Çiçek Pasajı ( Turkish: ''Flower Passage''), originally called the Cité de Péra, is a famous historic passage ( galleria or arcade) on

İstiklal Avenue İstiklal Avenue () is a 1.4 kilometre (0.87 mi) pedestrian street in the historic Beyoğlu (Pera) district in Istanbul, Turkey. It is one of the most famous avenues in the city. It acquired its modern name after the declaration of the Repub ...

in the

Beyoğlu Beyoğlu (; ) is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Istanbul Province, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 9 km2, and its population is 225,920 (2022). It is on the European side of Istanbul, Turkey, separated from the o ...

district of

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 ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. A covered arcade with rows of historic cafes, winehouses and restaurants, it connects İstiklal Avenue with Sahne Street and has a side entrance opening onto the Balık Pazarı (Fish Market).

History

The site of Çiçek Pasajı was originally occupied by the Naum Theatre, which was severely damaged by the Fire of Pera in 1870.Emre Aracı: "''Naum Tiyatrosu - 19.Yüzyıl İstanbul’unun İtalyan Operası''". Yapı Kredi Yayınları, Istanbul, 2010.
Vatan: "Paris’in Garnier’si neyse, İstanbul için de Naum Tiyatrosu oydu" by Buket Aşçı, 16 December 2010.
/ref>Oynakbeyi.com: Naum Tiyatrosu
Çiçek Pasajı: History
The theatre was frequently visited by Sultans

Abdülaziz Abdulaziz (; ; 8 February 18304 June 1876) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 25 June 1861 to 30 May 1876, when he was 1876 Ottoman coup d'état, overthrown in a government coup. He was a son of Sultan Mahmud II and succeeded his brother ...

and

Abdülhamid II Abdulhamid II or Abdul Hamid II (; ; 21 September 184210 February 1918) was the 34th sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1876 to 1909, and the last sultan to exert effective control over the fracturing state. He oversaw a period of decline wit ...

, and hosted

Giuseppe Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi ( ; ; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for List of compositions by Giuseppe Verdi, his operas. He was born near Busseto, a small town in the province of Parma ...

's opera '' Il Trovatore'' before the opera houses of Paris. After the fire of 1870, the theatre was purchased by

Ottoman Greek Ottoman Greeks (; ) were ethnic Greeks who lived in the Ottoman Empire (1299–1922), much of which is in modern Turkey. Ottoman Greeks were Greek Orthodox Christians who belonged to the Rum Millet (''Millet-i Rum''). They were concentrated in ...

banker Hristaki Zoğrafos Efendi, and in 1876 architect Kleanthis Zannos designed the current building, which was called ''Cité de Péra'' or ''Hristaki Pasajı'' (Hristaki Passage) in its early years. ''Yorgo'nun Meyhanesi'' (Yorgo's Winehouse) was the first winehouse to be opened in the passage. In 1908,

Grand Vizier Grand vizier (; ; ) was the title of the effective head of government of many sovereign states in the Islamic world. It was first held by officials in the later Abbasid Caliphate. It was then held in the Ottoman Empire, the Mughal Empire, the Soko ...

Mehmed Said Pasha Mehmed Said Pasha (‎; 1838–1914), also known as Küçük Said Pasha (; "Said Pasha the Younger") or Şapur Çelebi or in his youth as Mabeyn Başkâtibi Said Bey, was an Ottoman Turkish monarchist, senator, statesman and editor of the ...

purchased the building, and it became known as the ''Sait Paşa Pasajı'' (Said Pasha Passage). Following the

Russian Revolution of 1917 The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...

, a number of impoverished noble Russian women, including a baroness, opened flower shops here. By the 1940s the building was mostly occupied by flower shops, hence the present Turkish name ''Çiçek Pasajı'' (Flower Passage). After the restoration of the building in 1988, it was reopened as a galleria of pubs and restaurants. The most recent restoration was made in December 2005 although it was repainted again in 2022.

References

External links

Çiçek Pasajı official website

Çiçek Pasajı Gallery at Fotopedia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cicek Pasaji Arcades (architecture) Beyoğlu Buildings and structures in Istanbul Shopping malls in Istanbul Tourist attractions in Istanbul

History

See also

References

External links