İstanbul’s Yeşilköy, feeling the breeze of the Marmara Sea

Due to how near it is to Atatürk Airport, Yeşilköy is connected to aviation in many ways. It is where Turkish aviation was born. In 1912 the first hangars, landing/takeoff strips and other facilities for aviation were built here. Six years later the Yeşilköy Airplane Center became a school for pilots of the Ottoman Air Force, the predecessor of the current Turkish Air Forces. Since 1951 Yeşilköy has been the home of the Turkish Air Forces academy. Nearby is the Aviation Museum, which opened its doors for the first time in 1985, after having been moved from Izmir. The aviation museum exhibits a range of historical airplanes and can be visited every day from 9 a.m. till 4 p.m., except on Monday and Tuesday.

Ties with aviation are also reflected in Yeşilköy’s two major hotels. Popular among aviation personnel is the Polat Renaissance Hotel, which dominates the skyline of Yeşilköy with its 23 floors. The view from the upper floors is magnificent. One can even see the bridge over the Golden Horn in the distance. Next door to the Polat Renaissance Hotel is the Çınar Hotel, one of Turkey’s first five star hotels.

As is often the case in Istanbul, the history of Yeşilköy is quite interesting. Initially it was called Ayos Stefanos, after St. Stephen, one of the first Christian martyrs. According the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament, St. Stephen was stoned to death by an angry mob due to an accusation of blasphemy. His remains were at first kept in Jerusalem, but under Emperor Theodosius the younger, they were moved by sea to Constantinople. However, according to legend the ship was hit by a storm just before it reached the city, forcing the crew to go ashore at the current Yeşilköy. The bones of St. Stephen were temporarily kept here, giving the area its name.

Of course the question is how much of this legend is true, but that the three churches in Yeşilköy are dedicated to St. Stephen is a fact. Every year on Dec. 27 a special ritual is held: A priest throws a small cross into the sea, after which it is brought back to shore by young men of several religions. The day before, which is dedicated to St. Stephen, an animal is sacrificed. This custom refers to the food that was given by shepherds to the crew of the ship carrying the remains of St. Stephen.

In 1203, after the Fourth Crusade the Christian army disembarked in San Stefano, to conquer Constantinople a year later. It was quite a while before the village again made its mark in Turkish history; in the 19th century San Stefano and the adjacent Florya and Ataköy became the property of the powerful Armenian Dadyan family, a present from the sultan who was happy because of the gunpowder the Dadyans supplied to the Ottoman Empire.

During the Crimean War (1853-1856), when France, Great Britain and the Ottoman Empire went to war against Russia, Yeşilköy became the base of the French army. The French military left a lighthouse behind, the Ayastefanos Fener, located near the Polat Renaissance Hotel. Nowadays it is the fish restaurant Fener, which treats its guests to the only lighthouse museum in Turkey.

When the Russians tried to regain what they’d lost in the Crimean War during the Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878), their advance stopped at Yeşilköy, after which the Treaty of San Stefano was signed by Russia and the Ottoman Empire. The exact location was the beautiful home (still standing) of the Simeonoğlu family.

In 1909 the decision to banish Sultan Abdülhamid II to Thessaloniki was taken by the Committee of Union and Progress in Yeşilköy. A law in 1926 forced villages and cities to choose a Turkish name, so San Stefano was renamed Yeşilköy (green village). The new name emerged from the thoughts of the writer Halit Ziya Uşaklıgil, who lived here. Beyond any doubt he felt inspired by the many trees in Yeşilköy. The park between Yeşilköy center and the marinas is named after Uşaklıgil. He wasn’t the only well-known Turk who lived in Yeşilköy, however. In the 1940s six members of the Çingas family came from Albania to Istanbul. They set up a popular place in Yeşilköy that was frequented by many writers, musicians and poets. Vangel Çingas, who later became know as Ancelo, read poetry here. His place became so popular that reservations had to be made days in advance. Later on the singers Ayten Alpman and Şecaattin Tanyerli, as well as the TV announcer Uğur Dündar, lived in Yeşilköy.

In the 19th century the population of Yeşilköy was a mixture of Turks, Greeks, Armenians, French and Italians. An Armenian school is a reminder of those days. It was a favorite sea resort for Istanbul’s elite then, who also came to hunt. Nowadays Greeks, French, Italians and hunting have disappeared. But Yeşilköy is still a popular sea resort due to the beautiful wide beaches and many exquisite fish restaurants. Its cozy center is filled with bars and restaurants. Tourists from Holland will be surprised to find the van Gogh restaurant, with several reproductions of paintings by the famous Dutch expressionist.

Istanbul’s elite are also still present, along with many luxurious examples of modern architecture and magnificent 19th century wooden villas, which contribute to Yeşilköy being one of Istanbul’s most splendid areas. But Yeşilköy is not only for the elite. It is a popular destination for many, causing it to be especially crowded on hot summer evenings -- if there is a chance for a cool breeze in Istanbul, it is in Yeşilköy.

Yeşilköy can be reached from Eminönü by train and by bus number 81. Or from Taksim Square by bus 72T, or dolmuş.