Koşuyolu is a neighborhood in the municipality and district of

Kadıköy Kadıköy () is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district on the Asian side of Istanbul Province, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 25 km2, and its population is 467,919 (2023). It is a large and populous area in the Asian si ...

Istanbul Province 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 ...

Description

It is on the

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 ...

n side of the city and is bordered on the northwest and northeast by the district of

Üsküdar Üsküdar () is a municipality and district of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 35 km2, and its population is 524,452 (2022). It is a large and densely populated district on the Anatolian (Asian) shore of the Bosphorus. It is border ...

, on the east and southeast by the Kadıköy neighborhood of Acıbadem, and on the southwest by the Kadıköy neighborhood of Rasimpaşa. Its population is 6,912 (2022).

History

The valley that runs through present day Koşuyolu is said to have been a

racecourse A race track (racetrack, racing track or racing circuit) is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals (e.g. horse racing or greyhound racing). A race track also may feature grandstands or concourses. Race tracks are also us ...

in ancient times, and the area may have been hunting grounds during

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

times or may have been used for horse races. In 1588, Kızlarağası İbrahim Ağa built a small

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

, a

fountain A fountain, from the Latin "fons" ( genitive "fontis"), meaning source or spring, is a decorative reservoir used for discharging water. It is also a structure that jets water into the air for a decorative or dramatic effect. Fountains were o ...

, and a '' namazgah'' (open-air place for prayers) at the south end of what is now the Koşuyolu neighborhood. This was the only permanent settlement in the vicinity for many years. Hunting and horse racing probably continued during Ottoman times. Because of a three-day ceremony of games organized by Pehlivan İbrahim Paşa (Baba Paşa) in the early 19th century, the area is said to have been named ''Koşu Yeri'' (“running place”). The meadows of the area were used as pasture for the horses of the Ottoman palace and army and as a military training ground. Residential development of the area began in 1951, with the Koşuyolu Emlak Bank Houses, a large development of low-rise houses. Since the 1960s, green areas in the neighborhood have decreased while building density has increased. The profile of residents has also changed, from lower- and middle-income groups to upper middle- and upper-income groups.

References

Neighbourhoods of Kadıköy {{Istanbul-geo-stub