Tophane () (lit. "Armoury") is a quarter in the

Beyoğlu Beyoğlu (; ) is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Istanbul Province, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 9 km2, and its population is 225,920 (2022). It is on the European side of Istanbul, Turkey, separated from the o ...

district 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 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 ...

, running downhill from

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 ...

to the 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 ...

where it joins up with

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 ...

to the southwest and Fındıklı to the northeast. In the Ottoman era, it was the city's first industrial zone. Despite rapid gentrification, parts of Tophane remain conservative and there have been clashes over some developments in the area. In 2021 the large new Galataport cruise terminal opened at the point where Tophane reaches the shore, bringing the likelihood of even faster change to the area.

History

Tophane acquired its name from the Tophane-i Amire armoury (; ), which was first built in the reign (1451–1481) of the

Ottoman Sultan The sultans of the Ottoman Empire (), who were all members of the Ottoman dynasty (House of Osman), ruled over the Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental empire from its perceived inception in 1299 to Dissolution of the Ottoman Em ...

Mehmed II Mehmed II (; , ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror (; ), was twice the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from August 1444 to September 1446 and then later from February 1451 to May 1481. In Mehmed II's first reign, ...

. Its main purpose was the manufacture of

cannon A cannon is a large-caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder during th ...

s and cannonballs. It appears in an engraving by Antoine Melling (1763–1831). The foundry was built on the site of the lost churches of St Claire and Aya Photini. The original foundry was rebuilt during the reign of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent and then again in 1803 during the reign of Sultan Selim III. Part of that structure still survives with tiny carved cannons on its facade commemorating its original purpose. It is now used for temporary art exhibitions. Other parts of the barracks were demolished in 1958 when the main coastal road was widened. Excavations on the inland side of the coast road are uncovering some remains of the old barracks buildings. Today the foundry building houses th
Tophane-i Amire Culture and Art Center
a part of th
Sabancı Vakfı
that organises temporary art exhibitions. The small

clock tower Clock towers are a specific type of structure that house a turret clock and have one or more clock faces on the upper exterior walls. Many clock towers are freestanding structures but they can also adjoin or be located on top of another building ...

, one of the first in Istanbul, was added to the complex in 1848-49. It is now the focal point of a new square created as part of the Galataport project. The baroque Nusretiye (Victory) Mosque was built for Sultan Mahmud II between 1823 and 1826; its name commemorates the "

Auspicious Incident The Auspicious Incident or Auspicious EventGoodwin, pp. 296–299. ( in Constantinople; , "Event of Malignity" in the Balkans) was the forced disbandment of the centuries-old Janissary Corps by Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II on 15 June 1826.Kinross, ...

" when he overthrew the powerful

Janissary A janissary (, , ) was a member of the elite infantry units that formed the Ottoman sultan's household troops. They were the first modern standing army, and perhaps the first infantry force in the world to be equipped with firearms, adopted dur ...

corps. The landmark

Kılıç Ali Pasha Complex The Kılıç Ali Pasha Mosque () is a mosque at the heart of a complex designed and built between 1580 and 1587 by Mimar Sinan, who at the time was in his 90s. The mosque itself was constructed in 1578–1580. The complex is located in the Toph ...

(

Külliye A külliye () is a complex of buildings associated with Turkish architecture centered on a mosque and managed within a single institution, often based on a waqf (charitable foundation) and composed of a madrasa, a Dar al-Shifa (clinic), kitchens ...

) was commissioned by the Ottoman Admiral Kılıç Ali Pasha and designed by the renowned architect

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 ...

. It consists of a

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

medrese Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , ), sometimes Romanization of Arabic, romanized as madrasah or madrassa, is the Arabic word for any Educational institution, type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whet ...

hamam A hammam (), also often called a Turkish bath by Westerners, is a type of steam bath or a place of public bathing associated with the Islamic world. It is a prominent feature in the Islamic culture, culture of the Muslim world and was inherited ...

türbe ''Türbe'' refers to a Muslim mausoleum, tomb or grave often in the Turkish-speaking areas and for the mausolea of Ottoman sultans, nobles and notables. A typical türbe is located in the grounds of a mosque or complex, often endowed by the ...

, and

sebil A sabil or sebil (; ) is a small kiosk in the Islamic architectural tradition where water is freely dispensed to members of the public by an attendant behind a grilled window. The term is sometimes also used to refer to simple unmanned fountain ...

that were constructed between 1578 and 1587. Nearby, the large free-standing Tophane Fountain between the Nusretiye and Kılıç Ali Pasha Mosques was commissioned by Mahmud I and built in 1732. It stands on the site of the old military parade ground. In 2022 the Tophane Pavilion ( Tophane Kasrı), designed b
William James Smith
in 1852 to provide the sultan with a base from which to inspect his troops, was undergoing renovation. File:Tophane Place Istanbul.jpg, Tophane Square, with the Tophane Barracks on the left and the Nusretiye Mosque on the right, in ca. 1890–1900. File:Tophane Fountain Istanbul.jpg, Tophane Fountain in ca. 1890–1900. File:İstanbul 4939.jpg, Kılıç Ali Pasha Mosque and Külliye in Tophane. File:Abdullah Brothers - Tophane Fountain - Google Art Project.jpg, Tophane Fountain in late 19th Century File:Abdullah Brothers - Tophane Buildings and Salıpazarı - Google Art Project.jpg, Tophane late 19th Century File:Istanbul Tophane 5498.jpg, Istanbul Tophane exterior File:Istanbul Tophane 5497.jpg, Istanbul Tophane exterior File:Istanbul Tophane 5494.jpg, Istanbul Tophane exterior File:Istanbul Tophane 6161.jpg, Istanbul Tophane interior File:Istanbul Tophane 6158.jpg, Istanbul Tophane interior

Population

At one time Tophane was home to many

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 ...

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

ns and Jews but in the early twentieth century many migrants from the Eastern Anatolian provinces of Siirt,

Bitlis Bitlis ( or ; ) is a city in southeastern Turkey. It is the seat of Bitlis District and Bitlis Province.Erzincan Erzincan (; ), historically Yerznka (), is the capital of Erzincan Province in eastern Turkey. Nearby cities include Erzurum, Sivas, Tunceli, Bingöl, Elazığ, Malatya, Gümüşhane, Bayburt, and Giresun. The city is majority Turkish Sunni w ...

Erzurum Erzurum (; ) is a List of cities in Turkey, city in eastern Anatolia, Turkey. It is the largest city and capital of Erzurum Province and is 1,900 meters (6,233 feet) above sea level. Erzurum had a population of 367,250 in 2010. It is the site of an ...

arrived to take their place and work in the dockyards and industrial zone.

Galataport

From 2022 onwards Tophane is likely to be completely transformed as the huge waterfront Galataport cruise terminal and shopping complex is scheduled to be completed, while adjoining neighbourhoods continue to be gentrified and touristified. The Istanbul Modern, a

contemporary art Contemporary art is a term used to describe the art of today, generally referring to art produced from the 1970s onwards. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a ...

museum established in 2004, is one of several cultural organisations now incorporated into the Galataport area as well as the Istanbul Painting and Sculpture Museum.

References

{{Beyoğlu, Istanbul Quarters of Beyoğlu Bosphorus Romani communities in Turkey