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Bağlarbaşı is one of the busiest areas of the district of Üsküdar in Istanbul, Turkey. It’s easily accessible via a stop the M5 metro line.
The area doesn’t really have anything of value for tourists, but it has to closest metro stop to the Tiled Mosque and Atik Valide Mosque. To make the most out of your trip, you can stop and see the landmarks below on your way to the mosques.
Bağlarbaşı Surp Haç Armenian Cemetery
Once I exited the metro at Bağlarbaşı station, I immediately saw a large cemetery directly across the street. The Bağlarbaşı Surp Haç Armenian Cemetery (Bağlarbaşı Surp Haç Ermeni Mezarlığı) was founded in 1551 and is made up of two sections. The southern section belongs to the Surp Garabed Church Foundation while the northern section belongs to the Surp Haç Church Foundation.
The cemetery was surrounded by high walls in 1885. Several important Armenians who contributed to Ottoman society are buried there, including poet Mateos Zarifyan (1894-1924); architect Sarkis Balyan (1835-1899); Patriarch Yegise Turyan (1860-1930); and poet Bedros Turyan (1851-1872).
Smaller plots of land on the same block belong to the Bağlarbaşı Greek Cemetery (Bağlarbaşı Rum Mezarlığı) and the Bağlarbaşı Jewish Cemetery (Bağlarbaşı Musevi Mezarlığı).
Marmara University Faculty of Theology Mosque
Directly south of the cemetery is the Marmara University Faculty of Theology Mosque (Marmara Üniversitesi İlahiyat Fakültesi Camii). Construction on this interesting modern mosque started in 2012, and it opened to prayer on October 23, 2015. It replaced an older mosque built in 1982 that was demolished because it wasn’t earthquake resistant.
The mosque design incorporates Turkish triangles traditionally used in Seljuk and Ottoman architecture. My favorite feature is the domed ceiling, which was created using overlapping wooden beams and glass. It was designed to show the effect of light and shadow on space, and was inspired by the nautilus.
Prophet Elijah Greek Orthodox Church
In the neighborhood to the west are two churches serving the local Greek and Armenian communities. First is the Prophet Elijah Greek Orthodox Church (Προφήτης Ἠλίας Χρυσουπόλεως / Profiti İlya Kilisesi).
The church was first mentioned in the year 950 as a monastery. Tradition says a later church was built in 1585 with funds from Nurbanu Sultan (1525-1583), the mother of Sultan Murad III, who may have been Greek. The church was rebuilt in 1804 and again in 1851.
Surp Garabed Armenian Church
A couple blocks away is Surp Garabed Armenian Church (Surp Garabed Ermeni Kilisesi). It was originally built in 1555 and repaired in 1617 by Ottoman Armenian architect Sarkis Kalfa. Today’s church was built in 1888.
Surp Garabed Armenian Church contains twin bell towers that were made of cut stone. It was repaired in 2006 and reopened to worship by Armenian Patriarch Mesrob II.
