Bakirköy
Encyclopedia
This article is about a neighbourhood in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...



Bakırköy is a neighborhood, municipality (belediye) and district on the Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

an side of İstanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...

, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

. The quarter is densely populated, has a residential character and is inhabited by a middle class
Middle class
The middle class is any class of people in the middle of a societal hierarchy. In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the working class and upper class....

  population. The municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...

 of Bakırköy is much larger than the quarter and comprehends also several other neighborhoods, like Yeşilköy
Yesilköy
Yeşilköy is a neighborhood of the Bakırköy municipality of Istanbul, Turkey.It is located along the Marmara Sea about 11 kilometers west of Istanbul's historic city center...

, Yeşilyurt, Ataköy. Bakırköy lies between the highway (locally known as E-5) and the coast of the Sea of Marmara
Sea of Marmara
The Sea of Marmara , also known as the Sea of Marmora or the Marmara Sea, and in the context of classical antiquity as the Propontis , is the inland sea that connects the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea, thus separating Turkey's Asian and European parts. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Black...

. Bakırköy has a big psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental hospitals, are hospitals specializing in the treatment of serious mental disorders. Psychiatric hospitals vary widely in their size and grading. Some hospitals may specialise only in short-term or outpatient therapy for low-risk patients...

 called "Tımarhane Bakırköy", and is an important shopping and commercial center.

History

During the Byzantine
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...

 times Bakırköy was a separate community outside Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...

, a well-watered pleasant seaside retreat from the city, and was called Hebdomon ' onMouseout='HidePop("76503")' href="/topics/Walls_of_Constantinople">city walls
Walls of Constantinople
The Walls of Constantinople are a series of defensive stone walls that have surrounded and protected the city of Constantinople since its founding as the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire by Constantine the Great...

). Here - where nowadays the Ataköy Marina lies - Emperor Valens
Valens
Valens was the Eastern Roman Emperor from 364 to 378. He was given the eastern half of the empire by his brother Valentinian I after the latter's accession to the throne...

  built one of the two imperial Palaces bearing the name of Magnaura
Magnaura
The Magnaura was a large building in Constantinople. It is equated by scholars with the building that housed the Senate, and which was located east of the Augustaion, close to the Hagia Sophia and next to the Chalke gate of the Great Palace...

, while Justinian erected another Palace named Jucundianae, also placed near the seaside. Two churches, dedicated respectively to St. John Baptist the Evangelist and to St. John Baptist the Forerunner, the latter hosting the head of the Saint and burial place of the Emperor Basil II
Basil II
Basil II , known in his time as Basil the Porphyrogenitus and Basil the Young to distinguish him from his ancestor Basil I the Macedonian, was a Byzantine emperor from the Macedonian dynasty who reigned from 10 January 976 to 15 December 1025.The first part of his long reign was dominated...

, were also erected here.

Hebdomon was a place of exercise and concentration of the Thracian
Diocese of Thrace
The Diocese of Thrace was a diocese of the later Roman Empire, incorporating the provinces of the eastern Balkan Peninsula The Diocese of Thrace was a diocese of the later Roman Empire, incorporating the provinces of the eastern Balkan Peninsula The Diocese of Thrace was a diocese of the later...

 army. It had a large Field of Mars
Field of Mars
The Field of Mars was an area of the ancient city of Rome, the Campus Martius.Field of Mars may also refer to:*Field of Mars , An large public greenplace in Paris...

, the Kampos tou Tribounaliou in Latin Campus Tribunalis, where several Emperors were elected through acclamation
Acclamation
An acclamation, in its most common sense, is a form of election that does not use a ballot. "Acclamation" or "acclamatio" can also signify a kind of ritual greeting and expression of approval in certain social contexts in ancient Rome.-Voting:...

 by the army. Among them were Valens
Valens
Valens was the Eastern Roman Emperor from 364 to 378. He was given the eastern half of the empire by his brother Valentinian I after the latter's accession to the throne...

, Arcadius
Arcadius
Arcadius was the Byzantine Emperor from 395 to his death. He was the eldest son of Theodosius I and his first wife Aelia Flaccilla, and brother of the Western Emperor Honorius...

, Honorius
Honorius
Honorius may refer to:* Honorius , western Roman emperor 395–423* Honorius of Canterbury , archbishop of Canterbury 627–653* Honoratus of Amiens , bishop of Amiens...

, Theodosius II
Theodosius II
Theodosius II , commonly surnamed Theodosius the Younger, or Theodosius the Calligrapher, was Byzantine Emperor from 408 to 450. He is mostly known for promulgating the Theodosian law code, and for the construction of the Theodosian Walls of Constantinople...

, Phocas
Phocas
Phocas was Byzantine Emperor from 602 to 610. He usurped the throne from the Emperor Maurice, and was himself overthrown by Heraclius after losing a civil war.-Origins:...

, Nikephoros II Phokas. The Campus lay in the valley of Veli Efendi, where now the horse race track is placed. The imperial court came often to the Hebdomon to attend military parades, to welcome the emperor coming back from campaign, and to pray in the large church of St. John Baptist the Forerunner.

Later the place was also named Makrohori ("long village" in Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...

) which was distorted to Makriköy ("Köy" meaning "village" in Turkish, used in place of "-hori") in the Ottoman period, when many large houses were built here. In 1925 this was changed to Bakırköy in a move to eliminate all place names of non-Turkish origin. It was a district in Beyoğlu
Beyoglu
Beyoğlu is a district located on the European side of İstanbul, Turkey, separated from the old city by the Golden Horn...

 province between 1923 and 1926 and the district was also included present ones of Avcılar
Avcilar
Avcılar is a district of Istanbul, Turkey, out of town on the European side of the city, just to the west of the Küçükçekmece inlet of the Sea of Marmara.-History:The Marmara coast road bridges the mouth of the inlet, always an important route in wartime...

, Bağcılar
Bagcilar
Bağcılar is a working class suburban district of Istanbul, Turkey. It is located behind Bahçelievler on the European side of the city, between the two major ring roads, the TEM and the E5...

, Bahçelievler
Bahçelievler
Bahçelievler is a large middle class residential suburb of Istanbul, Turkey, on the European side of the city. It is accessible from the E-5 Highway that runs from the Istanbul airport to the Asian side of the city, covers 5% of Istanbul's land area and is home to over 570,000 people...

, Başakşehir, Esenler
Esenler
Esenler is a district of Istanbul, Turkey, on its European side. Esenler is mainly densely packed, working class residential in the midst of its industrial neighbouring districts of Gaziosmanpaşa, Güngören and Bağcılar...

, Güngören
Güngören
Güngören is a small industrial and working class residential district of Istanbul, Turkey. It is located near the district of Bakırköy. The mayor is Şakir Yücel Karaman .-History:...

, Küçükçekmece
Küçükçekmece
Küçükçekmece is a large, crowded suburb on the European side of Istanbul, Turkey 23 km out of the city, beyond Atatürk Airport. The population of the area reaches 600,000. This area covers 118 km².-Location:...

 , western boroghs of Zeytinburnu
Zeytinburnu
Zeytinburnu is a working class neighbourhood, municipality and district on the European side of İstanbul, Turkey, on the shore of the Marmara Sea just outside the walls of the ancient city, beyond the fortress of Yedikule...

 and small part of Arnavutköy
Arnavutköy
Arnavutköy is a historic neighborhood in Istanbul, Turkey, famous for its wooden Ottoman mansions and fish restaurants as well as the prestigious Robert College campus with its centennial buildings...

 one before 1957. It was the biggest district of Turkey before separation of Küçükçekmece
Küçükçekmece
Küçükçekmece is a large, crowded suburb on the European side of Istanbul, Turkey 23 km out of the city, beyond Atatürk Airport. The population of the area reaches 600,000. This area covers 118 km².-Location:...

 one (Avcılar was included in and became the district in 1992) in 1987 and ones of Bağcılar
Bagcilar
Bağcılar is a working class suburban district of Istanbul, Turkey. It is located behind Bahçelievler on the European side of the city, between the two major ring roads, the TEM and the E5...

, Bahçelievler
Bahçelievler
Bahçelievler is a large middle class residential suburb of Istanbul, Turkey, on the European side of the city. It is accessible from the E-5 Highway that runs from the Istanbul airport to the Asian side of the city, covers 5% of Istanbul's land area and is home to over 570,000 people...

 and Güngören
Güngören
Güngören is a small industrial and working class residential district of Istanbul, Turkey. It is located near the district of Bakırköy. The mayor is Şakir Yücel Karaman .-History:...

 in 1992. Later Esenler
Esenler
Esenler is a district of Istanbul, Turkey, on its European side. Esenler is mainly densely packed, working class residential in the midst of its industrial neighbouring districts of Gaziosmanpaşa, Güngören and Bağcılar...

 district was formed from some boroughs from Bağcılar
Bagcilar
Bağcılar is a working class suburban district of Istanbul, Turkey. It is located behind Bahçelievler on the European side of the city, between the two major ring roads, the TEM and the E5...

 and Güngören
Güngören
Güngören is a small industrial and working class residential district of Istanbul, Turkey. It is located near the district of Bakırköy. The mayor is Şakir Yücel Karaman .-History:...

 in 1994 and Başakşehir one formed from some boroughs from Büyükçekmece
Büyükçekmece
Büyükçekmece is a district and municipality in the suburbs of Istanbul, Turkey on the Sea of Marmara coast of the European side, west of the city. It is largely an industrial area with a population of 380,000...

 (Bahçeşehir area), Esenler
Esenler
Esenler is a district of Istanbul, Turkey, on its European side. Esenler is mainly densely packed, working class residential in the midst of its industrial neighbouring districts of Gaziosmanpaşa, Güngören and Bağcılar...

 and Küçükçekmece
Küçükçekmece
Küçükçekmece is a large, crowded suburb on the European side of Istanbul, Turkey 23 km out of the city, beyond Atatürk Airport. The population of the area reaches 600,000. This area covers 118 km².-Location:...

 in 2009. Also small area around villages of Şamlar part of newly founded Arnavutköy
Arnavutköy
Arnavutköy is a historic neighborhood in Istanbul, Turkey, famous for its wooden Ottoman mansions and fish restaurants as well as the prestigious Robert College campus with its centennial buildings...

 district.

There is little remaining of historical significance in the area: what there is includes a cistern (Fildamı Sarnıcı), a powder house from the 17th century (today used as Yunus Emre Kültür Merkezi in Ataköy), the Greek Orthodox church of Saint George (consecrated on May 2, 1832) and a Greek school, the central mosque and fountain of 1875, an Armenian
Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople
The Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople also known as Armenian Patriarch of Istanbul is today head of The Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople , one of the smallest Patriarchates of the Oriental Orthodox Church but one that has exerted a very significant political role and today still exercises...

 Church and school and the resting place of the Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...

 saint Zuhurat Baba, a Turkish soldier who died during the conquest of Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...

. His resting place is often visited by women on Fridays. The seafront is now a popular location for tea gardens, clubs and restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...

s, (although the beaches have not been usable for decades).

Bakırköy became a popular residential area in the late 19th century after the construction of a railroad connection to İstanbul and up until the 1970s was one of the most relaxed and desirable locations in the city. It is still populated by Istanbul's middle-class (trades people, bureaucrats, the retired).

However, since the 1950s Bakırköy has grown considerably and is now heavily populated. It has not suffered the same scale of influx of people that have flooded in from Anatolia into the cheaper buildings in surrounding districts like Bağcılar
Bagcilar
Bağcılar is a working class suburban district of Istanbul, Turkey. It is located behind Bahçelievler on the European side of the city, between the two major ring roads, the TEM and the E5...

, and Bakırköy appears tidier than those areas. However it still suffers from congestion and over-crowding. Where once were pleasant buildings in gardens, now are rows of apartment blocks, with gardens around them and not as tall or tightly packed together as the cheaper suburbs but blocks nonetheless. And this growth of course placed severe strain on Bakırköy's infrastructure. It is struggling to catch up and there is now insufficient space for children playgrounds, parks and so on. Not to speak of car parking.

Some parts of Bakırköy are very pleasant residential areas, particularly the streets from the hospital down towards the sea. The planned satellite town of Ataköy to the west of Bakırköy centre is very tidy indeed, and was probably Turkey's first successful planned development. Ataköy contains much social infrastructure including the Galleria
Galleria Ataköy
Galleria Ataköy, the first modern shopping mall in Turkey, is situated in the western suburb of Ataköy, Istanbul. It was built following the recommendation of then Prime Minister Turgut Özal, who was inspired by the shopping mall Houston Galleria in Houston, Texas, USA...

 shopping center and yacht marina.

Today

The center of Bakırköy is an important commercial district. There is a huge shopping district (including a number of huge shiny shopping centres as Carousel
Carousel Shopping Center
Carousel Shopping Center, opened in 1995, is a modern shopping mall located in the Bakırköy district of Istanbul, Turkey.The shopping center with its 76,500 m² area has 117 shops, fast food restaurants, cafeterias, entertainment center and movie theaters. There are 7 elevators and 12 escalators...

), a range of cinemas, bars and café
Café
A café , also spelled cafe, in most countries refers to an establishment which focuses on serving coffee, like an American coffeehouse. In the United States, it may refer to an informal restaurant, offering a range of hot meals and made-to-order sandwiches...

s. Now (2006) the council is trying to smarten up the shopping district by pedestrianising more of it and putting in fountains etc.

Bakırköy is easy to reach by public transport; there are dolmusues to Beyoğlu throughout the night; there are buses to Mecidiyeköy
Mecidiyeköy
Mecidiyeköy is a neighbourhood located in the Şişli district of Istanbul, Turkey. It is also one of the prominent business quarters of Istanbul. It is situated between Fulya, Kuştepe, Gültepe, Esentepe, and Gülbahar neighbourhoods...

 (although using the highway by bus is unpleasant indeed: there is a ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...

 boat service that takes passengers to Bostancı
Bostanci
Bostancı is a neighbourhood of Kadıköy, located on the Anatolian side of Istanbul, Turkey. The neighbourhood fronts the Sea of Marmara and is not far from the Princes' Islands. From the Bostancı shore, five islands; Kınalıada, Burgazada, Heybeliada, Büyükada, and Sivriada can be seen...

 on the Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...

n side of the city and also to the Adalar (Islands); and the light-railway from the airport to Aksaray runs through here. Moreover, the quarter has a station of the suburban railway line between Sirkeci
Sirkeci
Sirkeci is an area in the Eminönü neighborhood of the Fatih district of the city of Istanbul, Turkey. It has evolved as the place name of the area in Eminönü surrounding Sirkeci Station, the Southeastern long distance passenger train terminus in Europe for the Orient Express.The neighborhood...

 and Halkalı.

Veli Efendi, Turkey's largest and oldest racecourse, built in 1913, is close by.

Istanbul's largest mental hospital is in Bakırköy, and the parkland surrounding it is the largest green space in the district.

There is a popular belief that the underground water of Bakırköy comes from the river Danube.

Being near the Fault in the Sea of Marmara
North Anatolian Fault
The North Anatolian Fault is a major active right lateral-moving strike-slip fault in northern Anatolia which runs along the transform boundary between the Eurasian Plate and the Anatolian Plate. The fault extends westward from a junction with the East Anatolian Fault at the Karliova Triple...

, Bakırköy is said to be vulnerable to earthquake damage.

Economy

The headquarters of Turkish Airlines
Turkish Airlines
Turkish Airlines is the national flag carrier airline of Turkey, headquartered in the Turkish Airlines General Management Building on the grounds of Atatürk Airport in Yeşilköy, Bakirköy district, Istanbul...

 are on the grounds of Ataturk Airport in Yeşilköy
Yesilköy
Yeşilköy is a neighborhood of the Bakırköy municipality of Istanbul, Turkey.It is located along the Marmara Sea about 11 kilometers west of Istanbul's historic city center...

 in Bakırköy. Borajet
Borajet
Borajet is an airline based in Yeşilköy, Bakırköy, Istanbul, Turkey. It is a privately owned regional airline operating domestic services. Its main base is Sabiha Gökçen International Airport in Istanbul.- History :...

 also has its head office in Yeşilköy. Atlasjet
Atlasjet
Atlasjet Havacılık A.Ş. is an airline based in Florya, Bakırköy district, Istanbul, Turkey, operating domestic and international scheduled passenger services and regular charter flights to Europe, Kazakhstan and the United Arab Emirates, usually out of either Atatürk International Airport,...

 has its head office in Florya
Florya
Florya is a neighborhood belonging to the Bakırköy district of the greater Istanbul, Turkey. It is located along Marmara Sea, and borders to the northeast the neighborhood of Yeşilköy, to the northwest that of Küçükçekmece. It is one of the high class and rich areas of Istanbul...

, Bakırköy.

Places of interest

  • Atatürk International Airport
    Atatürk International Airport
    Atatürk International Airport is the major international airport in Istanbul, Turkey. Opened in 1924 and located in Yeşilköy, on the European side of the city, it is west of the city centre. In 1980, the airport was renamed to Atatürk International Airport in honor of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the...

    , Yeşilköy
  • Bakirkoy Synagogue
    Bakirkoy Synagogue
    Bakirkoy Synagogue is a synagogue in Istanbul, Turkey. Though active since the late 19th century for the Jews of the area, as a result of a decrease in the Jewish population in the area it is only open for Shabbat services.-External links:* *...

    , Bakırköy
  • Carousel Shopping Center
    Carousel Shopping Center
    Carousel Shopping Center, opened in 1995, is a modern shopping mall located in the Bakırköy district of Istanbul, Turkey.The shopping center with its 76,500 m² area has 117 shops, fast food restaurants, cafeterias, entertainment center and movie theaters. There are 7 elevators and 12 escalators...

    , Bakırköy
  • Galleria Ataköy
    Galleria Ataköy
    Galleria Ataköy, the first modern shopping mall in Turkey, is situated in the western suburb of Ataköy, Istanbul. It was built following the recommendation of then Prime Minister Turgut Özal, who was inspired by the shopping mall Houston Galleria in Houston, Texas, USA...

    , Ataköy
  • Beyti Restaurant
    Beyti (Istanbul)
    Beyti is a restaurant in Istanbul, Turkey specialising in roasted meat. It was founded in 1945 in Küçükçekmece and has been situated since 1983 in Florya...

    , Florya


Sport venues:
  • Ataköy Athletics Arena
    Ataköy Athletics Arena
    Ataköy Athletics Arena is an indoor sporting arena for track and field athletics events located in Ataköy neighborhood of Bakırköy, Istanbul....

    , Atalöy
  • Sinan Erdem Dome, Ataköy
  • Florya Metin Oktay Sports Complex and Training Center
    Florya Metin Oktay Sports Complex and Training Center
    The Florya Metin Oktay Sports Complex and Training Center is the training ground and academy base of the Turkish football club Galatasaray SK. It was opened on August 1, 1981. Located in Florya, Istanbul and named after the club's legendary goalscorer Metin Oktay, the sports complex covers an area...

    , Florya
  • Şenlikköy Stadium
    Senlikköy Stadium
    Şenlikköy Stadium is a small stadium in the Bakırköy district of Istanbul, Turkey.It is the home stadium of Bakırköyspor. The capacity of stadium is 8000 people....

    , Florya


Culture:
  • Florya Atatürk Marine Mansion
    Florya Atatürk Marine Mansion
    Florya Atatürk Marine Mansion, is a historic presidential residence located offshore in the Sea of Marmara in the Florya neighborhood of the Bakırköy district in Istanbul, Turkey....

    , Florya
  • Istanbul Aviation Museum, Yeşilköy
  • Yeşilköy Lighthouse, Yeşilköy

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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