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Osmanbey offers very little to visitors in terms of historic or touristic value. It’s an area of the district of Şişli in Istanbul, Turkey, and is mostly businesses and residential.
Halaskargazi Street
Halaskargazi Street cuts through the heart of Osmanbey. It’s a busy street with ugly buildings from the 1960s and 70s, but there’s an occasional historic gem along the way.
Sebat Building
The most important of those buildings is the Sebat Building, which sits between the two Osmanbey metro station entrances at Halaskargazi Street and Şafak Street. It was built in the mid 1920s by architect Rafael Alguadiş. The Agos Newspaper, which was founded in 1996 to raise awareness of the problems of the Armenian community and other minorities, moved into the building in 1999.
Hrant Dink Memorial
On January 19, 2007, the chief editor one of the founders of Agos, Hrant Dink (1954-2007), was assassinated outside the building. A plaque in his memory occupies the sidewalk on the spot he died at 3:05 PM.
Agos moved to another location in 2015. In 2019 a memorial museum, the 23.5 Hrant Dink Site of Memory, opened in its place. Admission is free and it’s open daily except Mondays (as of April 2024). I haven’t had a chance to visit.
Uğur Mumcu Monument
A few blocks south near the Harbiye Military Museum is a monument dedicated to Turkish journalist Uğur Mumcu (1942-1993). Mumcu was assassinated on January 24, 1993, by a bomb placed in a car outside his home.
Feriköy Roman Catholic Cemetery
From the Osmanbey metro station heading west down Rumeli Street are a few more important places. On the lefthand side along Rumeli Street is the Feriköy Roman Catholic Cemetery (Feriköy Latin Katolik Kabristanı). It’s the largest Catholic cemetery in Istanbul, dating back to 1863. It was closed when I walked by.
Feriköy Protestant Cemetery
Across Abide-i Hürriyet Street is the Feriköy Protestant Cemetery (Feriköy Protestan Mezarlığı). The land for the cemetery was donated by the Ottoman Empire in 1857 to the leading Protestant countries at the time. It’s managed by the consuls general of the United Kingdom, United States, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, Hungary, and Switzerland. The cemetery was closed when I walked by but opening times are posted at the gates.
Saint-Michel French High School
Just north of the Protestant Cemetery is the Saint-Michel French High School (Saint Michel Fransız Lisesi). It was founded in 1886 in Beyoğlu and has about 500 students. Students spend five years at the school and education is in French and Turkish.
Beth Israel Synagogue
Finally, back down Rumeli Street on Efe Street is the Beth Israel Synagogue (Bet İsrael Sinagogu). The community dates back to the 1920s and the current building was enlarged in 1952. On November 15, 2003, a bomb exploded in a van parked outside the back door of the synagogue, killing five people. It reopened to worship in January 2004. It’s possible to visit the synagogue after making appointments with the Neve Şalom Foundation, but expect a very high level of security.
(Fair warning: I’m going to vent here.) I walked by the synagogue with no expectation of visiting, but the security guard asked for my passport and opened the door to let me in. He then turned quite apprehensive when I asked if I could take a photo inside. Although he only spoke Turkish, he began to interrogate me using a translation app on his phone, asking questions such as “who sent you here?” and “why are you really here?”. At that moment, he became extremely unpleasant and a bit physical and told me to leave immediately. He threatened me and wouldn’t even let me take a photo of the entrance.
Due to the history of the synagogue, I understand the high security, but if he had told me about the visiting process from the very beginning, we could have avoided an awkward situation. If you would like to visit, please go through the proper channels so you don’t have the same problems I had.
Where to Eat in Osmanbey
I haven’t eaten at very many places in Osmanbey. There are better restaurants in other areas of Istanbul.
Mr. Hamza
Mr. Hamza serves up delicious burgers in a stuffed bun. It’s located a few steps from Halaskargazi Street. My friend Ali took me there for dinner one night and I left satisfied.
