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The village of Beylerbeyi sits just north of the Bosphorus Bridge on the Asian side of the Bosphorus in Istanbul. It’s located in the district of Üsküdar between Çengelköy and Kuzguncuk.
Introduction to Beylerbeyi
Beylerbeyi means “Lord of Lords” in Turkish. The village was known as Stavrós (Σταυρός) or Hrisokéramos (Χρυσοκέραμος) during the Byzantine period. The lavish Beylerbeyi Palace, which is covered in another post, was built there in the mid 19th century. The neighborhood started to grow in the 1960s and 70s with the construction of modern apartment buildings.
Today, you’ll find several wooden Ottoman homes and buildings, a couple historic mosques, a small seaside promenade containing shops and fish restaurants, and beautiful seaside mansions best seen from a boat. You might even encounter people fishing on the Bosphorus. Overall, it’s a nice place to spend a few hours.
Getting to Beylerbeyi
The easiest way to get to Beylerbeyi 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 a bus with the number 15. Beylerbeyi Palace is the second stop after crossing under the Bosphorus Bridge and the village is the third stop.
You can also take a dolmuş going to Beykoz and ask the driver to let you out at Beylerbeyi – it’s much faster than the bus.
There’s a ferry service on the Istanbul City Ferry Lines (İstanbul Şehir Hatları) from Üsküdar but it isn’t frequent or convenient.
Hamid-i Evvel Mosque
The Hamid-i Evvel Mosque (Hamid-i Evvel Camii), also known as the Beylerbeyi Mosque (Beylerbeyi Camii), is a historic Baroque mosque on the waterfront. It was commissioned by Sultan Abdülhamid I and dedicated to his mother, Rabia Şermi Kadın (d. c. 1732). The architect is thought to have been Mehmed Tahir Ağa. Construction began on the site of the İstavroz Palace (İstavroz Sarayı) in 1777 and it opened to worship on August 15, 1778.
The mosque took its current appearance after modifications made by Sultan Mahmud II between 1820 and 1821. During the modifications, the single minaret was demolished and two new ones were built. The mosque was once part of a complex that included a hamam, primary school, and two fountains. Mahmud II added another fountain and a timekeeper’s room. The mosque was badly damaged in an earthquake in 1894. It was restored in 1969 and again in 2013.
The Hamid-i Evvel Mosque has an entrance supported by marble Corinthian columns. Atop the U-shaped gallery is the Sultan’s loge (Hünkâr Mahfili). The prayer hall is topped by a dome 14.5 meters in diameter. The mihrab is made of marble, and the decorations include a mix of reused 16th and 17th century Iznik and Kütahya tiles along with European tiles. There are a total of 55 windows.
Directorate General of Coastal Safety
On the south side of the Bosphorus Bridge is the Directorate General of Coastal Safety (Kıyı Emniyeti Genel Müdürlüğü). It was established on May 12, 1997, and is charged with the safety of navigation in Turkish waters.
Seaside Mansions in Beylerbeyi
As I mentioned earlier, the village has some impressive seaside mansions (yalılar) to admire. I’ll cover some of the most notable ones below.
Debreli Ismail Hakkı Pasha Mansion
First, next to the Hamid-i Evvel Mosque is the Debreli Ismail Hakkı Pasha Mansion (Debreli İsmail Hakkı Paşa Yalısı). It was built between 1876 and 1890 by Ismail Hakkı Pasha and designed by French-Ottoman architect Alexandre Vallaury (1850-1921). It was damaged by fire on March 14, 1983, and rebuilt according to its original design between 1993 and 1996.
The building is a mixture of the Baroque and Empire styles. It has 300 square meters of floor space. Each floor contains a central hall connecting to four rooms. Today, it serves as the Bosphorus Palace Hotel. It has 10 luxurious rooms.
Hasib Pasha Mansion
A bit further down the coast is the Hasib Pasha Mansion (Hasip Paşa Yalısı), which was built around 1825 by Mehmed Hasib Pasha (d. 1870). It actually burned down during construction but was immediately rebuilt with a separate harem and selamlık. What you see today is the selamlık, as the harem was replaced by the Mabeynci Faik Bey Mansion next door.
The mansion has 26 rooms over 2 stories and sits on a plot of land measuring 900 square meters. In addition to the mansion, there are three outbuildings, a marble pool, a covered sea bath, and a 4-acre garden. The architect is unknown but is believed to have been Italian.
The mansion burned down on October 14, 1973. The heirs of Hasib Pasha sold the property to Nazım Kalkavan who in turn sold it to Esra Cay. In 1987, it was purchased by Özdemir Sabancı (1941-1996), and passed to his son Demir after his death. The mansion was restored in the 1990s.
Mabeynci Faik Bey Mansion
The Mabeynci Faik Bey Mansion (Mabeynci Faik Bey Yalısı), with its signature towers, sits next door. It was built on the site of the Hasib Pasha Mansion harem by Mabeynci Faik Bey in 1890. He served at Yıldız Palace during the reign of Sultan Abdülhamid II. During his time in the mansion, he hosted musical performances, literary conversations, and intellectual assemblies. The property was later sold to Esra Bereket and later to Hacı Sabancı (1935-1998). Also known as the Kalkavan Mansion (Kalkavan Yalısı), it featured in the 1964 movie Topkapi, starring Melina Mercouri (1920-1994) and Peter Ustinov (1921-2004).
Hamid Pasha Mansion
Continuing north you’ll spot the Hamid Pasha Mansion (Hamid Paşa Yalısı). It was originally built in the late 18th century by Halil Hamid Pasha (1736-1785), a Grand Vizier under Sultan Abdülhamid I. The three-story mansion was sold by his heirs in 1972 and was rebuilt between 1978 and 1980. It has lost its original appearance.
Hüseyin Kazım Kadri Mansion
Next door to the north is the Hüseyin Kâzım Kadri Mansion (Hüseyin Kazım Kadri Yalısı). It’s one of the few pink mansions on the Bosphorus. In 1922, Hüseyin Kâzım Kadri (1870-1934) purchased the Mansion of the Palace Coachman from Trabzon (Trabzonlu Saray Faytoncusunun Köşkü), which was built in 1904. He had it torn down to build the current mansion, designed by Mimar Kemaleddin (1870-1927).
Hüseyin Kâzım Kadri published the Tanin newspaper along with Tevfik Fikret (1867-1915) and Hüseyin Cahit (1874-1957). He also served as a politician. His family lived in the mansion for a short time after his death and it was then briefly used as a German guesthouse.
In 1955, the mansion was purchased by Istanbul Governor Fahrettin Kerim Gökay (1900-1987). He later deeded the property to the Fahrettin Kerim Gökay Foundation (Fahrettin Kerim Gökay Vakfı), which rented it out to the Doğanay Nightclub for many years until it was converted into a restaurant. Today, the mansion is more commonly known as the Gül Sultan Mansion (Gül Sultan Yalısı). It hosts both an event venue as well as the Beylerbeyi Doğa Restaurant.
Where to Eat in Beylerbeyi
I’ve only eaten at one place in the village so far.
Villa Bosphorus Beylerbeyi
One of the best restaurants I’ve been to in Istanbul is Villa Bosphorus Beylerbeyi. It sits right on the Bosphorus and has incredible views. Reservations are recommended.
On my first visit, I went with a group of eight and we shared a delicious dinner. We started off with shrimp, salad, cheese, octopus, fried calamari, and other meze dishes.
We also ordered a huge lagos fish. They brought it out for the table to inspect, then took it back to the kitchen and grilled it to perfection as we sampled the starters. When it was ready, they brought it back to the table on a huge platter and served a big chunk to everyone in our party.
To finish off the meal, we shared a baked halva, a fig dessert, and a pumpkin dessert. Everything was delicious and our group enjoyed the experience dining on the shore of the Bosphorus.
On my second visit, I organized a group dinner for 22 people during a tour I was leading. We sat in the main dining room. The starters were the same as my previous visit and we had sea bass as our main course. Everyone was more than happy with their meal, and the service was excellent.
