Stories Behind The Names Of Istanbul's Neighborhoods

With its rich cultural and historic past, it’s no wonder that the names of Istanbul’s neighbourhoods, much like its streets, have a significant meaning behind them. We took a look at a few of Istanbul’s popular neighbourhoods and how they got their names.

Eminönü

Famous for the New Mosque and Spice Bazaar, Eminönü is the crowded neighbourhood you’ll stumble upon as soon as you cross the Galata Bridge. Its name comes from its Ottoman past when the area was the centre of trade and mainly inhabited by traders and sailors. With such a high traffic of products being traded, the neighbourhood was also full of custom houses that controlled taxes, records and storage called Emins. And so, Eminönü, which literally translates to ‘in front of the custom houses,’ was born.

Kadıköy

Feriköy

Feriköy is a mostly residential neighbourhood where high-rise luxury apartments overlook the historic churches and graveyards that remain from a very different era. In fact, Feriköy was mostly inhabited by the Greek Orthodox during the Ottoman era and the neighbourhood’s name comes from a French merchant by the name of Monsieur Ferri. Due to the fact that Ferri built a mansion in the area during the 18th century, the neighbourhood was called Feri’nin Köyü, or the village of Ferri, and later on, Feriköy.

Tarabya

Another residential neighbourhood, this time on the Bosphorus coast of the European side, Tarabya is famous for its fish restaurants as well as its historic churches. During the Byzantine era, the area was a rehabilitation spot due to its natural landscape and air quality. Therefore, in the 5th century, the Patriarch Attikos officially named the neighbourhood Therapia, which translates to therapy in Greek. Over time, the name was transformed into the Turkish version, Tarabya, but the memory of its Greek past still remains in the area’s historic architecture.

Çemberlitaş

Anyone who has visited the Grand Bazaar is already familiar with the neighbourhood of Çemberlitaş and its famous honorific column, the Column of Constantine, which was built to honour the establishment of Constantinople. Built from porphyry blocks, which can only be found in Egypt, the column was greatly damaged over the centuries due to acts of vandalization and natural disasters. By the time the 19th century rolled around, the Ottoman Sultan Abdülhamid I had iron rings attached to the column for support and the neighbourhood was from then on known as Çemberlitaş, which literally translates to rock with hoops.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.