Çarşı (), is geographically the center of the

Beşiktaş Beşiktaş () is a district and municipality of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 18 km2 and its population is 175,190 (2022). It is located on the European shore of the Bosphorus strait. It is bordered on the north by Sarıyer and ...

municipality, a district on the European side of central

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 ...

. The area is notable for being dominated by winding narrow streets that date to city's earliest ancient Hellenic roots. As one of the main commercial districts of Istanbul, the Çarşı is known for its restaurants,

meyhane A ''meyhane'' or ''pothouse'' (from ) is a traditional restaurant or bar (establishment), bar in Turkey, Balkans, Azerbaijan and Iran. It serves alcoholic beverages like wine, rakı, vodka, or beer, with meze and traditional foods. Etymology ...

s (pubs), döner stores, cafés, bakeries, patisseries, internet cafés and garment shops. There is a fish market and a farmers market organized daily. It is one of the centers of the Turkish youth culture. Many city-famous establishments are located in the area.

History

The area was first developed in the 17th Century when a

pleasure garden A pleasure garden is a park or garden that is open to the public for recreation and entertainment. Pleasure gardens differ from other public gardens by serving as venues for entertainment, variously featuring such attractions as concert halls, b ...

and several mansions were built there. After the relocation of the

Ottoman dynasty The Ottoman dynasty () consisted of the members of the imperial House of Osman (), also known as the Ottomans (). According to Ottoman tradition, the family originated from the Kayı tribe branch of the Oghuz Turks, under the leadership of Os ...

to the

Yıldız Palace Yıldız Palace (, ) is a vast complex of former imperial Ottoman Empire, Ottoman pavilions and villas in Beşiktaş, Istanbul, Turkey, built in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was used as a residence by the List of sultans of the Ottoman ...

, the area rapidly urbanized. This urbanization continued until the 1980s. In the 16th century the area was known for its shipyard and Sinan Paşa was one of the admirals of the Ottoman navy, hence the name of the neighborhood.

Geography

The area of Çarşı is delimited as follows : - south :

Bosphorus 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 ...

straight - west : Ortabahçe Caddesi continuing as Ihlamur Caddesi - north : southern edge of Abbasağa Parkı known as Şehit Kazım street - east :

Barbaros Boulevard The Barbaros Boulevard () 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 Zincirlikuyu, where it passes ...

Today it is administratively a part of the Sinanpaşa neighborhood.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carsi Beşiktaş