Previously known asChrysopolis andScutari, present-day Üsküdar is a major transport hub, with ferries toEminönü, Karaköy, Kabataş, Beşiktaş and some of the Bosphorus suburbs. Üsküdar is a stop on theMarmaray rail service at the point where it starts its journey under the Bosphorus, re-emerging on the European side atSirkeci. Via Marmaray, Üsküdar is linked toGebze on the Asian side of the city andHalkali on the European side. Üsküdar is also a stop on theM5 Metro line toÇekmeköy. Buses run along the Bosphorus shore all the way up north toAnadolu Kavağı in Beykoz district. A bus service also operates to the summer town ofŞile on theBlack Sea.
Üsküdar was previously calledChrysopolis (Greek:Χρυσόπολις, 'Golden City') and laterSkoutarion (Byzantine Greek:Σκουτάριον) during theByzantine Empire. This may commemorate the leatherscutum shields used by guards since the wordscutari means 'raw tanned leather'. InvadingPersians,Slavic tribes,Arabs, andCrusaders called the cityEsküdar orEscutaire.[4]
Üsküdar was founded in the 7th century BC byancient Greek colonists fromMegara a few decades beforeByzantium was founded on the opposite shore.[5] It was originally calledChrysopolis (Ancient Greek:Χρυσόπολις, 'Golden City'). According to an ancient Greek geographer, the city received the name Chrysopolis because thePersian empire had a gold depository there or because it was associated withAgamemnon andChryseis' son, Chryses.[6] On the other hand, according to an 18th-century writer, it received the name because of the excellence of its harbor.[7] The city was used as a harbor and shipyard and was an important staging post in the wars between the Greeks and Persians. In 410 BC Chrysopolis was taken by the Athenian generalAlcibiades, and the Athenians used it thenceforth to charge a toll on ships coming from and going to the Black Sea.[6] Long overshadowed by its neighborChalcedon during the Hellenistic and Roman period, it maintained its identity and increased its prosperity until it surpassed Chalcedon.[5] Due to its less favorable location with respect to the currents of the Bosporus, however, it never surpassed Byzantium.[5]In AD 324, thefinal battle betweenConstantine I, Emperor of the West, andLicinius, Emperor of the East, in which Constantine defeated Licinius, took place at Chrysopolis.[5] When Constantine made Byzantium his capital, Chrysopolis, together with Chalcedon, became suburbs.[5] Chrysopolis remained important throughout the Byzantine period because all trade routes to Asia started there, and all Byzantine army units headed to Asia mustered there.[5]During the brief usurpation of the Armenian generalArtabasdos, his eldest son,Niketas, was defeated with hisforces at Chrysopolis by the army ofConstantine V, before Artabasdos was finally deposed by the legitimate emperor Constantine and blinded. For this reason, and because of its location across fromConstantinople, it was a natural target for anyone aiming at the capital.[5] Also, in the 8th century AD it was taken by a small band of Arabs, who caused considerable destruction and panic in Constantinople, before withdrawing.[5] In 988, a rebellion that nearly toppledBasil II began in Chrysopolis, before he was able to crush with the aid ofRussian mercenaries.[5]
Under the Ottomans, Scutari was a large neighborhood with many cemeteries, across the water fromConstantinople (map byJoseph von Scheda, 1860–70).
In the 12th century, the city changed its name toSkoutarion (Greek:Σκουτάριον), the name deriving from the Emperor's Skoutarion Palace nearby.[5] In 1338 the Ottoman leaderOrhan Gazi took Skoutarion, giving the Ottomans a base within sight of Constantinople for the first time.[5]In the Ottoman period Üsküdar was one of the three communities outside the city walls of Constantinople (along withEyüp andGalata). The area was a major burial ground, and today many large cemeteries remain, including Karacaahmet Mezarlığı, Bülbülderesi Mezarlığı, and a number of Jewish and Christian cemeteries. Karacaahmet Mezarlığı is one of Istanbul's largest cemeteries. The Bülbülderesi cemetery is next to Fevziye Hatun mosque.[8]
During the WWI, Üsküdar suffered several times in 1918 due to the Britishbombing of İstanbul.[9]
The neighborhood suffered during the ethnic-religious violence of the 6 September 1955,Istanbul pogrom. Turkish rioters looted Greek and Armenian Christian shops and many Greeks and Armenians subsequently fled the country.[10][11][12]
The waterfront of Üsküdar as seen from Kandilli Pier
The district of Üsküdar is one of Istanbul's oldest-established residential areas. It is directly opposite the old city ofEminönü and transport across the Bosphorus is easy by boat or bridge. So there are well-established communities here, many retired people, and many residents commute to the European side for work or school (being cheap and central Üsküdar has a large student population). During the rush-hour, the waterfront is bustling with people running from ferryboats and motorboats onto buses and minibuses. TheÇamlıca Hill is a popular picnic spot for many Istanbul residents.
The central square is the center of Üsküdar with departing ferries and aMarmaray station adding to the importance of the square.The area behind the ferry dock is a busy shopping district, with many restaurants (including the well-knownKanaat Lokantası serving Ottoman cuisine,olive oil-based dishes, and ice cream) and a number of important Ottoman mosques (see section below). The youth mainly congregate around cafes on Uncular Gastronomy Street that saw a rise in popularity following the Covid-19 pandemic.[13] The privateÜsküdar University, founded by the Human Values and Mental Health Foundation, has a campus here.Uskudar has two public libraries:Şemsi Pasha Mosque Public Library (built in 1953) and Selimiye Public Library.
Üsküdar is a municipality within borders of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (büyükşehir). The municipality is subdivided into 33 neighborhoods (mahalleler):[14]
The boundaries and names of the official neighborhoods change from time to time and sometimes do not correspond to historically recognized neighborhoods or to residents' own perceptions.The most prominent neighborhood is Üsküdar's historic center (merkez), centered on the ferry docks and roughly corresponding to the current Mimar Sinan neighborhood (former Selmanağa, Tembel Hacı Mehmet, and İnkılap neighborhoods). This area includes large historic mosques, many businesses and markets, and is a transportation hub.Other prominent neighborhoods include the former villages on the Bosphorus to the north of the historic center, Kuzguncuk, Beylerbeyi, Çengelköy, Kuleli, Vaniköy (now part of Kandilli), and Kandilli; the neighborhoods along the Bosphorus shore south of the historic center,Salacak,Harem (now part of Aziz Mahmud Hudayı), and Selimiye; and the mostly residential neighborhoods on the hilltops and hillsides, Doğancılar (now mostly part of Aziz Mahmud Hudayı), İmrahor (now part of Salacak), Selamsız (now part of Selamiali), Bağlarbaşı (now part of Altunizade), Altunizade, Acıbadem, Küçük Çamlıca, and Büyük Çamlıca (mostly in Kısıklı, Burhaniye, and Ferah).
Üsküdar's long promenade along the coast from the center down in southern direction towards the bus station atHarem is popular in summer as it commands views of the European shore ofTopkapı Palace,Hagia Sophia,Sultan Ahmed Mosque (TheBlue Mosque),Taksim andBeşiktaş. This promenade is lined with cafes and restaurants, the most prominent of which is not on the coast but out in the water: theMaiden's Tower (Kız Kulesi), a small tower just off the coast that has existed sinceByzantine times, when it was called Leander's Tower. From time to time it has been used as a toll booth; now it is used as an upscale restaurant and a venue for wedding parties. The name comes from a legend about a princess shut in the tower.[citation needed]On nice days people gather on the shore to fish, sit and drink tea or to enjoy being out on the water in little rowing boats. TheAyazma Mosque (1760) stands on the shore opposite the tower. The streets of Salacak behind the coast, in the area calledImrahor, are attractive and still hold a number of classic Ottoman wooden houses. The legendary 17th-centuryHezarfen Ahmet Çelebi is said to have landed here on his hang-glider flight across the Bosphorus.[15]Further down along the coast is the Harem neighborhood, which contains a major intercity bus terminal and theSelimiye Barracks, whereFlorence Nightingale once tended wounded British soldiers.[16] Behind the coast, towards the east, Üsküdar climbs steeply into the residential areas uphill, Bağlarbaşı and Doğancılar.
A neighborhood on the hill above Salacak, with plenty of trees between the buildings and a small park. There is a wide avenue winding uphill from Üsküdar, which has plenty of shops and cafes, and also a theater (the Musahipzade Celal Sahnesi), the fire station, the former women's prison (Paşakapısı Prison), Burhan Felek High School and Doğancılar mosque (opposite the park).
Üsküdar American Academy Bowker HallInterior of Altunizade Mosque
Formerly orchards and fruit-gardens (bağ), it became a residential neighborhood in the 19th century, home to the typical Istanbul urban mix of Greeks, Jews, Turks, and Armenians.[citation needed] The neighborhood still has an Armenian school and the Armenian church of Surp Garabed, built in 1844. Until the 1990s the area remained a middle-class residential neighborhood,[citation needed] and today is still an attractive district with a mixture of housing and office/commercial property. A number of properties have been converted to office and business use. Altunizade is still an attractive residential neighborhood, home to the large and busy Capitol shopping and entertainment center. Altunizade was established in the early 19th century byAltunizade İsmail Zühtü Pasha. He also commissionedAltunizade Mosque, which was built in 1866.There are a number of well-known schools within the district includingÜsküdar American Academy, one of the oldest established schools in the city, Üsküdar High School, a state school, Haydarpasha High School,Marmara University's faculty of theology; and Burhan Felek sports complex.
The top half of the attractive districtAcıbadem also belongs to Üsküdar, including Acıbadem and Academic hospitals. This avenue with itspatisseries, ice-cream parlors and cafés, is the center one of the most pleasant neighborhoods of Istanbul,[citation needed] consisting of tree-lined streets and well-planned housing areas, as well as Fine Arts Academy (Marmara University), and Çamlıca Girls’ High School set in a tree-lined garden.[citation needed]
Just past Üsküdar the coastline is called Paşalimanı.Liman means "port" in Turkish (fromGreeklimàni,λιμάνι) and boats would moor here. A large stone building on the shore, built as a tobacco warehouse by late-Ottoman architect Vedat Tek, has been completely renovated and now serves as headquarters ofCiner Grubu (Ciner Group), an industrial conglomerate. There is a small area of parkland right on the shore and the entrance to the large Fetih Paşa Korusu park is here.
A Bosphorus village of streets with little shops, seaside cafes, and many old-fashioned wooden houses,Kuzguncuk has a village atmosphere. There is a ferry dock and a little park on the waterfront. The village was calledKosinitsa in the Byzantine period. The area has become an attractive middle-class neighborhood, home to people like film directorUğur Yücel, sculptorKuzgun Acar, painterAcar Başkut (whose studio is in the village), architectsNevzat Sayin andCengiz Bektaş, and the late poetCan Yücel. The neighborhood is also portrayed in the novelMediterranean Waltz (Kumral Ada Mavi Tuna) byBuket Uzuner.
Formerly a waterfront village, known for the cucumbers grown in gardens on the green hillsides behind. There are a number of very grand seaside villas (yalı). The village has a number of shops, bakeries and waterfront cafes offering gorgeous views of the Bosphorus that tend to be busy, especially at weekends. Since the mid-1990s new housing estates have been built on the hillsides and now there are always queues of traffic through Çengelköy. But the village retains some of its romantic charm. The wordçengel means "hook" or "anchor" in Turkish, andköy means "village"; apparently there were blacksmiths or metalworkers in the village in Ottoman times.[citation needed]The highly prestigiousKuleli Military High School is on the Bosphorus just beyond Çengelköy. Most graduates from here go on to military academy and careers as army officers.
This hill, known asTchamlidja in 19th-century spelling, has the highest point in Istanbul and commands a panoramic view of the entire city. One of the most prestiged schools of Turkey, Bilfen College is located on the Çamlıca hill.
Üsküdar experiences ahumid subtropical climate (Cfa/Cf) according to bothKöppen andTrewartha climate classifications, with cool winters and warm to hot summers. Unlike most of southern Istanbul, Üsküdar is cooler than its surroundings, with an average temperature slightly below 14 °C (57 °F), and anAHS heat zone rating of 3.[17] However, its coastal location still does allow it to be classified asUSDA hardiness zone 9a.[17]
Though densely populated, Üsküdar has many areas of greenery, including the Çamlıca hills, the Bosphorus coastline, and various parks. In addition, the area has a high concentration of historic buildings and religious sites.
Fethi Paşa Korusu is a large park on the hillside that extends down to the Bosphorus shore, slightly beyond Üsküdar in the area called Paşalimanı. It is named afterFetih Ahmet Paşa an Ottoman prince who among other things was responsible for industrializing theglassworks of Ottoman Turkey, and had a home in the area. The parkland is in fact privately owned and let to the state on condition that it is preserved as a park. The owners are the estate of Turkish industrialistNuri Demirağ. There is a café in the park, a stone waterfall which children climb on and a small stage area where on Friday evenings in summer a band of amateur musicians give open-air concerts at sunset. At weekends the young lovers of Üsküdar gather here to stroll and cuddle in the shade.[20]
Üsküdar is home to over 180 mosques,[21] many of them historic Ottoman buildings, many built for women of the imperial harem, and many built by the architectMimar Sinan. Among the first things one sees on arriving by ferry are two mosques near the ferry terminal, both of them designed by Sinan. The larger one is theMihrimah Sultan Mosque, sometimes called the İskele (Dock) Mosque, built by a daughter ofSuleiman the Magnificent; the smaller one is theŞemsi Pasha Mosque, built by avizier of Suleiman's. Şemsi Pasha has a small library building in the courtyard. Opposite the Mihrimah Sultan Mosque is the largeYeni Valide Mosque, commissioned by Ahmet III's mother. Uphill from the dock in the Valideiatik neighborhood is theAtik Valide Mosque, built by Murat III's mother and also designed by Sinan.
Further uphill from there is the smallerÇinili (Tiled) Mosque. InKaracaahmet Cemetery is the largeŞakirin Mosque, built in 2009. TheNamazgâh Mosque (built in 1860) in the eastern part of Üsküdar, close to the border withÜmraniye, is one of the few historical wooden mosques in Istanbul. The newÇamlıca Mosque is a landmark with its grand size overlooking Istanbul on Chamlija Hill.
Other important mosques of Üsküdar include Ahmediye, Ahmet Ağa, Ahmet Çelebi, Altunizade,Ayazma,Aziz Mahmud Hudayi, Baki Efendi,Beylerbeyi, Bodrumi Ömer Lütfi Efendi, Bostancı, Bulgurlu, Çakırcıbaşı, Fatih,Gülfem Hatun, Hacı Ömer, İmrahor, İranlılar, İstavroz, Kandilli, Kara Davut Pasha, Kaymak Mustafa Pasha, Kısıklı, Küleli Bahçe, Malatyalı İsmail Ağa, Mirzazade, Paşalimanı,Rum Mehmet Pasha,Selimiye, Solak Sinan, Tahır Efendi, Üryanizade, and Vanikoy.
The Surp Krikor Lusavoriç (St Gregory the Illuminator) Armenian Church
Churches of Üsküdar include the İlya Profiti (Prophet Elijah) Greek Orthodox Church in Muratreis (present building built in 1831), the Kandilli Khristos Rum Ortodoks Kilisesi (built in 1810), the Surp Garabet (Saint John the Baptist) Armenian Church in Murat Reis (first church on the site, 1590; present building built 1888), the Surp Haç (Holy Cross) Armenian Church in Selami Ali (built 1676, rebuilt 1880), theSurp Krikor Lusavoriç (Saint Gregory the Illuminator) Armenian Church in Kuzguncuk (first built 1835, rebuilt 1861), and the Surp Yergodasan Arakelots (Twelve Apostoles) Armenian Church in Kandilli (built 1846).[22][23]
Importanttekkes (dervish lodges) include theAziz Mahmud Hudayi (1541–1628), who is buried in the neighbourhood named after him and is the founder of theJelvetiSufi order;[25] the Nasuhi Efendi at Doğancılar, who is the founder of the NasuhiyyeKhalwatiSufi order[26] and the grandfather of the Turkish-American music producerAhmet Ertegun; and the famous Özbekler Tekkesi atSultantepe,[27] where the Ertegun family members are buried. The ÜsküdarMevlevidergah is the second of its kind following the one inGalata. Built in 1790 bySheikh Numan Dede of the Galata lodge, it underwent many restorations and functions as the Classic Turkish Arts Foundation today.[28]
Other notable Ottoman features to be seen in Üsküdar are the manyçeşmes (drinking water sources) andsebils (kiosks for distribution of drinks). One of the largest and most visibleçeşmes is the fountain ofAhmet III (1728–29), an impressive marble structure in the center of Üsküdar near the ferry docks.Other importantçeşmes of Üsküdar include Gülnuş Emetullah Valide Sultan (1709, next to the Yeni Valide Mosque), Hüseyin Avni Pasha (1874, Paşalimanı),Mustafa III (1760, next to the Ayazma Mosque), andSelim III (1802, in Çiçekçi, Harem İskelesi Street).[29]Importantsebils of Üsküdar include those of Hacı Hüseyin Pasha (1865, near theKaracaahmet Cemetery), Halil Pasha (1617, attached toHalil Pasha's tomb), Hudayi (first built in the 1590s but later much remodeled, nearAziz Mahmud Hudayi's tomb), Sadettin Efendi (1741, near the tomb of Karacaahmet Cemetery),Şeyhülislam Arif Hikmet Bey (1858, near the Kartal Baba Mosque), Valide Çinili (1640, next to the Çinili Mosque), Valide-i Cedid (1709, next to the Yeni Valide Mosque), and Ziya Bey (1866, near the tomb of Karacaahmet).[30]
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