Aksaray | |
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  Aksaray Location in Turkey Show map of Turkey Aksaray Aksaray (Istanbul) Show map of Istanbul | |
| Coordinates:41°00′36″N28°57′10″E / 41.01000°N 28.95278°E /41.01000; 28.95278 | |
| Country | Turkey |
| Province | Istanbul |
| District | Fatih |
| Population (2022) | 8,541 |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (TRT) |
| Postal code | 34096 |
| Area code | 0212 |
Aksaray (literally "White Palace" inTurkish) is a neighbourhood in the municipality and district ofFatih,Istanbul Province,Turkey.[1] Its population is 8,541 (2022).[2] It is so named because it was founded by migrants fromAksaray incentral Turkey, brought here in the 15th century byMehmet II to repopulate the city afterits conquest.[3]
Aksaray is a mainly modern neighbourhood centred on a busy square. It was historically known asBóos, (Latin: Forum Bovis,Greek: ὁ Bοῦς, romanized: o Bous), It has a large population of migrants from the southeast of the country and many restaurants serve the cuisine ofŞanlıurfa,Diyarbakır andHatay. More recently it has also acquired a large population of Syrian refugees who have introduced their own cuisine to the mix. There are many shops and hotels here.
To the east, Aksaray borders the textile-retailing neighbourhood ofLaleli while to the west, along Millet Caddesi, lies Çapa. To the south isYenikapı and to the northFatih. Busy Vatan Caddesi (AKA Adnan Menderes Bulvarı) runs northwest from Aksaray towards theCity Walls, following the route of the lostLycos river.
The Pertevniyal Valide Sultan Mosque stands by the busy road junction near Aksaray tram stop. Squeezed in between Aksaray and Yusufpaşa is the smaller, older and much less conspicuousMurad Pasha Mosque, built in 1473 in the early Ottoman architectural style perfected inBursa.[4]
On Aksaray Square the woodenHindiler (Horhor) Tekkesi has been rebuilt behind an austere stone fountain. The smallCamcılar (Glaziers)Mosque is also being rebuilt on the edge of the square.
A little way along Vatan Caddesi stands theFenari İsa Mosque which started life as the early 10th-century Byzantine Church of Constantine Lips.[5] Facing it across the road is theYavuz Sultan Selim Medrese, a work ofMimar Sinan dating from 1549 now used as a clinic. Nearby is the tomb of one of SultanSelim I's daughters,Şah-ı Huban, partially hidden by a stone schoolhouse. It, too, was designed byMimar Sinan.[6]
Aksaray is the starting point for the M1line which runs to theAtatürk International Airport, now no longer in use for passenger aircraft. The Otogar stop on the line serves the large inter-city bus terminus atEsenler.
Aksaray is also served by the T1 tram line.
Aksaray is said to be a hub for thesex trafficking of young women fromRomania,Moldova andUkraine.[7] Some reports in the Turkish media have claimed that the neighbourhood is especially prone to prostitution because it is a "no man's land" between two adjoining police jurisdictions,Fatih andEminönü.[8]
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