A stone staircase with deep, worn treads climbs steeply between walls of crumbling plaster and bright, overgrown greenery. This narrow passage, known as Cezayir Sokak, bridges the gap between the busy traffic of Beyoğlu and the quiet…
Cihangir Writers and Cats
We will wander the steep, leafy streets of Istanbul's premier bohemian enclave, a neighborhood shaped by legendary novelists, independent artists, and a famously pampered street-cat population. Along the way, we'll stop at cozy cafés, literary landmarks, and dramatic cliffside parks where Cihangir's creative locals and their feline friends watch the Bosphorus.
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1. Cezayir Sokak
2. The Museum of Innocence
The Museum of Innocence sits inside a weathered, dark red row house on a quiet corner in Firuzağa. It houses a vast collection of everyday objects, from thousands of cigarette butts to salt shakers, all curated by the author Orhan Pamuk.…
3. Firüzağa Cami
The Firuzağa Mosque features a single minaret and a broad, wooden-eaved roof that sits low against the street corner. Firuz Ağa, who served as the chief treasurer for Sultan Bayezid the Second, commissioned this structure in fourteen…
4. Orhan Kemal Museum
The Orhan Kemal Museum occupies a quiet apartment in Cihangir, marked by a simple plaque near the entrance. This home holds the personal effects of the novelist who documented the lives of factory workers and the urban poor in…
5. Cihangir Park
The low stone wall marking the edge of Cihangir Park holds back a steep slope that drops away toward the Bosphorus. This small, tiered garden occupies a patch of land that once belonged to the sixteenth-century mosque complex of Cihangir,…
6. Kaktüs Cihangir Breakfast
The cafe is marked by a weathered, green-painted wooden facade and a collection of mismatched chairs spilling onto the sidewalk. Inside, the walls are covered in layers of old posters, books, and prints, creating a space that feels like a…
7. Cihangir Mosque
The Cihangir Mosque sits on a steep ridge overlooking the Bosphorus, identified by a solitary, slender minaret that rises sharply against the skyline. Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent commissioned this building in fifteen fifty-nine to…
8. İBB Sanatkarlar Parkı
The İBB Sanatkarlar Parkı sits on a steep slope, defined by a zig-zagging concrete ramp that cuts through a cluster of mature trees. Before it became a public park, this hillside held a dense network of houses and workshops that were…