Çiçek Pasajı (

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

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

arcade Arcade most often refers to: * Arcade game, a coin-operated game machine ** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade game's hardware ** Arcade system board, a standardized printed circuit board * Amusement arcade, a place with arcade games * ...

) on

İstiklal Avenue İstiklal Avenue ( tr, İstiklal Caddesi; en, "Independence Avenue"), historically known as the Grand Avenue of Pera ( Ottoman Turkish: ''Cadde-i Kebir''; el, Μεγάλη Οδός του Πέραν, Megali Odos tu Peran; french: Grande Rue d ...

in the

Beyoğlu Beyoğlu (, ota, بك‌اوغلی, script=Arab) is a district on the European side of İstanbul, Turkey, separated from the old city (historic peninsula of Constantinople) by the Golden Horn. It was known as the region of Pera (Πέρα, meani ...

district of

Istanbul 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, ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

. 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 The Naum Theatre, named after its owners Michel Naum and Joseph Naum of Levantine Catholic background, was a theatre and opera house on İstiklal Avenue in the Beyoğlu (formerly Pera) district of Istanbul, Turkey. It was opened in 1844 and remain ...

, 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 ( ota, عبد العزيز, ʿAbdü'l-ʿAzîz; tr, Abdülaziz; 8 February 18304 June 1876) was the 32nd List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and reigned from 25 June 1861 to 30 May 1876, when he was 187 ...

and

Abdülhamid II Abdülhamid or Abdul Hamid II ( ota, عبد الحميد ثانی, Abd ül-Hamid-i Sani; tr, II. Abdülhamid; 21 September 1842 10 February 1918) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 31 August 1876 to 27 April 1909, and the last sultan to ...

, and hosted

Giuseppe Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...

's opera ''

Il Trovatore ''Il trovatore'' ('The Troubadour') is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto largely written by Salvadore Cammarano, based on the play ''El trovador'' (1836) by Antonio García Gutiérrez. It was García Gutiérrez's mos ...

'' before the opera houses of Paris. After the fire of 1870, the theatre was purchased by Ottoman Greek 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 ( fa, وزيرِ اعظم, vazîr-i aʾzam; ota, صدر اعظم, sadr-ı aʾzam; tr, sadrazam) was the title of the effective head of government of many sovereign states in the Islamic world. The office of Grand Vizier was first ...

Mehmed Said Pasha Mehmed Said Pasha ( ota, محمد سعيد پاشا ‎; 1838–1914), also known as Küçük Said Pasha ("Said Pasha the Younger") or Şapur Çelebi or in his youth as Mabeyn Başkatibi Said Bey, was an Ottoman monarchist, senator, statesman ...

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 and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and adopt a socialist form of government ...

, 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

name ''Çiçek Pasajı'' (Flower Passage). After the restoration of the building in 1988, it was reopened as a galleria of pubs and restaurants. Çiçek Pasaji, İstanbul, 2022

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 Tourist attractions in Istanbul Shopping malls in Istanbul

History

See also

References

External links