Çarşı, Beşiktaş
Çarşı (literally market place), is geographically the old center of the municipality of Beşiktaş a part of central Istanbul, Turkey. The area is composed of a maze of tiny streets. The area is quite tiny but it is the center of the municipality of Beşiktaş.
As one of the main commercial districts of Istanbul, the Çarşı is known for its restaurants, meyhanes (pubs), döner stores, cafés, bakeries, patisseries, internet cafés and garment shops. There is a fish market and a farmers market organized daily. It is one of the centers of the Turkish youth culture. Many city-famous establishments such as the Viennese Café are located in the area.
History
The area was first developed in the 17th Century when a pleasure garden and several mansions were built there. After the relocation of the Ottoman dynasty to the Yıldız Palace, the area rapidly urbanized. This urbanization continued until the 1980s.[1]
In the 16th century the area was known for its shipyard and Sinan Paşa was one of the admirals of the Ottoman navy, hence the name of the neighborhood.
Geography
The area of Çarşı is delimited as followed :
- south : Bosphorus straight
- west : Ortabahçe Caddesi continuing as Ihlamur Caddesi
- north : southern edge of Abbasağa Parkı known as Şehit Kazım street
- east : Barbaros Caddesi (Barbaros Avenue)
Today it is administratively a part of the Sinanpaşa neighborhood.