Istanbul Guide

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Hanım, mother of the last khedive (viceroy) of Egypt, Abbas Hilmi II. It’s the white build ing with two mansard towers and a wrought iron fence. Opposite Bebek on the Asian shore is Kandilli , the Place of Lamps, named after the lamps that were lit here to warn ships of the particularly treacherous currents at the headland. Among the many yalıs here is the huge red Kont Ostrorog Yalı (Map p162; Kan dilli; g 15, 15F & 15T from Üsküdar) , built in the 19th century by Count Leon Ostorog, a Pol ish adviser to the Ottoman court; Pierre Loti visited here when he was in İstanbul in the 1890s. A bit further on, past Kandilli, is the long white Kıbrıslı (Cypriot) Yalı (Map p162; Kandilli; g 15, 15E, 15H, 15KÇ, 15M, 15N, 15P, 15ŞN, 15T, 15U from Üsküdar, 14R & 15YK from Kadıköy) , which dates from 1760. Next to the Kıbrıslı are the Büyük Göksu Deresi (Great Heavenly Stream) and Küçük Göksu Deresi (Small Heavenly Stream), two brooks that descend from the Asian hills into the Bosphorus. Between them is a fer tile delta, grassy and shady, which the Otto man elite thought perfect for picnics. Foreign residents referred to it as the Sweet Waters of Asia. If the weather was good, the sultan joined the picnic, and did so in style. Sultan Abdül Mecit’s answer to a simple picnic blan ket was Küçüksu Kasrı (Map p162; % 0216-332 3303; Küçüksu Caddesi, Küçüksu; adult/student/ child under 7yr ₺5/1/free; h 9am-4.30pm Tue, Wed & Fri-Sun Apr-Oct, to 3.30pm Nov-Mar; g 15, 15E, 15H, 15KÇ, 15M, 15N, 15P, 15ŞN, 15T, 15U from Üsküdar, 14R & 15YK from Kadıköy, f Kabataş) , an ornate hunting lodge built in 1856–57. Earlier sultans had wooden kiosks here, but archi tect Nikoğos Balyan designed a rococo gem in marble for his monarch. You’ll see its or nate cast-iron fence, boat dock and wedding cake exterior from the ferry. Close to the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge are the majestic fortress structures of Rumeli Hisarı (Fortress of Europe; Map p162; % 0212-263 5305; Yahya Kemal Caddesi 42; ₺10; h 9am-noon & 12.30-4pm Thu-Tue; g 22 & 25E from Kabataş, 22RE & 40 from Beşiktaş, 40, 40T & 42T from Taksim) and Anadolu Hisarı (For tress of Anatolia; Map p162; g 15, 15KÇ & 15ŞN from Üsküdar, 15F from Kadıköy) . Mehmet the Conqueror had Rumeli Hisarı built in a mere four months in 1452, in preparation for his siege of Byzantine Constantinople. For its location, he chose the narrowest point of the Bosphorus, opposite Anadolu Hisarı, which Sultan Beyazıt I had built in 1394. By doing so, Mehmet was able to control all traffic on

the strait, cutting the city off from resupply by sea. To speed up Rumeli Hisarı’s completion, Mehmet ordered each of his three viziers to take responsibility for one of the three main towers. If his tower’s construction was not completed on schedule, the vizier would pay with his life. Not surprisingly, the work was completed on time. The useful military life of the mighty fortress lasted less than one year. After the conquest of Constantinople, it was used as a glorified Bosphorus toll booth for a while, then as a barracks, a prison and fi nally as an open-air theatre. Within Rumeli Hisarı’s walls are park-like grounds, an open-air theatre and the minaret of a ruined mosque. Steep stairs (with no barriers, so be ware!) lead up to the ramparts and towers; the views of the Bosphorus are magnificent. Just next to the fortress is a clutch of cafes and restaurants, the most popular of which are Sade Kahve (p169) and Lokma (p170). Between Rumeli Hisarı and the Fatih Sul tan Mehmet Bridge is an eccentric-looking turreted building known locally as the Perili Köşk (Haunted Mansion). Properly referred to as the Yusuf Ziya Pasha mansion, the building’s construction kicked off around 1910 but was halted in 1914 when the Otto man Empire was drawn into WWI and all of its construction workers were forced to quit their jobs and enlist in the army. Work on the 10-storey building came to a standstill and it remained empty, leading to its ‘haunted mansion’ tag. Eighty years later, work finally resumed and the finished building became the home of Borusan Contemporary (Map p162; % 0212-393 5200; www.borusancontemp orary.com; Perili Köşk, Baltalimanı Hisar Caddesi 5, Rumeli Hisarı; adult/student/child under 12yr ₺10/5/free; h 10am-8pm Sat & Sun; g 22 & 25E from Kabataş, 22RE & 40 from Beşiktaş, 40, 40T & 42T from Taksim) , a cultural centre. The ferry doesn’t stop at Rumeli Hisarı; you can either leave the ferry at Kanlıca and catch a taxi across the Fatih Bridge (this will cost around ₺25 including the bridge toll) or you can visit on your way back to town from Sarıyer. Though it’s not open as a museum, visitors are free to wander about Anadolu Hisarı’s ruined walls. There are many architecturally and his torically important yalıs in and around Anadolu Hisarı. These include the Köprülü Amcazade Hüseyin Paşa Yalı (Map p162; An adolu Hisarı; g 15, 15KÇ & 15ŞN from Üsküdar, 15F from Kadıköy) , a cantilevered box-like struc ture built for one of Mustafa II’s grand viziers

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