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Çengelköy is a lively village on the Asian side of the Bosporus in Istanbul. Located in the Üsküdar district, it was known as Sofianí (Σοφιανή) or Kikónion (Κικόνιον) during Byzantine times, but nothing survives from that era.
Ottoman Buildings
Çengelköy has a good mix of modern and historic wooden Ottoman buildings. There are lots of little restaurants and shops along the main road and alleyways with outdoor cafés. You can also get great views of the Bosporus Bridge (Boğaziçi Köprüsü) from the pier.
St. George Greek Orthodox Church
On the main road across from the pier, there’s the St. George Greek Orthodox Church (Ἅγιος Γεώργιος Τσεγκέλκιοϊ). It was built in 1908 but dates back to 1830. The church may have been built on the site of the Byzantine Monastery of Metanoias, which was built by Empress Theodora in the 6th century for repentant sinful women.
If you want nice views from high above, it’s best to walk up the hill from the church. You’ll also encounter some very interesting wooden buildings up there.
Vahdettin Pavilion
If you keep walking uphill, you’ll come to the Vahdettin Pavilion (Vahdettin Köşkü), an Ottoman mansion located in a large grove. There are three other buildings on the property: the Köçeoğlu Pavilion (Köçeoğlu Köşkü), the Kadın Efendi Pavilion (Kadın Efendi Köşkü), and the Ağalar Pavilion (Ağalar Köşkü). All of these historic buildings were originally built in the 19th century and designed by French-Ottoman architect Alexander Vallaury.
The first building constructed was the Köçeoğlu Pavilion, which was named after the Armenian family that had once owned the property. The property was later purchased by the Ottoman royal family and became the home of Şehzade Burhaneddin Efendi, a son of Sultan Abdülhamid II. It was later handed down to his half-brother Şehzade Mehmet Vahdettin Efendi, the future Sultan Mehmet VI, from whom the building got its current name.
The buildings were renovated between 2012 and 2014 and now serve as an Istanbul office of the President of Turkey. The renovations proved to be controversial as they changed the original architectural integrity of the buildings. Many trees in the grove were also destroyed, dramatically changing the entire property. The best views of the Vahdettin Pavilion are from a boat on the Bosporus.
Kuleli Military High School
The most important and visible landmark in Çengelköy is the Kuleli Military High School (Kuleli Askeri Lisesi), which sits at the northern end of the village. The building’s iconic conical towers are one of the symbols of Istanbul, and it’s a popular spot for fishing.
Kuleli Military High School was the first military high school founded in Ottoman Turkey, by Abdülmecid I, in 1845. The building was completed in 1843 and designed by Armenian architect Garabet Balyan. Between 1868 and 1947, the building was periodically used for many different purposes, including a military hospital during the Russo-Turkish War (1877-78) and the Balkan Wars (1912-13) and at times barracks. It was used continuously as a school from August 18, 1947 until July 31, 2016, when the Turkish government closed all military high schools.
Getting There
The easiest way to get to Çengelköy 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 pretty much any bus with a number 15 until you reach the Çengelköy stop. You can also take a dolmuş going to Beykoz and ask the driver to let you out at Çengelköy – it’s much faster than the bus.
If you’re on the European side, there’s a ferry service on the Istanbul City Ferry Lines (İstanbul Şehir Hatları) from either Arnavutköy or Bebek to Çengelköy every few hours throughout the day.
