Emirgan – one of the Bosphorous straight’s enticing little “villages”, famous for its red trees, historical villas and “yalis”, seafront cafes, and Sycamore trees. Take a tour with us in this quaint part of Istanbul.
Emirgan Sütiş
Emirgan Sutis is a world famous sea front cafe-restaurant. Its large outdoor spaces spill into the streets as people queue for a spot. Typically Turks visit on the weekends – early bird gets the worm at this brilliant spot.
Çınaraltı Cafe
This famous cafe is set amongst Emirgan’s peaceful Sycamore trees. Visitors in the summer bask in the sunshine that is split by these ancient trees. The wooden house is steeped in history and is was a favourite spot of Yahya Kemal, famous Turkish poet.
Hidiv İsmail Paşa Yalısı
This stunning mansion, or “yali”, was built on land gifted by Sultan Abdulaziz to Ismail Pasa, the Khedive of Egypt and Sudan in the late 19th century. Ismail Pasa commissioned the wooden house that now sits upon the land almost immediately, and a magnificient job they did too. The wooden mansion sits as one of the most exquisite along the entire straight. Three mansions were built, each given different names in line with their colours – White mansion, Yellow mansion, and Pink mansion. They proudly sit in the grove, in immaculate condition
Emirgan Grove
Emirgan grove is a quaint forest that overlooks the Bosphorous. Despite its small size, it houses three mansions, and a small pool. The grove is delightful break on the incredible sprawl of Istanbul, offering refreshing nature to its visitors. Weekends can get crowded so your average tourist should visit during the week. One of the mansions has been converted into a cafe, and has decent breakfast and light lunches available.
Şerifler Mansion
This mansion is one of Emirgan’s most well known. It’s named after Mekke Şerifi Abdullah Paşa, but its origin is not actually known. Built in the 19th century, it is one of the few mansions intact from that era. It’s most notable features are the detailed wall and ceiling mottifs, which remain in excellent condition. It neighbours the Emirgan Mosque, the only mosque to be directly on the Bosphorous sea front. The mosque dates to 1781.
Atlı Köşk – the “horse” mansion
The mansion takes its name from the Horse statue that sits proudly at the entrance. Once belonging to the Sabanci family, the mansion is now in use an art museum. Well worth a visit, as it houses a wide range of historical art. Construction started in 1925, commissioned by Prince Mehmed Ali Hasan of Egypt. The statue is the work of Frenchman Louis Doumas, and was completed in 1864.
