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Golden Horn |
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 Some
of the most beautiful panoramic views of the city of istanbul
may be seen along the
Golden Horn. The Marmara Sea forms a narrow strait towards its
merging point with the Kağıthane Stream by entering into the
land through the historic peninsula shores, resulting in a deep
natural harbor.
Golden Horn was significant in terms of fishery, agriculture and
transportation in the past. In
referring to the "fertility" of the Bosphorus waters, the region
has been called as the "Golden Horn" since its first residential
neighborhoods began to be established. Turkish, Greek, Armenian
and Jewish people lived there side by side in Ottoman times. For
that reason, the region is of
major significance for the cultural heritage of istanbul. The
shipyard on the Beyoglu side of the Golden Horn and the
industrial facilities subsequently built around this shipyard
had turned the whole region into a factory site for a while.
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 The
Golden Horn Bay, that had previously hosted various rarely seen
sea life and had been the spawning ground of many fish species
of the Marmara Sea, is recently attracting fishermen once again.
The most reasonable route for a tour of the Golden Horn is to
start from the Eminonu side of the historic peninsula toward the
northern part. Along this route, the first noticeable building
is the historical cigarette factory building which today is used
as a university campus.
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When following the shoreline, fish
restaurants are seen. After the cleaning process of the bay,
these restaurants constituting one of the most significant
symbols of the region have become a center of gravity again.
Some historical buildings, which had become derelict with the
negligence of the whole region, were restored and are now used
as fish restaurants. In these restaurants, you can find various
traditional appetizers as well as fresh and delicious fish
dishes. Continuing along this route, you arrive at the district
of Fener, or "beacon." This district, which was added to the
World's Cultural Heritage List by UNESCO in 1988, was named
after the oldest and most significant beacon on the Golden Horn
Bay. While the district had been called "Fanarion" during the
Byzantine period, it began to be known as "Fener" during the
Ottoman period. Being one of the purest districts of istanbul in
terms of its historical structures hosting many historical
churches, mosques and houses, Fener has begun to attract
attention of many people, especially the intellectuals of
istanbul since the late 1990s. The restored historical buildings
were opened to residential use again.
The district of Balat, which is next to Fener, was also taken to
the World's Cultural Heritage List by the UNESCO. With their
historical buildings remaining from the Byzantine and Ottoman
periods, Balat and Fener can be likened to two old wise persons
standing side by side on the southern shores of the Golden Horn.
Balat, which is very similar to Fener in terms of its historical
characteristics and building texture, is a district having
preferred by the Jewish people since the Byzantine period. The
houses located in Balat have distinct characteristics of the Old
istanbul houses. Balat had been a residential area for
especially the Jewish people who came from Spain in 1492 and
from Portugal and Italy in 1497 to seek refuge in the Ottoman
Empire.
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| The churches of the Armenians and
Greeks who lived in Fener and Balat and the mosques and dervish
lodges built by the Muslim Turks mainly after the 17th century
make Balat some sort of "Jerusalem miniature" metaphorically. |
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Bulgarian St. Stephen Church |
 In the Fener district, another
significant building attracting attention with its amazing
architecture is the Bulgarian Church. Its
prominent location being a triangular islet on the shoreline
between the districts of Fener and Balat, the church is
impossible to miss. Considering the time period in which the
church was constructed, the building techniques used seem to be
quite interesting. As one of the first prefabricated buildings
in the world, the church was completed just in one month.
Molten iron sheets produced in Austria were sent to istanbul and
then mounted in place.
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Fener Rum High School |
 The
Fener Rum High School is associated with the districts of Fener
and Balat with its glamorous architectural design. Since the
school on the Sancaklar Hill was built with red bricks imported
from France, it is known by the public as the "Red School". Its
magnificent red tower can be seen from almost any part of the
Golden Horn. |
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Anatolian Kavak and Lighthouse