Uskudar

Welcome to Oos-koo-dar, a district that offers a profound and necessary counterpoint to the frenetic, heavily touristed atmosphere of the European peninsula. We have just completed a journey across the Bosphorus Strait, a brief,…

Dominating the main square, directly opposite the ferry terminals, stands the magnificent Mihrimah Sultan Mosque. Commissioned in the mid-sixteenth century, this architectural masterpiece was designed by the peerless Mimar Sinan,…

Leaving the serene precinct of the mosque, we plunge directly into the visceral, chaotic energy of the Oos-koo-dar fish market, or Balikcilar Carsisi. Located just a short walk from the square, this compact but intensely active…

Having navigated the intense energy of the market, we now turn southward, joining the wide, paved pedestrian promenade that hugs the Asian shoreline of the Bosphorus. This coastal walkway is the grand civic balcony of…

Continuing along the promenade, we encounter a small, almost jewel-like architectural marvel perched directly on the edge of the seawall: the Semsi Pasha Mosque. Commissioned in fifteen eighty by a powerful Ottoman vizier and…

We have now reached the section of the coastline known as Salacak. This specific stretch of the promenade is arguably the most romantic and deeply atmospheric location in all of Istanbul. …

Directly in front of the Salacak steps, rising impossibly from a tiny islet in the swirling currents of the Bosphorus, is one of Istanbul's most recognizable and mythologized landmarks: the Maiden's Tower, or Kiz Kulesi. This…

As the sun finally sets behind the distant silhouette of the Hagia Sophia, casting a spectacular, fiery glow across the waters of the Bosphorus, our exploration of Oos-koo-dar draws to a close. The visual transformation of the…