Galataport
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Galataport is a
mixed-use development Mixed use is a type of urban development, urban design, urban planning and/or a zoning classification that blends multiple uses, such as residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment, into one space, where those functions ...
located along of shore in the
Karaköy Karaköy (), the modern name for the old Galata, is a commercial quarter in the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul, Turkey, located at the northern part of the Golden Horn mouth on the European side of Bosphorus. Karaköy is one of the oldest and mo ...
(formerly called
Galata Galata is the former name of the Karaköy neighbourhood in Istanbul, which is located at the northern shore of the Golden Horn. The district is connected to the historic Fatih district by several bridges that cross the Golden Horn, most nota ...
) neighbourhood 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 ...
, Turkey on the European shore of the
Bosporus 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 ...
strait near its confluence with the
Golden Horn The Golden Horn ( or ) is a major urban waterway and the primary inlet of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey. As a natural estuary that connects with the Bosphorus Strait at the point where the strait meets the Sea of Marmara, the waters of the ...
right in the heart of the city. It includes the city's
cruise ship Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports of call, where passengers may go on Tourism, tours k ...
terminal, around 250 shops and restaurants, a
Peninsula A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula. Etymology The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...
hotel, the
Istanbul Modern Istanbul Museum of Modern Art, colloquially referred to as Istanbul Modern (), is a contemporary art gallery located inside the Galataport complex in the BeyoÄŸlu district of Istanbul, Turkey. Inaugurated on December 11, 2004, Istanbul Modern was ...
art museum, and other cultural and entertainment facilities; the complex also hosts festivals."About Us", Galataport website
/ref>


History


Origins

Galataport lies just a little way northeast of the ferry terminal at Karaköy which was the city's original terminal for passenger ships. By the late 20th century that site was no longer suitable to accommodate the growing number of ever larger cruise ships wanting to drop anchor in the city so a new site was sought. The location selected had long been home to warehouses associated with the port but most of these had fallen out of use. By the end of the 20th century it was best known as being the location of the Istanbul Modern art gallery (housed in an old warehouse) and a string of ''nargile'' (water-pipe) cafes popular with young people. But a line of grand buildings, most stripped of a purpose, stretched north from Karaköy, just waiting to be given new life. Most conspicuous of these was the Paket Postanesi, the old parcel sorting office, but the old Customs Office was also a very striking building.


Development of the Port

The project to develop Galataport was a
joint venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acce ...
between Turkey's
Doğuş Group Doğuş Holding A.Ş. (''Doğuş Group'') is one of the largest private-sector conglomerates in Turkey, with a portfolio of 250 companies in 7 industries, including high-end car dealerships, retail stores, restaurants, cafés, construction compan ...
and Bilgili Holding, who, between them, invested over US$1.8 billion in the venture. The development now occupies of shoreline, part of it on reclaimed land. After delays caused in part by the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, the terminal started to open in 2021, with the first ship docking there in October 2021. By 2022 the terminal was entirely open to ships.


Components


Cruise terminal

The cruise terminal covers 29,000 sq metres of land and spreads along 1.2 kilometres of shore, with views across the water to the historic peninsula of Istanbul with
Topkapı Palace The Topkapı Palace (; ), or the Seraglio, is a large museum and library in the east of the Fatih List of districts of Istanbul, district of Istanbul in Turkey. From the 1460s to the completion of Dolmabahçe Palace in 1856, it served as the ad ...
and the Ayasofya Mosque at its heart. It has space for three large cruise ships to dock side by side behind specially designed screens that rise to ensure that no one can leave the ships without passing through the Customs and Immigration facilities but that are retracted when no ships are in port. Customs and Immigration facilities are located underground, with most of the overground space taken up by shops, restaurants and offices. Many familiar international chains such as Starbucks and Burger King have opened branches here alongside Turkish chain stores such as Kahve Dünyası, D&R and Baylan.


Public square

Development of the port area includes the creation of a new square covering the site of an old military parade ground and centred on Istanbul's first free-standing clocktower. The water side of the square is occupied by the new
Renzo Piano Renzo Piano (; born 14 September 1937) is an Italian architect. His notable works include the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris (with Richard Rogers, 1977), The Shard in London (2012), Kansai International Airport in Osaka (1994), the Whitney ...
-designed home for the
Istanbul Modern Istanbul Museum of Modern Art, colloquially referred to as Istanbul Modern (), is a contemporary art gallery located inside the Galataport complex in the BeyoÄŸlu district of Istanbul, Turkey. Inaugurated on December 11, 2004, Istanbul Modern was ...
art gallery, scheduled to open in the autumn of 2022. The north side of the square is filled with the new home for the
Istanbul Painting and Sculpture Museum The Istanbul Painting and Sculpture Museum () is a museum in the Tophane area of European Istanbul, Turkey. It is part of the large Galataport complex. The museum was originally housed in the mansion of the crown prince attached to the Dolmabahà ...
(Turkish: İstanbul Resim ve Heykel Müzesi), a collection of mainly 19th and early 20th-century Turkish works of art moved here from its old home beside the
Dolmabahçe Palace Dolmabahçe Palace ( ) is a 19th-century imperial palace located in Istanbul, Turkey, along the European shore of the Bosporus, which served as the main administrative center of the Ottoman Empire from 1856 to 1887 and from 1909 to 1922. Histor ...
and also scheduled to open in the autumn of 2022. The west side of the square is occupied by the striking Nusretiye (Victory) Mosque, dating back to the 1820s, and by the prett
William James Smith
designed Tophane Pavilion (Turkish: Tophane Kasrı), dating back to 1852 and built to provide a base for the sultan while he was viewing his troops in the square. The southern side of the square is partly filled by the
Mimar Sinan Mimar Sinan (; , ; – 17 July 1588) also known as Koca Mi'mâr Sinân Âğâ, ("Sinan Agha (title), Agha the Grand Architect" or "Grand Sinan") was the chief Ottoman Empire, Ottoman architect, engineer and mathematician for sultans Suleiman ...
-designed 16th-century Kılıç Ali Paşa Mosque and by the elaborately decorated, free-standing Tophane Fountain, erected in 1732. The square is large enough to accommodate a stage for concerts and other organised activities.


Shopping and dining

The shore area connecting the main part of the cruise terminal to the Karaköy ferry terminal and the Galata Bridge has also been redeveloped as part of the Galataport project. The shopping and dining complex consists of one large group of modern buildings (block at the northern end of Galataport, as well as the Paket Postanesi ("package post office"), designed by S Saboureaux and opened in 1911 has been restored to house shops and exhibition space. All in all, these areas are 52,000 sqm in area. There are 250 shops and restaurants and other food service outlets in total.


Other

Galataport also incorporates: *The
Istanbul Modern Istanbul Museum of Modern Art, colloquially referred to as Istanbul Modern (), is a contemporary art gallery located inside the Galataport complex in the BeyoÄŸlu district of Istanbul, Turkey. Inaugurated on December 11, 2004, Istanbul Modern was ...
art museum * The
İstanbul State Art and Sculpture Museum The Istanbul Painting and Sculpture Museum () is a museum in the Tophane area of European Istanbul, Turkey. It is part of the large Galataport complex. The museum was originally housed in the mansion of the crown prince attached to the Dolmabahç ...
of the
Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University (, or MSGSÜ) is a public art university in Istanbul, Turkey. The university's campus is located in the Fındıklı, Beyoğlu. The university was established in 1882 under the leadership of Osman Hamdi Bey. Hi ...
* A
Peninsula A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula. Etymology The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...
hotel, built in the old Karaköy Passenger Terminal (Yolcu Salonu) building designed by Rebii Gorbon in 1936 It has a landmark tower on its roof that originally had a clock designed by Mustafa Şem-i, a watchmaker at the court of Sultan Abdülhamid II. *Other nearby buildings, including the lavishly tiled old Customs Building (Turkish: Gümrük Binası) dating back to 1895, are still in the process of being renovated and found new uses. *43,000 sqm of office space *A parking garage for 2,400 cars


Impact

Galataport is a transformative project for Istanbul. Not only will it greatly increase the number of tourists coming into the city in large groups but the adjoining areas of
Karaköy Karaköy (), the modern name for the old Galata, is a commercial quarter in the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul, Turkey, located at the northern part of the Golden Horn mouth on the European side of Bosphorus. Karaköy is one of the oldest and mo ...
and
Tophane Tophane () (lit. "Armoury") is a quarter in the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul, Turkey, running downhill from Galata to the shore of the Bosphorus where it joins up with Karaköy to the southwest and Fındıklı to the northeast. In the Ottoman ...
are already changing as shops and restaurants shift their focus from catering to locals to catering to tourists. In the years leading up to the opening of the new cruise terminal a large number of new hotels had already opened in these areas alongside many properties rented out through
Airbnb Airbnb, Inc. ( , an abbreviation of its original name, "Air Bed and Breakfast") is an American company operating an online marketplace for short-and-long-term homestays, experiences and services in various countries and regions. It acts as a ...
. These trends are only likely to accelerate now that the port is open.


References


External links

* (in English) {{coord, 41.024833, 28.981010, display=title BeyoÄŸlu Buildings and structures in Istanbul Mixed-use developments Passenger ship terminals Shopping malls in Istanbul