. However, all the pavilions and pavilions on the banks of the Kâpaperhane Creek were destroyed during the 1730 Patrona Halil. Kâpaperhane and its surroundings, which could not recapture their old glory later, faced intense internal migration to Istanbul after the 1950s. Slum-like settlements concentrated in the stream bed grew unplanned and evolved into today's neighborhoods. Infrastructure shortage and crooked urbanization and wrong planning have created major problems for the creek. The stream, which is heavily polluted by the surrounding industrial establishments, also pollutes the

Golden Horn The Golden Horn ( or ) is a major urban waterway and the primary inlet of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey. As a natural estuary that connects with the Bosphorus Strait at the point where the strait meets the Sea of Marmara, the waters of the ...

and therefore

Bosporus The Bosporus or Bosphorus Strait ( ; , colloquially ) is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul, Turkey. The Bosporus connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and forms one of the continental bo ...

and

Sea of Marmara The Sea of Marmara, also known as the Sea of Marmora or the Marmara Sea, is a small inland sea entirely within the borders of Turkey. It links the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea via the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits, separating Turkey's E ...

; it smelled foul around. Since the creek was taken underground by covering it above ground, it carried it in rainy seasons and did not fit in its bed, causing great damage to the surrounding settlements. The stream, which was partially cleaned and rehabilitated through extensive works started in the 90s, was cleaned of bad odors spread to the environment.

References

{{Reflist Landforms of Istanbul Province Rivers of Turkey