Lonely Planet İstanbul Guide

magnificent Ottoman mosques, historic hamams and atmospheric çay bahçesis (tea gardens) where locals smoke nargiles (water pipes) and play games of tavla (backgammon). The streets between the bazaars are a popular stamping ground for İstanbullus, and seem to crackle with a good-humoured and infectious energy. 3 Western Districts A showcase of İstanbul’s ethnically diverse and endlessly fascinating history, this neighbourhood to the west of the Historic Peninsula contains synagogues built by the Jews in Balat and churches constructed by the Greeks in Fener. In recent times migrants from eastern Turkey have settled here, attracted by the vibrant Wednesday street market in Fatih and the presence of two important Islamic pilgrimage sites: the tombs of Mehmet the Conqueror and Ebu Eyüp el-Ensari. 4 Beyoğlu The high-octane hub of eating, drinking and entertainment in the city, Beyoğlu is where visitors and locals come in search of good restaurants and bars, live-music venues, hip hotels and edgy boutiques. Built around the major boulevard of İstiklal Caddesi, it incorporates a mix of bohemian residential districts such as Çukurcuma and Cihangir, bustling entertainment enclaves such as Asmalımescit and historically rich pockets such as Tophane, Galata and Karaköy that have morphed into style centres. 5 Beşiktaş, Nişantaşı & Ortaköy Nineteenth-century French writer Pierre Loti described the stretch of the Bosphorus shore between Beşiktaş and Ortaköy as featuring ‘a line of palaces white as snow, placed at the edge of the sea on marble docks’.