Çengelköy

Overview

Just north of the first Bosphorus bridge, on the Asian shore, a village of old wooden houses runs down to the water. Here, families sit by the strait over long breakfasts, ferries and tankers glide past, and across the water the palaces of the European shore shine in the morning sun. This is Çengelköy, a charming village on the Asian side of Istanbul. For a slow morning, join our Turkish breakfast and coffee tour. By car along the Asian shore, join our Asian Bosphorus villages tour.

So come in the morning, order tea and simit (a sesame-crusted bread ring) by the water and take your time.

Çengelköy on the Asian Shore

To begin with, the village lies in the district of Üsküdar, between Beylerbeyi and Kuleli. Today, about 14,000 people live in the neighborhood, mostly in residential streets that climb the green hill behind the shore. At the top of that hill, for example, the Vahdettin Pavilion serves as an official residence of the Turkish presidency.

History of Çengelköy

The port of Empress Sophia

In the 6th century, the Byzantine emperor Justin II built a palace near here for his wife, Sophia, so the harbor became known as Sophianai. Later, in Ottoman times, the shore filled with waterside mansions, and for a long time it was among the most expensive places to live in the city.

A hook, a crab or an admiral?

The name Çengelköy means hook village, but nobody knows exactly why. Some say it comes from an Ottoman admiral, Çengeloğlu Tahir Pasha, who built a mosque and a mansion here. Others, however, link it to a Persian word for crab, because seafood was so plentiful along this shore.

What to See in Çengelköy

Wooden mansions and the red yalı

Along the shore and in the lanes behind it, old wooden houses with bay windows stand among newer buildings. On the water, the red Sadullah Pasha mansion stands out among the yalıs of the Bosphorus. Also on the shore, a 19th-century Ottoman distillery now holds the twelve rooms of Vakko Hotel Sumahan Bosphorus. Nearby, the Greek church of Aya Yorgi recalls the village’s past, when most of its families were Greek.

Tea by the water

Most of all, the village is a place to sit. Along the shore, in turn, tea gardens and cafés set their tables right by the water, with the European shore across the strait. On weekends, specifically, Istanbul families come here for long breakfasts.

The Kuleli military school

Finally, just north of the village, the long white building of the Kuleli military school stands on the shore. With its two towers, it is a landmark of the Asian side, best seen from a boat.

How to Visit Çengelköy

Getting there

Buses run along the shore road from Üsküdar, and taxis are easy to find. Also, you can walk along the water from Beylerbeyi Palace.

Seeing it with us

We stop in Çengelköy on our Istanbul Asian side tour, together with Beylerbeyi, Kuzguncuk and Çamlıca Hill.