As we’ve noted, Istanbul is the only city in the world to span two continents (it’s divided by the Bosporus). The European side is the older one. This was where, sometime around 670 BCE, colonists from the Greek city of Megara founded the settlement known as Byzantion (Byzantium), driving out the native Thracians. And so, explorers ourselves, we have been taking the ferry or the subway to the Asian side of Istanbul to see what there is to see.
What is today Asian Istanbul was then a different settlement named Chalcedon, founded also by Megara about fifteen years earlier. Chalcedon’s position was so obviously inferior to that of Byzantium (which commended the bay) that they joked in antiquity that its founders must have been blind. For much of Greco-Roman antiquity Chalcedon maintained an independent identity. It was sometimes under the sway of Byzantium and then Constantinople. In the 14th century Orhan Ghazi, son of Osman (the founder of the Ottoman Empire) brought Chalcedon under Ottoman rule. With the fall of Constantinople to the Turks in 1453, the cities on either sides of the strait became one.
The historical monuments concentrate on the European side, as does the population. Only a quarter of Istanbullus work on the Asian side and only a third live there. Nonetheless, we have found much of interest there. We first made the acquaintance of the Asian side of Istanbul when we took a food tour. The tour covered ten eateries, eight of which were on the Asian side. (Perhaps not coincidentally, our guide lives on the Asian side.) You’ll be relieved to know we are not going to go through them all.
But we must mention one. It was on this tour that we went to the restaurant Çiya (pronounced CHEE-uh). It’s a famous place. Its chef, Musa Dağdeviren, is well-known in Turkey and internationally, having appeared on both the Food Network and Netflix. He owns three restaurants on the same street, and the food is superb (at all of them). There is a menu in English, but you can also go up to the counter and point. Plus, when it’s not busy, the waiters are happy to talk to you about food.
On the Asian side as well is a terrific place on the former site of the Hasanpaşa Gasworks. The Gasworks originally provided energy for Kadıköy, the neighbourhood where it is located. But it closed down operations in 1993 and for many years the site was derelict. Plans for its restoration began in 2001. The idea was to maintain all the original buildings, reconfiguring them as spaces for performances and exhibits. Today it is the Gasworks Museum, opened to the public only last year. We visited it as part of the Istanbul Biennial, and we loved the space with its imposing but beautiful old industrial fixtures (see the nighttime photo above). There are lots of different kinds of spaces, and a café and a bookstore. (Lots of cats roam the grounds as well, though that’s true everywhere in Istanbul!)
There are many more interesting things to report on in the Asian side of Istanbul (including its fish market!), but we’ll mention just one more. As you may know, we like libraries as much as we like restaurants and cafés, and Asian Istanbul has one which is both: the Nevmekân Library, right near the water. Upon entering, you will think you’ve entered a cozy café: small tables are scattered all about. Then you’ll notice the shelves of books behind those tables. The best part is the centre of the building, where circular shelves line the floor and a lovely dome lets in natural light from above. There is also a raised platform in this room; the first time we were there, there was a guy playing the piano! We’re not sure how much people actually read here, but what a stunning place to have a snack and do some thinking!
