Zorlu Center is a multiple-use complex in the Beşiktaş district of

Istanbul, Turkey 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, ...

containing an upscale

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 ...

, a five-star

Raffles hotel Raffles Hotel is a British colonial-style luxury hotel in Singapore. It was established by Armenian hoteliers, the Sarkies Brothers, in 1887. The hotel was named after British statesman Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, the founder of modern S ...

and a Cinemaximum megaplex, as well as residences and offices. It is home to Zorlu PSM, the largest

performing arts The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which are the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. Perform ...

center in the country, as well as the country's first

Apple Store The Apple Store is a chain of retail stores owned and operated by Apple Inc. The stores sell various Apple products, including Mac personal computers, iPhone smartphones, iPad tablet computers, Apple Watch smartwatches, Apple TV digital me ...

. Built in 2013 to a design by Emre Arolat Architects and

Tabanlıoğlu Architects Tabanlıoğlu Architects (Turkish: Tabanlıoğlu Mimarlık) is an architectural firm based in Istanbul. The practice is led by Murat Tabanlıoğlu, Melkan Tabanlıoğlu and Özdem Gürsel. Project list Major projects, by year of completion and o ...

, the center is situated at the junction of the European connection of the

Bosphorus Bridge The Bosphorus Bridge ( tr, Boğaziçi Köprüsü), known officially as the 15 July Martyrs Bridge ( tr, 15 Temmuz Şehitler Köprüsü) and unofficially as the First Bridge ( tr, Birinci Köprü), is one of the three suspension bridges spanning ...

with

Barbaros Boulevard The Barbaros Boulevard ( tr, Barbaros Bulvarı) is a -long major street in the Beşiktaş district on the European side of Istanbul, Turkey. It runs in a straight line in south–north direction from Beşiktaş Square over Yıldız up to Zincir ...

, which proceeds to the north as Büyükdere Avenue in

Levent Levent is a neighbourhood and one of the main business districts of Istanbul, Turkey, located on the European side of the city. It is a part of the municipality of Beşiktaş and is situated to the north of the Golden Horn, at the western s ...

and

Maslak Maslak is one of the main business districts of Sarıyer, Istanbul, Turkey, located on the European side of the city. It was formerly an exclave of the municipality of Şişli, though being far north and actually closer to the municipalities ...

History

At a public auction in 2007, Zorlu Real Estate, a subsidiary of

Zorlu Holding Zorlu Holding is a Turkish multinational conglomerate holding specialized in textiles, white goods, electronics manufacturing, energy, and financial services. Zorlu Holding is headquartered in Istanbul. History The Zorlu group was founded by Ha ...

, submitted the highest bid (

US$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

800 million) to purchase the land at the junction of - the European connection of the Bosphorus Bridge, and Büyükdere Avenue. It subsequently announced the "Zorlu Center Architecture and Urban Design Competition" for concept and design proposals. Over 100 firms applied and 13 were selected to take part in the competition with Tabanlıoğlu Architects and Emre Arolat Architects submitting the winning proposal. ''A Vision in Architecture: Projects for the Istanbul Zorlu Center'' (2012) by Süha Özkan documents the design competition. Construction of the project was completed in 2013.

Architecture

The center is a four-tower, five-function structure group, including a public square, residential development, hotel, and office space. The design is stated to be "shaped by a modern understanding of architecture", based on the concept of a historical town square, incorporating "bold geometric lines that frame the sky, as well as large expanses of greenery".

Retail

The shopping center contains over 200 shops, 40 cafés and restaurants. It contains stores of luxury brands such as Beymen, Atelier Rebul,

Vakko Vakko is a Turkish fashion company. It produces and retails textiles, leather goods, and accessories. Vakko also operates luxury department stores under the Vakko name at Zorlu Center, İstinye Park, Akmerkez, Vadi Istanbul, and Akasya malls ...

, COS,

Moncler Moncler S.p.A. is an Italian luxury fashion house specialized in ready-to-wear outerwear headquartered in Milan, Italy. Since its start as a down jacket boutique, Moncler has expanded to design vests, raincoats, windbreakers, knitwear, leather ...

, Bulgari,

Pomellato ''Pomellato'' is an Italian jewelry company. The brand was founded by Pino Rabolini in Milan in 1967 and currently ranks among the top five European jewellers by sales. In 2013, the brand became a part of the luxury group Kering. History Pomella ...

Louis Vuitton Louis Vuitton Malletier, commonly known as Louis Vuitton (, ), is a French high-end luxury fashion house and company founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton. The label's LV monogram appears on most of its products, ranging from luxury bags and leather ...

Fendi Fendi () is an Italian high-end luxury fashion house producing fur, ready-to-wear, leather goods, shoes, fragrances, eyewear, timepieces and accessories. Founded in Rome in 1925, Fendi is known for its fur, fur accessories, and leather goods. ...

Lanvin Lanvin () is a French Luxury goods, luxury fashion house based in Paris. Founded in 1889 by Jeanne Lanvin, it is the oldest French fashion house still in operation. Since 2018, it has been a subsidiary of Shanghai-based Lanvin Group. Bruno Sialel ...

Dior Christian Dior SE (), commonly known as Dior (stylized DIOR), is a French Luxury goods, luxury fashion house controlled and chaired by French businessman Bernard Arnault, who also heads LVMH, the world's largest luxury group. Dior itself holds ...

Miu Miu Miu Miu is an Italian high fashion women's clothing and accessory brand and a fully owned subsidiary of Prada. It is headed by Miuccia Prada and headquartered in Paris, France. History Miu Miu was established in 1992 by Miuccia Prada. The name ...

Burberry Burberry is a British luxury fashion house established in 1856 by Thomas Burberry headquartered in London, England. It currently designs and distributes ready to wear, including trench coats (for which it is most famous), leather accessorie ...

Tory Burch Tory Burch (née Robinson; born June 17, 1966) is an American fashion designer, businesswoman, and philanthropist. She is the Executive Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of her own brand, Tory Burch LLC. She was listed as the 88th most powerf ...

Michael Kors Michael David Kors (born Karl Anderson Jr. August 9, 1959) is an American fashion designer. He is the chief creative officer of his brand, Michael Kors, which sells men's and women's ready-to-wear, accessories, watches, jewelry, footwear, and f ...

and Valentino, as well as Turkey's first

. Beymen's largest store in the center covers some filled with "every fashionable item imaginable, from ready-to-wear to couture, cosmetics to home accessories, menswear to womenswear, accessories to books, and designers that are not available anywhere else in the city".Atelier Rebul
is owned by Rebul, Istanbul's oldest drug store, and is a

boutique A boutique () is a small shop that deals in fashionable clothing or accessories. The word is French for "shop", which derives ultimately from the Ancient Greek ἀποθήκη (''apothēkē'') "storehouse". The term ''boutique'' and also ''d ...

selling specially made beauty products, including lavender, green tea, or jasmine. Zorlu Center also contains numerous international restaurants and cafés, including

Eataly Eataly is a chain of large format/footprint Italian marketplaces (food halls) comprising a variety of restaurants, food and beverage counters, bakery, retail items, and a cooking school. Eataly was founded by Oscar Farinetti, an entrepreneur for ...

, Jamie’s Italian, and Tom’s Kitchen. It also houses the restaurant ''Morini'', owned by the AltaMarea Group, serving Italian and Mediterranean food under chef Michael White.

Hotel

The Raffles Istanbul Hotel and Spa opened in September 2014. It is home to 3 restaurants, 49 suites and 136 guest rooms.

Zorlu Performing Arts Center

Zorlu PSM, the largest performing arts center in the city, was developed by Nederlander Worldwide Entertainment. It features a 770-seat theater as well as a 2,300-seat concert hall.

Gallery

File:Zorlu_Center_-_Istanbul,_Turkey,_Apple_Store_06.jpg, Roof of

at Zorlu Center File:Apple_Zorlu-Robert_S_Donovan.jpg, Roof of Apple Store at Zorlu Center File:Zorlu center01.jpg, Interior view File:Zorlu Center İstanbul, p2.jpg,

Dolce & Gabbana Dolce & Gabbana (), also known by initials D&G, is an Italian luxury fashion house founded in 1985 in Legnano by Italian designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana. The house specializes in ready-to-wear, handbags, accessories, and cosmet ...

and

stores ZorluCanterTowers.JPG, View from

References

External links

* * * * {{Shopping centres in Turkey 2013 establishments in Turkey Commercial buildings completed in 2013 Entertainment venues in Istanbul Hotels in Istanbul Music venues in Istanbul Residential skyscrapers in Istanbul Shopping malls in Istanbul Theatres in Istanbul Beşiktaş Istanbul Central Business District