Beykoz () is a municipality and
district
A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...
of
Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 310 km
2, and its population is 247,875 (2022).
It lies at the northern end of the
Bosphorus
The Bosporus or Bosphorus Strait ( ; , colloquially ) is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul, Turkey. The Bosporus connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and forms one of the continental bo ...
on the Anatolian side. The name is believed to be a combination of the words
bey
Bey, also spelled as Baig, Bayg, Beigh, Beig, Bek, Baeg, Begh, or Beg, is a Turkic title for a chieftain, and a royal, aristocratic title traditionally applied to people with special lineages to the leaders or rulers of variously sized areas in ...
and ''kos'', which means "village" in
Farsi
Persian ( ), also known by its endonym Farsi (, Fārsī ), is a Western Iranian language belonging to the Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian subdivision of the Indo-European languages. Persian is a pluricentric language predominantly spoke ...
. Beykoz includes an area from the streams of Küçüksu and Göksu (just before
Anadoluhisarı
Anadoluhisarı (), known historically as Güzelce Hisar ("the Beauteous Fortress") is a medieval Ottoman fortress located in Istanbul, Turkey on the Anatolian (Asian) side of the Bosporus. The complex is the oldest surviving Turkish architectural ...
) to the opening of the
Bosphorus
The Bosporus or Bosphorus Strait ( ; , colloquially ) is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul, Turkey. The Bosporus connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and forms one of the continental bo ...
into the
Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...
, and the villages in the hinterland as far as the
Riva creek. Before the
Turkish alphabet reform of 1928, it was sometimes Latinized variously as ''Beicos'' or ''Beikos''.
History
The mouth of the Bosphorus in ancient times was used as a place of sacrifice, specifically to petition the
Twelve Olympians
file:Greek - Procession of Twelve Gods and Goddesses - Walters 2340.jpg, upright=1.8, Fragment of a Hellenistic relief sculpture, relief (1st century BC1st century AD) depicting the twelve Olympians carrying their attributes in procession; from ...
, including
Zeus
Zeus (, ) is the chief deity of the List of Greek deities, Greek pantheon. He is a sky father, sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, who rules as king of the gods on Mount Olympus.
Zeus is the child ...
and
Poseidon
Poseidon (; ) is one of the twelve Olympians in ancient Greek religion and mythology, presiding over the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses.Burkert 1985pp. 136–139 He was the protector of seafarers and the guardian of many Hellenic cit ...
, for a safe journey across the Black Sea, without which no one would venture into those stormy waters.
The first people to settle the upper Bosphorus were
Thracians
The Thracians (; ; ) were an Indo-European languages, Indo-European speaking people who inhabited large parts of Southeast Europe in ancient history.. "The Thracians were an Indo-European people who occupied the area that today is shared betwee ...
and
Greeks
Greeks or Hellenes (; , ) are an ethnic group and nation native to Greece, Greek Cypriots, Cyprus, Greeks in Albania, southern Albania, Greeks in Turkey#History, Anatolia, parts of Greeks in Italy, Italy and Egyptian Greeks, Egypt, and to a l ...
, and the ancient name for the area was
Amikos (Αμικός in
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
) or Amnicus (Αμνικός), named after a Thracian king. However, the area has changed hands many times since. As well as being a strategically important crossing point, the Bosphorus is rich in fish. Consequently, Beykoz has been invaded by groups from around and beyond the Black Sea:
Thracians
The Thracians (; ; ) were an Indo-European languages, Indo-European speaking people who inhabited large parts of Southeast Europe in ancient history.. "The Thracians were an Indo-European people who occupied the area that today is shared betwee ...
,
Bithynia
Bithynia (; ) was an ancient region, kingdom and Roman province in the northwest of Asia Minor (present-day Turkey), adjoining the Sea of Marmara, the Bosporus, and the Black Sea. It bordered Mysia to the southwest, Paphlagonia to the northeast a ...
ns,
Persians
Persians ( ), or the Persian people (), are an Iranian ethnic group from West Asia that came from an earlier group called the Proto-Iranians, which likely split from the Indo-Iranians in 1800 BCE from either Afghanistan or Central Asia. They ...
,
Greeks
Greeks or Hellenes (; , ) are an ethnic group and nation native to Greece, Greek Cypriots, Cyprus, Greeks in Albania, southern Albania, Greeks in Turkey#History, Anatolia, parts of Greeks in Italy, Italy and Egyptian Greeks, Egypt, and to a l ...
,
Romans,
Byzantines, and finally
Turks.
In the
Ottoman period, the land behind Beykoz was open country and forest used for hunting and an escape from the city by the
Sultan
Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...
s and their court. The hunting lodge at Küçüksu, as well as the fountains and mosques that decorate the villages along the coast, date from this era. The name Beykoz was established at this time and is thought to be derived from Bey (meaning prince, lord, or gentleman) and Koz (the Persian word for village). Koz is also a word for a type of walnut, which is another possible etymology.
Under Turkish control, the straits have retained their strategic value, and British troops assembled in Beykoz on their way to fight in the
Crimea
Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...
in 1854.
Later attempts were made to bring industry to the area, most importantly the
glassworks at Paşabahçe, which began as small workshops in the 17th century and by the 18th and 19th centuries were a well-established factory making the ornate spiral-designed or semi-opaque white glassware known to collectors worldwide as 'Beykoz-ware'.
On the hillsides above the Bosphorus, Beykoz has always suffered from uncontrolled development, and large areas above the Bosphorus are covered in
illegal housing, where migrants have come to live and work in glass and other industries. Areas like
Çubuklu and
Paşabahçe are continually struggling to build infrastructure to keep up with the housing being built illegally or semi-legally. Due to this incoming industrial workforce Beykoz has a working-class character unseen behind the luxury of the Bosphorus waterfront.
Now the illegal building is happening in the forests further back from the sea, particularly in the areas of Çavuşbaşı and Elmalı. This countryside is scattered with little villages, all of which are expanding now that more roads are being put through.
Not all the new housing is scrappy, and Beykoz holds some of the most luxurious new developments in the Istanbul area, the villa estates of Acarkent and Beykoz Konaklar, home to filmstars, members of parliament, and other Istanbul glitterati.
Beykoz has a small fishing community (although the main fishing fleet is based in Istanbul itself). The fish restaurants at Anadolu Kavağı in particular have sprung up to serve day trippers from the Bosphorus tours by ferryboat.
Cultural Sites
The Bosphorus coastal road runs up to Beykoz from
Beylerbeyi (below the
Bosphorus Bridge) and there are roads down to the coast from the
Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge
The Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge ("Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror Bridge"; , abbreviated as ''F.S.M. Köprüsü''), also known as the Second Bosphorus Bridge (), is a bridge in Istanbul, Turkey spanning the Bosphorus strait (Turkish: ''Boğaziçi'') ...
as well. The district can also be reached by a ferry over the water from
Eminönü,
Beşiktaş
Beşiktaş () is a district and municipality of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 18 km2 and its population is 175,190 (2022). It is located on the European shore of the Bosphorus strait. It is bordered on the north by Sarıyer and ...
. Smaller boats go from
Yeniköy to Beykoz,
Bebek or
Emirgan
Emirgan is a neighbourhood in the municipality and district of Sarıyer, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its population is 8,052 (2024). It is a leafy, middle-class suburb of Istanbul, on the western shore of the Bosphorus north of the Fatih Sultan Mehm ...
to the neighborhoods of
Kanlıca and Anadolu Hisarı.
Three of the most distinctive buildings from Bosphorus to Beykoz include
Küçüksu Palace, a classic Ottoman imperial hunting lodge, the
castle of Anadolu Hisarı, and older site which was constructed by the Ottomans during the buildup to the conquest to secure the Bosphorus for the Turkish armies; The final and most recent, near Kanlıca, is
Khedive Palace, built in 1907 as the holiday home of the
Khedive
Khedive ( ; ; ) was an honorific title of Classical Persian origin used for the sultans and grand viziers of the Ottoman Empire, but most famously for the Khedive of Egypt, viceroy of Egypt from 1805 to 1914.Adam Mestyan"Khedive" ''Encyclopaedi ...
of
Egypt
Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
. Khedive Palace is now a restaurant set in a park. Kanlıca and Anadolu Hisarı are villages with cafes on the waterfront popular among tourists.
Along the coast are some of the most expensive and largest houses in the city, some of which are homes of elite Turkish politicians. Some of the grandest of the huge wooden Ottoman seaside houses called
yalı can be found from Anadolu Hisarı up to Beykoz itself. As well as the obvious attraction of living by the water the large areas of forest parkland on hillside along much of this coast make the Beykoz waterfront a peaceful retreat from the city. But the water is the clincher: the scent of the sea coming off the Bosphorus, people fishing, the huge ships sliding by, and the sound of foghorns in the evening.
Much of the coast is built on unfortunately, and the buses that drive the coast road are a law unto themselves but there are still plenty of spots on the waterfront to eat, drink, fish, or just sit. In places such as
Yalıköy, there are boats moored up selling grilled
mackerel
Mackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of pelagic fish, mostly from the family Scombridae. They are found in both temperate and tropical seas, mostly living along the coast or offshore in the oceanic environment.
...
.

In
Beykoz
Beykoz () is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Istanbul Province, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 310 km2, and its population is 247,875 (2022). It lies at the northern end of the Bosphorus on the Anatolian side. The name i ...
city center itself there is a large park on the hillside (Beykoz Korusu), and an attractive Ottoman fountain with running water built by Ishak Aga in the main square, known locally as ''On Çeşmeler'', Ten Fountains. The town centre also has a village feel to it, with smallish, aging buildings, many of them houses rather than blocks of flats, especially on the hills that climb up away from the coast. Being far from city infrastructure,
public transit
Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general public. It typically uses a fixed schedule, route and charges a fixed fare. There is no rigid definition of wh ...
is taking time to arrive, but the general peacefulness of neighbourly relations and the possibility of a Bosphorus view more than compensate.
Beyond Beykoz, there are large areas of forested countryside, where the people of Istanbul come for picnics on weekends. This is when Beykoz suffers some of the traffic congestion that plagues the city as a whole.
Some popular picnic spots include:
The upper Bosphorus villages of
Anadolu Kavağı Anadolu (from Ancient Greek , 'east') is the Turkish form of Anatolia, which refers to a region of the world that is now part of the nation of Turkey, also known as Asia Minor (Medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medie ...
,
Anadolufeneri, and
Poyrazköy
Poyrazköy is a neighbourhood in the municipality and district of Beykoz, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its population is 889 (2022). Poyraz lies at the exit of the Bosporus into the Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal M ...
. In Anadolufeneri, the historical lighttower
Anadolu Feneri can be visited. Kavak being particularly popular as the last stop on the Bosphorus ferry cruises, where people stop to eat fish and walk up to the castle on the hill. Fener and Poyraz are smaller but very pleasant fishing villages;
The Black Sea village of
Riva; where you can swim but you must be careful as this is near the mouth of the Bosphorus and sometimes there are dangerous currents which causes risk of drowning.
The inland around and between Cumhuriyet Köyü, Alibahadır, Değirmendere,
Akbaba, Dereseki, and
Polonezköy are all popular retreats, and new roads were paved to service the luxury housing that is going up in places. Construction of the third bridge on the Bosporus,
Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge
The Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge (), also known as the Third Bosphorus Bridge'','' is a vehicular bridge over the Bosphorus strait, to the north of Istanbul's two older suspension bridges, the 15 July Martyrs Bridge being the First Bosphorus Bridge ...
, and the second one to run through Beykoz district, further caused prices of real estate to soar.
There are a number of tombs of
Muslim saints
The term ''wali'' is most commonly used by Muslims to refer to a saint, or literally a "friend of God".John Renard, ''Friends of God: Islamic Images of Piety, Commitment, and Servanthood'' (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2008); John ...
and holy places that also attract visitors, particularly the tomb of
Joshua on a hill just before Anadolu Kavağı. The grave is that of
Prophet Yusha, the successor to
Prophet Musa.
Neighbourhoods in Beykoz
There are 45
neighbourhoods
A neighbourhood (Commonwealth English) or neighborhood (American English) is a geographically localized community within a larger town, city, suburb or rural area, sometimes consisting of a single street and the buildings lining it. Neighbourh ...
in Beykoz District:
* Acarlar
*
Akbaba
* Alibahadır
*
Anadoluhisarı
Anadoluhisarı (), known historically as Güzelce Hisar ("the Beauteous Fortress") is a medieval Ottoman fortress located in Istanbul, Turkey on the Anatolian (Asian) side of the Bosporus. The complex is the oldest surviving Turkish architectural ...
*
Anadolukavağı
Anadolukavağı (sometimes written as Anadolu Kavağı) is a neighbourhood in the municipality and district of Beykoz, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its population is 1,517 (2022). It is at the northern end of the Bosphorus. "Anadolu" is the Turkish ...
* Anadolufeneri
* Baklacı
*
Beykoz Merkez
* Bozhane
* Çamlıbahçe
* Çengeldere
* Çiftlik
* Çiğdem
*
Çubuklu
* Cumhuriyet
* Dereseki
* Elmalı
* Fatih
* Göksu
* Göllü
* Görele
* Göztepe
* Gümüşsuyu
* İncirköy
* İshaklı
*
Kanlıca
* Kavacık
* Kaynarca
* Kılıçlı
* Mahmutşevketpaşa
* Öğümce
*
Örnekköy
* Ortaçeşme
*
Paşabahçe
* Paşamandıra
*
Polonezköy
*
Poyrazköy
Poyrazköy is a neighbourhood in the municipality and district of Beykoz, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its population is 889 (2022). Poyraz lies at the exit of the Bosporus into the Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal M ...
*
Riva
* Rüzgarlıbahçe
* Soğuksu
* Tokatköy
*
Yalıköy
* Yavuz Selim
* Yeni Mahalle
* Zerzavatçı
Education
Beykoz district is home to three universities,
Istanbul Medipol University
Istanbul Medipol University () is a private university in Istanbul, Turkey. The university was established in 2009 by the Turkey Education, Health, and Research Foundation, emphasizes medical education and health sciences. The foundation was esta ...
,
Turkish-German University and
Beykoz University.
References
External links
Beykoz 1908 Supporters' web site
{{Authority control
Bosphorus
Populated places in Istanbul Province
Fishing communities in Turkey
Metropolitan district municipalities in Turkey
Districts of Istanbul Province
Illegal housing