Emirgan is a neighbourhood in the municipality and district of

Sarıyer Sarıyer () is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Istanbul Province, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 177 km2 and its population is 350,454 (2022). It is on the northeastern part of Istanbul's European side. Sarıyer al ...

Istanbul Province Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. Its population is 8,052 (2024). It is a leafy, middle-class suburb of

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

, on the western shore 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 ...

north of 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'') ...

(Second Bosphorus Bridge). City bus lines 22, 22RE, 25E, 40T and 42T stop in Emirgan. Infrequent Şehir Hatları ferries connect Emirgan with 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 ...

, Arnavutköy, Bebek,

İstinye İstinye is a neighbourhood in the municipality and district of Sarıyer, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its population was 15,721 in 2022. It is on the European side of the city between the neighbourhoods of Emirgan and Yeniköy, on the northweste ...

, Büyükdere,

and

Rumeli Kavağı Rumelia (; ; ) was a historical region in Southeastern Europe that was administered by the Ottoman Empire, roughly corresponding to the Balkans. In its wider sense, it was used to refer to all Ottoman possessions and vassals in Europe. These w ...

. A separate ferry service links it to Çengelköy, Kandilli, Anadolu Hisarı and Kanlıca. Small private boats also travel back and forth between Emirgan and Kanlıca depending on demand.

Etymology

The neighborhood is named after Emir Güne Han. In 1635 the Iranian Emir Güne Han surrendered

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , ; ; sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia, as well as one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerev ...

to Sultan Murad IV in return for which the sultan took him to Istanbul, renamed him Yusuf Paşa and gave him 50 hectares of woodland that is now the Emirgan Park. Once Murad died his successor Sultan Ibrahim the Mad had Yusuf put to death. Later Sultan Abdülaziz gave the woods to the Khedive of Egypt, Ismail Paşa, who added three pavilions to the grounds.

Attractions

A string of popular tea gardens cluster round the main square and run along the coast road.

Emirgan Park

Emirgan Woods (Turkish: ''Emirgan Korusu'') rise above the suburb and cover an area of around 500,000 square metres of what is now public park. The park is at its best in April during the annua
Istanbul Tulip Festival
when thousands of bulbs come into colourful flower here. The three pavilions created by Khedive İsmail Paşa - the Yellow (Sarı), Pink (Pembe) and White (Beyaz) kiosks - now serve as cafes and restaurants for visitors. The Yellow Pavilion was designed by the Turkish-Armenian architect Sarkis Balyan in the 1870s.

Sakıp Sabancı Museum

Overlooking the Bosphorus in peaceful and beautiful gardens, this private museum contains permanent collections of calligraphy, antique furniture and fine art which are regularly supplemented with short-term exhibitions showcasing everyone from

Pablo Picasso Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, Ceramic art, ceramicist, and Scenic ...

through to Abdülmecid Efend, the artistic last

caliph A caliphate ( ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with Khalifa, the title of caliph (; , ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of ...

of the Ottoman Empire.

Şerifler Waterside Mansion

The Şerifler Yalı stands on the inland side of the coast road as you come into Emirgan from the centre of town; before the road was built in 1940 it would have stood right beside the water like so many of the yalıs (waterside mansions). Built sometime during the 18th century, it is the oldest surviving yalı on the European side of the Bosphorus and belonged at one time to Hüseyin, the Şerif of Mecca. The yalı probably stands on the site of a 17th-century mansion built for Emir Güne Han after whom the suburb was named. It now serves as offices for several historical monument conservation bodies and the Historic Towns Union
Tarihi Kentler Birliği
but is not open to the public.

Emirgan Mosque

The waterside Hamid Evvel Mosque was built in 1838 beside what is now the plane-tree-shaded main square of Emirgan. Facing it across the square, the timekeeper's cottage, added in 1844, now serves as a cafe.

Gallery

File:Emirgan 04571.jpg, A view from Emirgan Park File:SSM Atli Kosk.jpg, Main building of

Sakıp Sabancı Museum The Sabancı University Sakıp Sabancı Museum () is a private fine arts museum in Istanbul, Turkey, dedicated to Islamic calligraphy, calligraphic art, religious and state documents, as well as paintings of the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman era. The ...

File:EmirganMosque (12).jpg, Emirgan Mosque File:EmirganPier.jpg, Emirgan Pier for city passenger ferryboats File:OldHouseIstanbul (1).jpg, Historic wooden house in Emirgan File:OldHouseIstanbul (2).jpg, Historic wooden house in Emirgan

References

Neighbourhoods of Sarıyer Bosphorus {{Istanbul-geo-stub