Vefa is part of the district of

Fatih Fatih () is a municipality and district of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 15 km2, and its population is 368,227 (2022). It is home to almost all of the provincial authorities (including the mayor's office, police headquarters, metro ...

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 ...

, and lies inside what was once the old walled city of

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

. It lies roughly northwest of the eastern section of the

Aqueduct of Valens The Aqueduct of Valens (, ) was a Roman aqueduct system built in the late 4th century AD, to supply Constantinople – the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. Construction of the aqueduct began during the reign of the Roman emperor Constantius ...

, and is rich in monuments, both

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

and Ottoman. It takes its name from the Muslim saint (

wali 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 ...

)

Shaykh Sheikh ( , , , , ''shuyūkh'' ) is an honorific title in the Arabic language, literally meaning "elder (administrative title), elder". It commonly designates a tribal chief or a Muslim ulama, scholar. Though this title generally refers to me ...

Ebu’l Vefa who is buried locally in his own mosque and

dergah A Sufi shrine or dargah ( ''dargâh'' or ''dargah'', Turkish: ''dergâh'', Hindustani: ''dargāh'' दरगाह درگاہ, ''dôrgah'') is a shrine or tomb built over the grave of a revered religious figure, often a Sufi saint or dervis ...

. Vefa lies to the east of busy Atatürk Bulvari, the main road pushed through the old city by the French architect

Henri Prost Henri Prost (February 25, 1874 – July 16, 1959) was a French architect and urban planner born in Saint-Denis. He was noted in particularly for his work in Morocco and Turkey, where he created a number of comprehensive city plans for Casab ...

in the 1950s. Immediately to its north is the area of Küçükpazarı while to the east is the Süleymaniye district around the huge

Süleymaniye Mosque The Süleymaniye Mosque (, ) is an Ottoman imperial mosque located on the Seven hills of Istanbul, Third Hill of Istanbul, Turkey. The mosque was commissioned by Suleiman the Magnificent () and designed by the imperial architect Mimar Sinan. An ...

complex. Buses link Vefa to Taksim,

Eminönü Eminönü, historically known as Pérama, is a predominantly commercial waterfront area of Istanbul within the Fatih district near the confluence of the Golden Horn with the southern entrance of the Bosphorus strait and the Sea of Marmara. It is l ...

and Beyazıt. The Vezneciler Metro stop on the M2 line is a short walk away as is the Cibali tram stop on 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 ...

Attractions

Vefa is best known for the Vefa Bozacısı shop, the oldest shop (founded in 1876) still selling ''

boza Boza, also bosa, is a fermented beverage originating from Central Asia and made in parts of the Balkans, Turkey, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and North Africa. It is a malt drink made by fermenting various grains: maize (corn) and wheat in Turkey ...

'', a barley drink usually topped off with chickpeas, in the city. Atatürk came here to drink boza and his cup is preserved in a showcase in the wall. The shop is mentioned several times in

Orhan Pamuk Ferit Orhan Pamuk (born 7 June 1952; ) is a Turkish novelist, screenwriter, academic, and recipient of the 2006 Nobel Prize in Literature. One of Turkey's most prominent novelists, he has sold over 13 million books in 63 languages, making him ...

's novel, ''

A Strangeness in my Mind ''A Strangeness in My Mind'' () is a 2014 novel by Orhan Pamuk. It is the author's ninth novel. Knopf Doubleday published the English translation by Ekin Oklap in the U.S.,Vefa Kilise Mosque Church-Mosque of Vefa (, meaning "the church mosque of Vefa", to distinguish it from the other ''kilise camiler'' of Istanbul: also known as ''Molla Gürani Camii'' after the name of his founder) is a former Eastern Orthodox church converted into ...

(Vefa Church Mosque) is a small

church in the same area, probably originally dedicated to Hagios Theodoros (St Theodore). It dates back to the Middle Byzantine period of architecture in the 10th to 11th centuries. The church had been allowed to fall into complete neglect . However it has now been completely restored. Near the church is the brick-and-stone Atif Efendi Library, the second library to be built in Ottoman

in the 1740s. It, too, has been restored. Another early 18th-century library, commissioned by Damad Şehir Ali Paşa, stands in the grounds of

Vefa High School Vefa High School (, ), is one of the oldest and internationally renowned high schools in Turkey. The first ''Mülkiye Lisesi'' ( English: Non-military High School) training in Turkish language was ''Vefa Lisesi'' established in 1872 which forming ...

(Vefa Lisesi), designed by architect Kemalettin Bey in the 1920s. Not far from Vefa Bozacısı is the Recai Mehmed Efendi ''sibyan mektep'', an Ottoman primary school opened in 1775, its facade entirely covered in marble carvings that incorporate fountains and a ''

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 ...

'' from which drinks were dispensed to passers-by. Nearby is the Ekmekcizade Ahmed Paşa Medresesi, an Ottoman theological school built around 1618 for a vizier of the sultan. Near Vezneciler Metro stop is the large

Kalenderhane Mosque Kalenderhane Mosque () is a former Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox church (building), church in Istanbul, Turkey, converted into a mosque by the Ottoman Empire, Ottomans. With high probability the church was originally dedicated to the ...

which was built as the Middle Byzantine church of Theotokos Kyriotissa and stands beside the remains of an early Byzantine bathhouse. Running along one side of the church is a stretch of the

which used to bring water into the city from

Thrace Thrace (, ; ; ; ) is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe roughly corresponding to the province of Thrace in the Roman Empire. Bounded by the Balkan Mountains to the north, the Aegean Sea to the south, and the Black Se ...

(''Trakya'') in Roman and Byzantine times. Vefa is also home to

Vefa S.K. Vefa SK is a football (soccer), football club in Vefa, neighborhood of the Fatih (Eminönü between 1928 and 2008) district of Istanbul. The team currently competing at Bölgesel Amatör Lig 1st Grup which is 5th level of Turkish leagues. Vefa S ...

, one of Istanbul's historic soccer clubs.

Gallery

File:Istanbul Vefa Bozaci 4901.jpg, alt=Istanbul Vefa Bozaci Shop from across street, Istanbul Vefa Bozaci Shop File:Istanbul Vefa Bozaci 4878.jpg, alt=Istanbul Vefa Bozaci distribution area, Istanbul Vefa Bozaci counter area File:Istanbul Vefa Bozaci 4888.jpg, alt=Istanbul Vefa Bozaci Consumption area, Istanbul Vefa Bozaci interior File:Istanbul Vefa Bozaci 4898.jpg, alt=Istanbul Vefa Bozaci Glass used by Atatürk, Istanbul Vefa Bozaci: Glass used by Atatürk File:Istanbul Vefa Bozaci 4881.jpg, alt=Istanbul Vefa Bozaci Transfer to smaller vessel, Istanbul Vefa Bozaci File:Vefa Lisesi 0884.jpg, alt=Vefa Lisesi exterior, Vefa High School

References

Quarters of Fatih {{Istanbul-geo-stub