Last updated on .
The Fındıklı neighborhood in Beyoğlu, Istanbul, Turkey, isn’t a prime destination, but it features a handful of minor architectural attractions.
Introduction to Fındıklı
Fındıklı is cut in two by the busy Meclis-i Mebusan Street, which runs from Tophane to the west. It continues east to the transportation hub of Kabataş. All points of interest are on the Bosporus side of the road. You can reach the neighborhood by taking the T1 tram line to the Fındıklı stop.
Twin Palaces (Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University)
At the westernmost point of Fındıklı is Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University (Mimar Sinan Güzel Sanatlar Üniversitesi). It was founded as the College of Fine Arts (Sanayi-i Nefise Mekteb-i Âlisi) on January 1, 1882, by Ottoman artist Osman Hamdi Bey (1842-1910), and was renamed the Istanbul State Academy of Fine Arts (İstanbul Devlet Güzel Sanatlar Akademisi) in 1928. The academy became Mimar Sinan University on July 20, 1982, and took its current name in 2003.
Best seen from a ferry on the Bosporus, the university is housed in the Twin Palaces (Çifte Saraylar). They were built between 1856 and 1859 by Ottoman Armenian architect Garabet Amira Balyan (1800-1866) for the daughters of Sultan Abdülmecid I, Cemile Sultan (1843-1915) and Münire Sultan (1844-1862).
Cemile Sultan Palace
The Cemile Sultan Palace sits to the east. It was completed six months after the wedding of Cemile Sultan and Mahmud Celaleddin Pasha (1836-1884), which took place on May 17, 1857. From 1913 to 1920, it functioned as Ottoman Parliament (Meclis-i Mebusan) and witnessed the last parliamentary sessions during the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. After the proclamation of the Turkish Republic, some cases of the Independence Tribunal were heard there.
The Cemile Sultan Palace became property of the College of Fine Arts in 1926. It was destroyed by fire in 1948, restored, and reopened in 1953. The hall that was used by Ottoman Parliament and the Independence Tribunal is now used as a conference hall.
Münire Sultan Palace
The Münire Sultan Palace, which sits to the west, was originally built for Münire Sultan and her husband, Prince Ibrahim Ilhami Pasha (1836-1860), son of Abbas I of Egypt (1812-1854). Their wedding was celebrated on the same day as Cemile Sultan’s. In 1868, 6 years after the death of Münire Sultan at the age of 17, the palace was allocated to Adile Sultan (1826-1899), the sister of Sultan Abdülmecid I. In 1889, it passed to Saliha Sultan (1862-1941), the daughter of Sultan Abdülaziz. Ahmed Zülküf Pasha, the son-in-law of Abdülaziz, lived there after Saliha Sultan’s death.
After the establishment of the Turkish Republic, the palace became the headquarters of the Corps Command (Kolordu Komutanlığı) and later served as the Istanbul University Faculty of Letters (İstanbul Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakültesi) and the Atatürk Girls’ High School (Atatürk Kız Lisesi). It was transferred to the Istanbul State Academy of Fine Arts, now the university, in 1969 and opened to classes on November 21, 1975.
Fındıklı Park
Fındıklı Park (Fındıklı Parkı) is a pleasant seaside park with sculptures, benches, and trees. There’s also a small café. It’s a nice place to relax and enjoy the views across the Bosporus.
Molla Çelebi Mosque
Molla Çelebi Mosque (Molla Çelebi Camii) sits east of the park. It’s a minor work of Mimar Sinan (1490-1588), built between 1570 and 1584. The mosque was commissioned by Kazasker Mehmed Vusuli Efendi, the chief judge of Constantinople.
Though relatively small, the mosque is quite impressive. The entrance is under a portico topped by four small domes. It has a beautifully decorated prayer hall that measures only 18.9 x 16.4 meters (62 x 53.8 feet) and is topped by a dome 11.8 meters (39 feet) in diameter. The mihrab sits in an apse.
Behind the mosque is the ablutions fountain, which is a single row of faucets set below ground level. There’s one minaret on the right corner of the building.
