Asmalımescit

Overview

Asmalımescit is a small neighborhood of old Pera in the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul, between İstiklal Avenue and Meşrutiyet Caddesi. Its narrow lanes are known for meyhanes, the taverns where the city shares meze (small dishes shared at the start of a meal), fish and long conversations. Yet the name goes back to a small mosque from the reign of Sultan Bayezid II. So an old Ottoman story hides behind a busy evening street. For an evening of meze, join our Istanbul meyhane evening.

Where Asmalımescit lies

Officially, the quarter is one of the neighborhoods of Beyoğlu. Nearby, on Meşrutiyet Caddesi, stands the Pera Museum, while the shops of İstiklal Avenue run along the other side. From there, a short walk takes you to the Galata Mevlevi Lodge and the Galata Tower, so the quarter fits easily into an evening in Galata.

Quick facts

• Good for: a meyhane dinner, an evening walk, old Pera streets
• Best combined with: the Galata Mevlevi Lodge, the Pera Museum

History of Asmalımescit

A quarter named for a small mosque

The neighborhood takes its name from the Asma Mescid, a small mosque built in the reign of Sultan Bayezid II (1481–1512). At the time, its founder, Yunus Ağa, was the chief caulker of the Imperial Arsenal, the shipyard of the Ottoman fleet. Both the street and the neighborhood still carry its name.

Pera and its bohemian years

In the past, foreigners above all called this hillside Pera, while Turks used the name Beyoğlu for a wider area. Between 1860 and 1864, new streets were opened across the district, and timber building was banned to prevent fires. Then, in 1925, Pera was dropped from official use, and Beyoğlu became the common name. The writer Fikret Adil described the bohemian life of the quarter in his book Asmalımescit 74. With a guide, join our Belle Époque Pera tour.

Asmalımescit Today

Meyhanes in Asmalımescit

Today, people come to the quarter for its meyhanes. Some of them are historic, and newer places have opened beside them. Then, in the evening, the meals run long, with meze, fish and conversation. After the sema (the whirling ceremony of the Mevlevi dervishes) at the Galata Mevlevi Lodge, the lanes of Galata and Asmalımescit fill with people.

Visiting Asmalımescit

How to reach Asmalımescit

To get here, take the M2 metro to Şişhane, the stop that also serves the Pera Museum. Also, from Karaköy, the historic Tünel funicular climbs to Beyoğlu every day. Finally, we walk you from the Pera Museum into the lanes of Asmalımescit, part of old Beyoğlu.

Before you go

On our whirling dervish evening, you first watch the sema at the lodge. Then you walk through Galata at dusk and, if you wish, finish with dinner in a meyhane (a traditional tavern where meze and rakı (an anise-flavored spirit, usually drunk with water and ice) are shared) in Asmalımescit. By contrast, our art tour begins at Istanbul Modern in Karaköy, walks up the hill toward Beyoğlu and ends at the Pera Museum. For more of the district, join our Beyoğlu and Galata tour, and for the ceremony itself, read our guide to whirling dervishes. For the whole city, see our Istanbul guide.

Updated: October 27, 2026.

Seeing Asmalımescit with Us

Would you like to end an Istanbul evening at a meyhane table? Our whirling dervish ceremony evening can finish in Asmalımescit, and our contemporary art tour ends nearby at the Pera Museum. A meyhane table ends the night; give us your evening and we will reserve it.