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Beşiktaş Stadium (Beşiktaş Stadyumu), currently known as Tüpraş Stadium for sponsorship purposes, is the home ground of the Beşiktaş football club. It’s located in the Dolmabahçe area of Istanbul, Turkey,
History of Beşiktaş Stadium
Beşiktaş Stadium replaced İnönü Stadium but incorporated the Eski Açık stand into the project. Construction started in October 2013 and was completed in 2016. The first match took place on April 11, 2016, between Beşiktaş and Bursaspor, ending with a 3-2 Beşiktaş victory.
Beşiktaş Stadium has a capacity of 42,590. It was designed by DB Architects as the first green stadium in Turkey. There are 147 suites and 186 press seats. Also inside is the Beşiktaş JK Museum, the Beşiktaş Shop, and high-end restaurants.
Visiting Beşiktaş Stadium
The team museum and official store at Beşiktaş Stadium are open to the public and there’s also a stadium tour. Adult admission to the Beşiktaş JK Museum is 400₺ for foreigners (as of March 2024). It’s open daily except Mondays and the first days of religious holidays, and closes two hours before the gates open on game days. Most of the museum displays are in both Turkish and English.
Guided tours of the stadium for foreign adults are 280₺ for the tour only or 400₺ including admission to the museum (as of March 2024). Tours last about 90 minutes and run in Turkish, but foreign visitors can follow the tour with an audioguide. Numbers in each section of the tour indicate which chapter to listen to on the audioguide. There are no tours on Mondays, game days, or the first days of religious holidays. Check the official website for more info.
Beşiktaş JK Museum
The Beşiktaş JK Museum (Beşiktaş JK Müzesi) chronicles the history of the Beşiktaş football club. It’s the biggest sports museum in Turkey with an area of 1,650 meters spread over two floors. There are hundreds of objects on display including trophies, photos, and memorabilia. Many interactive displays include video, virtual games, and other technology. There are 42 sections in the museum, but I’ve only covered the sections that caught my eye.
Chronology of Beşiktaş
Visits to the Beşiktaş JK Museum start on the upper level where there’s a chronology of the club history. It covers the club’s founders as well as championships and cups.
2016-17 Champions
During my visit, there were cutouts of the latest Beşiktaş team to win the Turkish Super League, which occurred in the 2016-17 season. In the center of the room, glass cases displayed autographed jerseys of every member of the club that season as well as the trophy.
History of the Beşiktaş Logo
Next is the lower level, where there’s a display about the history of the Beşiktaş club logo. As the first registered sports club in Ottoman and Turkish history, Beşiktaş was allowed to display the Turkish flag on its logo.
Beşiktaş by Decade
Important moments from each decade of the club’s history lines a long wall of the museum. On display are trophies, boots, photos, shirts, and more. Some sections cover Super League championship seasons, listing winning squads and providing details of how Beşiktaş won the championship.
Beşiktaş in Europe
In another section, panels highlight the team’s famous victories in the Champions League and Europa League.
Unforgettable Players
In the center of the gallery, jerseys and boots of unforgettable Beşiktaş players are on display. There’s also a memorial dedicated to players and club members who lost their lives in the Balkan Wars, Gallipoli Campaign in World War I, and the Turkish War of Independence.
Süleyman Seba
Another area is dedicated to long-time club president Süleyman Seba (1926-2014). Seba played as a winger for the club from 1946 to 1953, and served as president for 16 years from 1984 to 2000.
Beşiktaş Fans
A special section about Beşiktaş fans chronicles personal stories about how the team has affected their lives. Another exhibits flags used by ultras. Also, one of my favorite sections is a soundproof booth where visitors can experience the sound of the crowd. The booth uses the loudest decibel level ever recorded in the stadium.
Beşiktaş Home Stadiums
One of the final sections of the museum covers the different stadiums Beşiktaş has called “home”. Visitors can look at photos of Taksim Stadium at Taksim Square as well as İnönü Stadium.
Models of both İnönü Stadium and Beşiktaş Stadium side-by-side have videos projected onto each model. Beşiktaş Stadium was built on the site of İnönü Stadium.
Jerseys
Another display chronicles the evolution of the club’s football jersey. Jerseys from each decade sit behind glass cases with team photos above.
Multimedia Area
Finally, there’s an interactive children’s activity zone as well as a multimedia area where fans can relive historic games.
Beşiktaş Stadium Tour
My tour of Beşiktaş Stadium started with a history of the club. As the only foreigner on the tour, I listened to the audioguide while the guide spoke to the Turkish visitors. We then walked up a stairwell with games from Beşiktaş championship seasons listed on each stair. At the top, we got our first view of the field.
Next, we walked down the concourse to an upper level of the stadium. Again, we got fantastic views of the field from midfield.
Press Level at Beşiktaş Stadium
The guide showed us the press level where members of the media sit during games. Some seats have headphones and others have personal TV screens. Each seat with a TV screen is labeled with an assigned media outlet.
Behind the press seats is a press lounge filled with couches and tables. Historic radio calls from Beşiktaş games are highlighted on one of the walls.
Suite Level at Beşiktaş Stadium
We then walked to the suite level where we were able to peek into one of the luxury suites. Nearby is a concession area where several trophies are displayed on the wall.
Service Tunnel
After walking down a stairwell with famous coaches listed on the walls, we entered the service tunnel. Visiting buses and players drive their cars through the tunnel to safely enter the stadium. There are some impressive murals painted on the walls.
Player Entrance at Beşiktaş Stadium
We walked through the player entrance to experience how players enter Beşiktaş Stadium. Beşiktaşk is spelled out on the wall just inside the entrance. It’s a combination of the words Beşiktaş and love. This was a popular photo op for Beşiktaş fans on the tour.
Media Room at Beşiktaş Stadium
From there, we went through the media entrance to the media room. We were able to sit at the desk where players and coaches give press conferences. Since Beşiktaş was playing in the UEFA Europa League at the time, the desk featured the Europa League logo.
Beşiktaş Dressing Room
Next, we walked to the Beşiktaş dressing room. The first room was a small training area where payers warm up before the game.
The next room is the actual dressing room with player lockers. Guests were able to take photos next to the locker of their favorite players. A jacuzzi is attached to the dressing room.
Visitors Dressing Room at Beşiktaş Stadium
We then went to the visitors dressing room which is similar to the Beşiktaş dressing room. Each locker featured a football shirt of a famous player who has played against Beşiktaş. Some of the players include Wayne Rooney, Rivaldo, and Clarence Seedorf. The visitors dressing room also has a jacuzzi.
On the Field at Beşiktaş Stadium
After visiting the dressing rooms, we walked through the players tunnel to the field. We were able to see the field from a unique perspective. We also had the opportunity to sit on the benches.
From there, we walked down the sideline and into the stands. Looking up into the stands, I spotted a banner with a photo of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881-1938), the founder of the Turkish Republic, who was a big Beşiktaş fan.
After walking through a section of the stands, we got one final look at the field.
Wall of Honor at Beşiktaş Stadium
At the end of the tour, we walked past a wall featuring the most famous number 10s in Beşiktaş history, then past one of the stadium exits.
Another wall featured the names of the best goalkeepers to play for the club. The Wall of Honor listed Beşiktaş players who also played for their national team.
My Thoughts on the Beşiktaş Stadium Tour
Overall, it was a fun tour and I recommend it to any football fan visiting Istanbul. I enjoyed getting to see Beşiktaş Stadium from behind the scenes. However, I felt it was a little disorganized although the audioguide was helpful.
İnönü Stadium
Beşiktaş Stadium replaced İnönü Stadium (İnönü Stadyumu) as the home of Beşiktaş football club. In fact, it incorporated parts of İnönü Stadium in the construction.
İnönü Stadium was built between 1939 and 1947 by Italian architect Paolo Vietti-Violi (1882-1965). It was originally named Dolmabahçe Stadium and had a capacity of 16,000. The stadium was inaugurated on May 19, 1947, by İsmet İnönü (1884-1973), the second President of Turkey, and Lütfi Kırdar (1887-1961), the Governor of Istanbul.
The first football match at the stadium took place on November 27, 1947, between Beşiktaş and AIK of Stockholm, Sweden. Beşiktaş lost 3-2. The first goal in the stadium was scored by Süleyman Seba (1926-2014).
The stadium was renamed Mithatpaşa Stadium in 1952 and finally İnönü Stadium in 1973. Capacity was expanded to 32,145 in 2004. The final game was played on May 11, 2013, with Beşiktaş beating Gençlerbirliği of Ankara 3-0. İnönü Stadium was demolished a few months later.
In addition to football matches, İnönü Stadium was also used for concerts. The first concert to take place there was Bryan Adams on July 28, 1992. Michael Jackson performed there on September 23, 1993, in front of a crowd of 40,000. Other concerts include Madonna, Guns N’ Roses, Bon Jovi, Elton John, Sting, Rihanna, and Rod Stewart. The final concert took place on July 26, 2013, featuring Iron Maiden.
My Experience at İnönü Stadium
When I lived in Istanbul, I passed İnönü Stadium several times on the way to and from work. I was only able to attend one football match. On April 15, 2011, I saw Beşiktaş play Gençlerbirliği to a 2-2 draw.
