Last updated on .
The village of Beylerbeyi sits literally just north of the Bosporus Bridge on the Asian side of the Bosporus in Istanbul. It’s located in the district of Üsküdar.
History
Beylerbeyi means “Lord of Lords” in Turkish. The village was known as Stavrós (Σταυρός) or Hrisokéramos (Χρυσοκέραμος) during Byzantine times, although nothing remains from those times. Beylerbeyi Palace, which is covered in another post, was built there in the mid 19th century.
The Village
Today you’ll find several wooden Ottoman homes and buildings, a couple historic mosques, a small seaside walk containing shops and fish restaurants, and beautiful seaside mansions (yalılar) best seen from a boat. You might even encounter people fishing on the Bosporus. Overall, it’s a nice place to spend a few hours.
Hamid-i Evvel Mosque
The Hamid-i Evvel Mosque (Hamid-i Evvel Camii) is a historic mosque on the waterfront. It was built in 1778 by Ottoman Sultan Abdülhamid I. The architect is thought to have been Mehmed Tahir Ağa. Click here for a virtual tour.
The mosque was badly damaged in an earthquake in 1894. It was restored in 1969 and again in 2013. When it was built, there was only one minaret. That minaret was demolished and two new ones were built.
Getting There
The easiest way to get to Beylerbeyi is through Üsküdar. Take a ferry to Üsküdar and walk to the Üsküdar Cami Önü stop (in front of the mosque across the street from the ferry terminal). Hop on a bus with the number 15. Beylerbeyi Palace is the second stop after crossing under the Bosporus Bridge and Beylerbeyi village is the third stop.
You can also take a dolmuş going to Beykoz and ask the driver to let you out at Beylerbeyi – it’s much faster than the bus.
There’s a ferry service on the Istanbul City Ferry Lines (İstanbul Şehir Hatları) from Üsküdar but it isn’t frequent or convenient.
Villa Bosphorus Beylerbeyi
The best place I’ve eaten at in Üsküdar is Villa Bosphorus Beylerbeyi. It’s located just north of the Bosporus Bridge in Beylerbeyi and has incredible views of the Bosporus. Reservations are recommended.
On my first visit, I went with a group of eight and we shared a delicious dinner. We started off with shrimp, salad, cheese, octopus, fried calamari, and other meze dishes.
We also shared a huge lagos fish. They brought it out for the table to inspect, then took it back to the kitchen and grilled it to perfection as we sampled the starters. When it was ready, they brought it back to the table on a huge platter and served a big chunk to everyone at the table.
For dessert, we shared a baked halva, a fig dessert, and a pumpkin dessert. Everything was delicious and our group enjoyed the experience dining on the shore of the Bosporus.
On my second visit, I organized a group dinner for 22 people during a tour I was leading. We sat in the main dining room. We had the same starters as my previous visit and had sea bass for our main course. Everyone was more than happy with their meal, and the service was excellent.
