Ortaköy a neighbourhood, formerly a small village, within the Beşiktaş district of Istanbul, Turkey, located in the middle of the European bank of the Bosphorus.
Ortaköy was a cosmopolitan area during the Ottoman era and the first decades of the Turkish Republic, with communities of Turks, Greeks, Armenians and Jews. Today the neighbourhood still hosts many different religious (Muslim, Jewish, Orthodox, and other Christian) structures. It is also a popular spot for locals and tourists alike, with its art galleries, night clubs, cafés, bars, and restaurants.
The Neo-Baroque style Ortaköy Mosque is a beautifully ornate structure, right on the jetty of Ortaköy, bordering the waters of the Bosphorus, and thus highly visible from the passing boats.
Ortaköy was the site of George W. Bush’s speech during the NATO Summit of 2004, which he delivered at Galatasaray University.
Ortakoy district used to be a romantic fishing village. Today it is an affluent waterfront neighborhood located in the middle of Bosphorus’ European bank.
Ortaköy with many art galleries, night clubs, cafés, bars, and restaurants the district is hugely popular on weekends both among locals and tourists, one of the oldest buildings of Ortaköy is the nearly 500-year old Turkish bath. It was built by Ottoman star architect Mimar Sinan in 1556.
The Ortaköy Mosque is a beautifully ornamented Neo-Baroque style mosque. It was built in the 18th c, but only received its current ornate look in the middle of 19th c. Çırağan Palace was built in 1871 by Sultan Abdülaziz as his residence. Until a fire severely damaged the building in 1910 the palace served as the Ottoman Parliament. Today it is one of Istanbul’s most luxurious hotels.
Ortaköy Mosque and the Bosphorus Bridge.
Ortaköy is a popular spot for locals and tourists alike, with its art galleries, night clubs, cafés, bars, and restaurants and at night, the lights on the mighty Bosphorus Bridge change color, graceful without being kitsch.
Ortakoy, Istanbul,
Ortaköy is in one of the most beautiful points alongside the shores of the Bosphorus, in Beşiktaş region. It’s an attractive region of inhabitance since the Ottoman times, the sultans had their summer mansions in Ortaköy mostly. It houses important historical structures. The historical Ortaköy Mosque is the symbol of the area. It is neighbour to Besıktas, Yıldız, Kuruçeşme, Arnavutköy…
This area is great for a walk having a nice view over the bosphorus. There's a lot of restaurants or Turkish cafes where you can enjoy a narguileh "shisha" while playing cards or traditional Turkish table. This place also hosts a lot of kiosks with some specialties including stuffed potatoes, waffles, and Turkish sweets.
It is a very nice mosque build on the 19th century. It is a small/medium size mosque. The architect was a famous armenian architect. The mosque was so much appreciated that the Sultan as a present gave to the architect a small island in the Bosphoros. In fact it is the only piece of land on the Bosphorus. In his…
I love this street! Has 2 of the best food in the world, baked potatos and waffles. If you visit Ortakoy, please try Maya Kumpir (also recommended by Istanbul Eats). The owner was extremely friendly, gave us a huge baked potato and all the fillings available for our order. The result, 1 huge potato to share between to of us,…
Ortakoy is a very nice place to go to in Istanbul. I always knew that potato shops are great, but they were much more crowded than restaurants. it is a very turkish place, there are great restaurants over there! don't forget to go on a boat tour that will take you around the bosporus area. for an afternoon, it's great….
Kind of modern turkey feel where the turkish hang. On the river play backgammon and have a beer or a hubbly bubbly
House hotel was great
Ortaköy is right accross the beylerbeyi Palace and next to the European end of the Bosphorus Bridge. You may taste Kumpir (Potato with stuffing) and have your Turkish Tea at the square.
It is a typical seaside village.
If you go summer times, you will have a brigtly view of Bosphorus and Asia side but it is really really crowded. Thousand of people in a tight area. I mean it is small for thousands.
I reccomend you to go there in winter and autumn term.(maybe in spring too) It is totally quiet…
A trip to Ortakoy should be high on your list of places to see in Istanbul especially on a Sunday. The whole area next to the Mosque on the Bosphorus in Ortakoy is like an open air market where you can find an amazing array of things to buy and explore. Local artists exhibit their goods and it can range…
Walked 35 minutes from dolmabahce palace to ortakoy. could not believe how far away it was. Google maps is misleading! it looked about 15 20 minutes!! Got there and the mosque was covered it scaffolding in late june. But there were some nice little restuarants and nice views of the bosphorus bridge. Do not walk it!! Hope this was helpful!