Vefa is part of the district of Fatih in

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, ...

, and lies inside what was once the old walled city of

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

. It lies roughly northwest of the eastern section of the

Aqueduct of Valens The Aqueduct of Valens ( tr, Valens Su Kemeri, grc, Ἀγωγὸς τοῦ ὕδατος, translit=Agōgós tou hýdatos, lit=aqueduct) was a Roman aqueduct system built in the late 4th century AD, to supply Constantinople – the capital of the ...

, and is rich in monuments, both

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

and Ottoman. It takes its name from the Muslim saint (

wali A wali (''wali'' ar, وَلِيّ, '; plural , '), the Arabic word which has been variously translated "master", "authority", "custodian", "protector", is most commonly used by Muslims to indicate an Islamic saint, otherwise referred to by the ...

)

Shaykh Sheikh (pronounced or ; ar, شيخ ' , mostly pronounced , plural ' )—also transliteration of Arabic, transliterated sheekh, sheyikh, shaykh, shayk, shekh, shaik and Shaikh, shak—is an honorific title in the Arabic language. It commonl ...

Ebu’l Vefa who is buried locally in his own mosque and

dergah A dargah ( fa, درگاه ''dargâh'' or ''dargah'', Turkish: ''dergâh'', Hindustani: ''dargah'' दरगाह درگاہ, bn, দরগাহ ''dorgah'') is a shrine or tomb built over the grave of a revered religious figure, often ...

. Vefa lies to the east of busy Atatürk Bulvari, the main road pushed through the old city by the French architect

Henri Prost Henri Prost (February 25, 1874 – July 16, 1959) was a French architect and urban planner. He was noted in particularly for his work in Morocco and Turkey, where he created a number of comprehensive city plans for Casablanca, Fes, Marrakes ...

in the 1950s. Immediately to its north is the rundown area of Küçükpazarı while to the east is the Süleymaniye district around the huge

Süleymaniye Mosque The Süleymaniye Mosque ( tr, Süleymaniye Camii, ) is an Ottoman imperial mosque located on the Third Hill of Istanbul, Turkey. The mosque was commissioned by Suleiman the Magnificent and designed by the imperial architect Mimar Sinan. An insc ...

complex. Buses plough up and down Atatürk Bulvari linking Vefa to Taksim,

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 ...

, Fatih and Beyazıt. The Vezneciler Metro stop on the M2 line is a short walk away as is the Cibali tram stop on the

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 ...

Attractions

Vefa is best known for the picturesque back-street Vefa Bozacısı shop, the oldest shop (founded in 1876) still selling ''

boza Boza, also bosa, is a fermented beverage originating from the Middle East and made in parts of Southeast Europe, Central and Western Asia, Caucasus and North Africa. It is a malt drink made by fermenting various grains: wheat or millet in Alban ...

'', a barley drink usually topped off with chickpeas, in the city. Atatürk came here to drink boza and his cup is preserved in a showcase in the wall. The shop is mentioned several times in

Orhan Pamuk Ferit Orhan Pamuk (born 7 June 1952) is a Turkish novelist, screenwriter, academic, and recipient of the 2006 Nobel Prize in Literature. One of Turkey's most prominent novelists, his work has sold over thirteen million books in sixty-three lan ...

's novel, ''

A Strangeness in my Mind ''A Strangeness in My Mind'' ( tr, Kafamda Bir Tuhaflık) is a 2014 novel by Orhan Pamuk. It is the author's ninth novel. Knopf Doubleday published the English translation by Ekin Oklap in the U.S.,Vefa Kilise Mosque Church-Mosque of Vefa ( tr, Vefa Kilise Camii, meaning "the church mosque of Vefa", to distinguish it from the other ''kilise camiler'' of Istanbul: also known as ''Molla Gürani Camii'' after the name of his founder) is a former Eastern Orthodox ...

(Vefa Church Mosque) is a small

church in the same area, probably originally dedicated to Hagios Theodoros (St Theodore). It dates back to the Middle Byzantine period of architecture in the 10th to 11th centuries. The church had been allowed to fall into complete neglect . However it has now been completely restored. Near the church is the brick-and-stone Atif Efendi Library, the second library to be built in Ottoman

in the 1740s. It, too, has been restored. Another early 18th-century library, commissioned by Damad Şehir Ali Paşa, stands in the grounds of

Vefa High School Vefa High School ( tr, Vefa Lisesi), is one of the oldest and internationally renowned high school of Turkey. The first ''mülkiye lisesi'' (non-military high school) training in Turkish language was Vefa Lisesi (established in 1872) which forming ...

(Vefa Lisesi), designed by architect Kemalettin Bey in the 1920s. Not far from Vefa Bozacısı is the delightful Recai Mehmed Efendi ''sibyan mektep'', an Ottoman primary school opened in 1775, its facade entirely covered in marble carvings that incorporate fountains and a ''

sebil A sebil or sabil ( ar, سبيل, sabīl ; Turkish: ''sebil'') is a small kiosk in the Islamic architectural tradition where water is freely dispensed to members of the public by an attendant behind a grilled window. The term is sometimes also ...

'' from which drinks were dispensed to passers-by. Nearby is the Ekmekcizade Ahmed Paşa Medresesi, an Ottoman theological school built no later than 1618 for a vizier of the sultan. Near Vezneciler Metro stop is the large

Kalenderhane Mosque Kalenderhane Mosque ( tr, Kalenderhane Camii) is a former Eastern Orthodox church in Istanbul, converted into a mosque by the Ottomans. With high probability the church was originally dedicated to the Theotokos Kyriotissa. The building is sometim ...

which started life as the mainly Middle Byzantine church of Theotokos Kyriotissa and stands beside the slight remains of an early Byzantine bathhouse. Running along one side of the church is a stretch of the

which used to bring water into the city from

Thrace Thrace (; el, Θράκη, Thráki; bg, Тракия, Trakiya; tr, Trakya) or Thrake is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe, now split among Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey, which is bounded by the Balkan Mountains to t ...

(''Trakya'') in Roman and Byzantine times. Vefa is also home to

Vefa S.K. Vefa SK is a football (soccer), football club in Vefa, neighborhood of the Fatih (Eminönü between 1928 and 2008) district of Istanbul. The team currently competing at Bölgesel Amatör Lig 8th Grup which is 5th level of Turkish leagues. Vefa S ...

, one of Istanbul's historic soccer clubs.

Gallery

File:Istanbul Vefa Bozaci 4901.jpg, alt=Istanbul Vefa Bozaci Shop from across street, Istanbul Vefa Bozaci Shop File:Istanbul Vefa Bozaci 4878.jpg, alt=Istanbul Vefa Bozaci distribution area, Istanbul Vefa Bozaci counter area File:Istanbul Vefa Bozaci 4888.jpg, alt=Istanbul Vefa Bozaci Consumption area, Istanbul Vefa Bozaci interior File:Istanbul Vefa Bozaci 4898.jpg, alt=Istanbul Vefa Bozaci Glass used by Atatürk, Istanbul Vefa Bozaci: Glass used by Atatürk File:Istanbul Vefa Bozaci 4881.jpg, alt=Istanbul Vefa Bozaci Transfer to smaller vessel, Istanbul Vefa Bozaci File:Istanbul Vefa Bozaci 4896.jpg, Istanbul Vefa Bozaci Transfer to smaller vessel File:Vefa Lisesi 0884.jpg, alt=Vefa Lisesi exterior, Vefa High School

References

Quarters of Fatih {{Istanbul-geo-stub