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Sütlüce is a neighborhood on the north shore of the Golden Horn in Istanbul, Turkey. It’s located in the Beyoğlu district.
Getting to Sütlüce
The most pleasant way to get to Sütlüce is on the Golden Horn ferry. It’s the penultimate stop on routes from Karaköy or Üsküdar heading to Eyüp. There are also several bus routes along the Golden Horn that make a stop there, including the lines passing by Miniatürk.
Haliç Congress Center
The most important structure in the neighborhood is the Haliç Congress Center (Haliç Kongre Merkezi). From 1923 to 1984, it served as Istanbul’s main slaughterhouse. The complex sat abandoned for about 35 years until it reopened as the congress center. The first event was the 5th World Water Forum, which took place between March 16-20, 2009. There were over 30,000 attendees from 182 countries.
The Haliç Congress Center boasts 102,000 square meters of space, including 16,000 square meters of outdoor area. There’s a concert hall for an audience of 3,000; an 1,110 seat theatre; 3 movie theatres with a total capacity of 800; a central foyer; galleries; a restaurant with seating for 650; and 14 meeting halls accommodating between 50 and 850 people. All kinds of public and private events are hosted there annually.
Humbarahane Mosque
Just under the Haliç Bridge (Haliç Köprüsü) is the Humbarahane Mosque (Humbarahane Camii). It was built in 1794 by Mihrişah Sultan (1745-1805), the chief consort of Sultan Mustafa III and the mother of Sultan Selim III.
The mosque was also called the Halıcıoğlu Mosque (Halıcıoğlu Camii) and Mihrişah Sultan Mosque (Mihrişah Sultan Camii). It actually sat in the courtyard of the Humbarahane Barracks (Humbarahane Kışlası), which were built two years earlier by Selim III. Only a small section of the barracks survives today. Click here for a virtual tour of the mosque.
Nostalgic Gondola Rides
If you want to experience a nostalgic gondola ride on the Golden Horn, you can do it from Sütlüce. There are electric gondolas that can take you across to Eyüp for a small fee, or you can hire them for longer trips. The gondolas have a capacity of six passengers.
