İstiklal Avenue () is a 1.4 kilometre (0.87 mi)

pedestrian street Pedestrian zones (also known as auto-free zones and car-free zones, as pedestrian precincts in British English, and as pedestrian malls in the United States and Australia) are areas of a city or town restricted to use by people on foot or ...

in the historic

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 ...

(Pera)

district A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

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 ...

. It is one of the most famous avenues in the city. It acquired its modern name after the declaration of the Republic on 29 October 1923, ''İstiklal'' (Independence) commemorating Turkey's triumph in its

War of Independence Wars of national liberation, also called wars of independence or wars of liberation, are conflicts fought by nations to gain independence. The term is used in conjunction with wars against foreign powers (or at least those perceived as foreign) ...

. The street starts at the northern end of

Galata Galata is the former name of the Karaköy neighbourhood in Istanbul, which is located at the northern shore of the Golden Horn. The district is connected to the historic Fatih district by several bridges that cross the Golden Horn, most nota ...

(the medieval Genoese quarter) at Tünel Square and runs as far as Taksim Square. It was historically known as the Grand Avenue of Pera (; ). İstiklal Avenue is flanked by late Ottoman era buildings (mostly from the 19th and early 20th centuries) in a variety of styles including Neo-Classical,

Neo-Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half of the 19th century ...

, Renaissance Revival, Beaux-Arts,

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

and First Turkish National Architecture. There are also a few

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

style buildings from the early years of the Turkish Republic, and a number of more recent examples of

modern architecture Modern architecture, also called modernist architecture, or the modern movement, is an architectural movement and style that was prominent in the 20th century, between the earlier Art Deco and later postmodern movements. Modern architectur ...

. Many would once have been apartment blocks but most are now occupied by

boutique A () is a retail shop that deals in high end fashionable clothing or accessories. The word is French for "shop", which derives ultimately from the Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in anc ...

music store A music store or musical instrument store is a retail business that sells musical instruments and related equipment and accessories. Some music stores sell additional services, such as Music lesson, music lessons, music instrument or equipment ...

art galleries An art gallery is a room or a building in which visual art is displayed. In Western cultures from the mid-15th century, a gallery was any long, narrow covered passage along a wall, first used in the sense of a place for art in the 1590s. The long ...

, cinemas,

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libraries A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...

café A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café (), is an establishment that serves various types of coffee, espresso, latte, americano and cappuccino, among other hot beverages. Many coffeehouses in West Asia offer ''shisha'' (actually called ''nargi ...

s, pubs,

nightclub A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a Bar (establishment), bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighti ...

s with

live music A concert, often known informally as a gig or show, is a live performance of music in front of an audience. The performance may be carried by a single musician, in which case it is sometimes called a recital, or by a musical ensemble such as an ...

, hotels, historical patisseries,

chocolate Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cocoa beans that can be a liquid, solid, or paste, either by itself or to flavoring, flavor other foods. Cocoa beans are the processed seeds of the cacao tree (''Theobroma cacao''); unprocesse ...

ries,

restaurant A restaurant is an establishment that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and Delivery (commerce), food delivery services. Restaurants ...

s and a steadily growing number of international chain stores, as well as a branch of Madame Tussauds. Galatasaray Square marks the middle of the avenue and is home to the oldest secondary school in Turkey: the

Galatasaray High School Galatasaray High School (, ), established in Istanbul in 1481, is the oldest and Selective school, highly selective high school in Turkey. It is also the second-oldest Turkish educational institution after Istanbul University, which was establi ...

(Galatasaray Lisesi), originally known as the ''Galata Sarayı Enderun-u Hümayunu'' (''

Palace Imperial School''). A monument, erected in 1973, commemorates the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Turkish Republic. The avenue forms a spine with narrow side streets running off it like a ribcage. Many historical and politically significant buildings can be found on or immediately adjacent to Istiklal Avenue. They include the Çiçek Pasajı (''Flower Passage'') which is full of lively restaurants and taverns; the Balık Pazarı (''The Fish Market'') with the

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

church of Üç Horan to one side; the Hüseyin Ağa Mosque; the

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

churches of Santa Maria Draperis and S. Antonio di Padova; the

Greek Orthodox Greek Orthodox Church (, , ) is a term that can refer to any one of three classes of Christian Churches, each associated in some way with Greek Christianity, Levantine Arabic-speaking Christians or more broadly the rite used in the Eastern Rom ...

church of Hagia Triada; several academic institutions established by

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and

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in the 19th century; and the consulates (embassies until 1923 when these moved to the new capital of Ankara) of France,

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, the

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and

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(the

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of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

is just off Istiklal Avenue on Meşrutiyet Street). At the southern end of the avenue, it is possible to board the Tünel (t''he Tunnel''), the world's second-oldest subway, which entered service in 1875 and carries passengers down to Karaköy. A photogenic red-and-cream tram runs along the street from Tünel to Taksim Square every 15 minutes.

History

During the Ottoman period, the avenue was called ''Cadde-i Kebir'' (Grand Avenue) in

Ottoman Turkish Ottoman Turkish (, ; ) was the standardized register of the Turkish language in the Ottoman Empire (14th to 20th centuries CE). It borrowed extensively, in all aspects, from Arabic and Persian. It was written in the Ottoman Turkish alphabet. ...

, or the ''Grande Rue de Péra'' (Grand Avenue of Pera) in French. It was a popular gathering place where Ottoman intellectual rubbed shoulders with

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

ans and the local Italian and French Levantines. When 19th-century travelers referred to

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

(today Istanbul) as the ''Paris of the East'', they were usually thinking of the Grande Rue de Péra and its cosmopolitan, half-European, half-Asian culture. On 6–7 September 1955 an anti-Greek

Istanbul pogrom The Istanbul pogrom, also known as the Istanbul riots, were a series of state-sponsored anti-Greek mob attacks directed primarily at Istanbul's Greek minority on 6–7 September 1955. The pogrom was orchestrated by the governing Democrat ...

resulted in many shops along the avenue being pillaged; its pavements were covered with broken glass, scattered clothing, smashed white goods, burned automobiles and other items that had belonged to the Greek owners of the wrecked shops. Between the 1950s and 1970s the side streets around the Emek Passage (''Emek Pasajı'') were home to Yeşilcam, Turkey's home-grown equivalent of Hollywood, a fact commemorated in the street name Yeşilcam Sokağı. Istiklal str

The avenue briefly fell from grace in the 1970s and early 1980s, when the old Istanbulite inhabitants started moving elsewhere, and the side streets (then infamous for bars and night clubs with live music and shows, called ''pavyon'' in Turkish) were repopulated by low-income migrants from rural

Anatolia Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

View of Istiklal Avenue from the entrance of Galatasaray High School

During the late 1980s and early 1990s, a revival took place, spearheaded and executed by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and Beyoğlu Municipality. Historic buildings were restored, the street was pedestrianised, and the old historic trams were reinstated, bringing back much of the avenue's old charm and popularity. İstiklal Avenue once again became the center for fine arts and leisure in Istanbul and real estate prices skyrocketed. Numerous new art galleries, bookstores, cafés, pubs, restaurants, shops and hotels were opened in and around the street, and venues around it became the host to many international art festivals, such as the annual Istanbul Film Festival. Nostalgic tram on Istiklal Avenue in Istanbul

Nostalgic tram on Istiklal Avenue in Istanbul

Until the mid-2010s, İstiklal Avenue was also a popular venue for all sorts of parades, marches and gatherings, such as the Istanbul Pride and

International Women's Day International Women's Day (IWD) is celebrated on 8 March, commemorating women's fight for equality and liberation along with the women's rights movement. International Women's Day gives focus to issues such as gender equality, reproductive righ ...

. However, after the Gezi Park protests of 2013, all such gatherings have been effectively banned, citing security reasons. On 19 March 2016, an

Islamic State The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadism, Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS ...

suicide bombing on Istiklal Avenue killed five people. On 13 November 2022, a bomb explosion on Istiklal Avenue killed 6 people and left 81 injured. Police detained a Syrian woman, Ahlam Albashir, suspected of being a Kurdish

insurgent An insurgency is a violent, armed rebellion by small, lightly armed bands who practice guerrilla warfare against a larger authority. The key descriptive feature of insurgency is its asymmetric nature: small irregular forces face a large, well ...

having planted the bomb, in a sweep of 47 arrests.

Notable buildings

Istanbul asv2021-11 img71 StAnthony of Padua Church

;Religious buildings * Church of Sant'Antonio di Padova * Hagia Triada Greek Orthodox Church * Church of Santa Maria Draperis * Hüseyin Ağa Mosque ;Schools *

;Historic buildings and residences * Old Galatasaray Post Office * Rumeli Pasajı (Cité Roumelie) * Hazzopulo Pasajı * Mısır Apartments
Casa Botter
one of the finest examples of

architecture in Istanbul * Grand Pera, home in the past to th
Cercle d'Orient
and now to Madame Tussauds Istanbul * Tokatliyan Han, once home to the Grand Tokatliyan Hotel ;Food and drink * Çiçek Pasajı (Cité de Péra), site of the Naum Theatre until 1870 * Lebon Patisserie & Café, a defunct historic pastry shop and café * Markiz Pastanesi, a renowned historic pâtisserie and chocolaterie
Narmanlı Han
originally home to the Russian Embassy, later home to artist Aliye Berger, today houses cafés and restaurants ;Diplomatic missions * Dutch Consulate * French Consulate * Greek Consulate * Russian Consulate * Swedish Consulate ;Culture and arts * Istanbul Cinema Museum
Yapı Kredi Art Gallery

Beyoğlu Sanat Galerisi

Akbank Sanat Galerisi

SALT Beyoğlu

Meşher

Art Gallery An art gallery is a room or a building in which visual art is displayed. In Western cultures from the mid-15th century, a gallery was any long, narrow covered passage along a wall, first used in the sense of a place for art in the 1590s. The long ...

References

External links

''istiklal caddesi / istiklal.caddesi.com''

İstiklalCaddesi.net - A news website of the Avenue
{{DEFAULTSORT:Istiklal Avenue Beyoğlu Entertainment districts in Turkey Istanbul pogrom Pedestrian streets in Turkey Restaurant districts and streets in Turkey Shopping districts and streets in Turkey Streets in Istanbul Tourist attractions in Istanbul

History

Notable buildings

See also

References

External links