Şişli

History

Until the 1800s, Şişli was open countryside, used for hunting, agriculture and leisure. It was developed as a middle class residential district during the last years of the Ottoman Empire and the early years of the Turkish Republic (the late 19th-early 20th centuries). French culture was an important influence in this period and the wide avenues of Şişli were lined with large stone buildings with high ceilings and Art Nouveau wrought-iron balconies, which often had little elevators on wires in the middle of the stairways. This trading middle-class was composed of Jews, Greeks and Armenians, as well as some Turks, many of whom built homes in Şişli after a large fire devastated the neighbouring district of Pera (now Beyoğlu) in 1870. To this day, several families from Istanbul's local Armenian community live in the Kurtuluş neighbourhood of Şişli. The area was also popular with the Catholic Levantine trading families of this period who settled in Istanbul for trade or were contracted by the Ottoman Empire. Şişli also attracted migrants from former possessions in Greece and the Balkans. In the late 19th century, Şişli was one of the first areas supplied with tramlines, electricity and natural gas. The Darülaceze orphanage and the large Şişli Etfal Hospital were built here in this period, as well as the French schools of St. Michel and Notre Dame de Sion.

Following the founding of the Turkish Republic in the 1920s, larger and larger buildings were built along wide avenues such as Halaskargazi Caddesi, the main road that runs through the middle of Şişli, with its little arcades of shops below tall apartment and office buildings. In the republican era, the area was still popular with the middle classes but also attracted a growing population of traders. Writers and poets also favoured the area, and Şişli acquired theatres, cafes and other cultural amenities. The Hilton Istanbul Bosphorus was built here in the 1950s and many others followed.

From the 1950s onwards people from Anatolia began to migrate to Istanbul in search of work. In most cases they built themselves illegal squats on unclaimed or government-owned land (see gecekondu). Some of these people settled in parts of Şişli in the 1950s and 1960s, especially in the northern sections of the district, around Mecidiyeköy.

Centre of Şişli today

Now that the wealthy elite of central Şişli has moved into less central suburbs of the city, the large buildings on the grand avenues are occupied by offices, banks, and big shops, forming the largest part of the Istanbul Central Business District. Since the 1970's, most older buildings have been pulled down and replaced with newer, and less traditional, multi-storey structures. The back streets are still residential, and many working-class families and students have settled there. There are plenty of shops, cafés, pubs, and other amenities. Although Şişli is not a wealthy district today, its central location still makes it a desirable place to live by many.

Business and shopping

Being a central area well-served with public-transport and other infrastructure, Şişli is a center of trade and shopping. The main road through Şişli up to the skyscrapers of Mecidiyeköy, Gayrettepe, Levent and beyond is now lined with office blocks. Europe's largest and the world's second largest (urban-area) shopping mall, Cevahir İstanbul, is situated here. Due to Şişli's middle-class past and the enduring quality of some neighbourhoods the area is home to many upmarket shops mainly in the affluent Nişantaşı area. Parking is an enduring problem, especially in the narrow side-streets.

People also come to Şişli for schooling; this city-centre area has some well-known high schools and a great number of dersane (preparatory courses for the annual university entrance exams), evening and weekend schools where people come to cram for university or high school entrance examinations, or to learn English.

There are many well-established cafes and restaurants.

Politics

The last elected mayor of Şişli was Muammer Keskin from the secularist Republican People's Party. He was deposed by the government on 23 March 2025, and the kaymakam (sub-governor) of Şişli, Cevdet Ertürkmen, was appointed as mayor of Şisli.

Neighbourhoods

There are 25 neighbourhoods in Şişli district:

Important quarters

Şişli Merkez (lit. "Şişli Center") and Cumhuriyet Avenue (Cumhuriyet Caddesi) to its south, commonly called Bomonti after the former Bomonti Brewery, now repurposed as the Bomontiada arts center, including the Babylon event venue featuring regular live music. There is also a presidential museum, and photography on display at the Ara Guler Museum. The name Bomonti is referenced in the name of the Bomonti Hilton hotel, the 39-story Bomonti Park tower, etc.

Esentepe - home to the Municipality of Şişli and Zincirlikuyu Cemetery. Neighboring Gayrettepe and Levent neighborhoods of Beşiktaş district and Mecidiyeköy neighborhood, Esentepe also covers the west side of Büyükdere Street at Levent, where most of the plazas are located.

Kurtuluş – formerly Tatavla (Greek: Ταταύλα, "horse stable") in the Ottoman period, was home to a Greek and later Armenian community. The district had mostly wooden houses until the fire on April 13, 1929. Afterwards, it was rebuilt in narrow stone streets and, over time, concrete buildings, lined with cafés, patisseries, and shops. This cosmopolitan district has a long history, and has been home to many singers, artists, and actors. There are a small number of old apartment buildings. It was also known mainly for its traditional carnival, which was organized every year before Lent. The peak of the carnival, on the last day of Lent, took place in Kurtuluş and was known as Baklahorani. After the riots of 1955, the Greek community left the area; however, their churches are open on religious holidays.

Teşvikiye – uphill from Beşiktaş, an area with many classic European-style buildings as well as a busy high-class shopping district. Since the 19th century, Teşvikiye has been home to many writers (including journalist Abdi Ipekçi, who was assassinated here in 1979), politicians and a great number of prominent business families and still holds a well-established middle-class, including some descendants of Levantine and Jewish families that built many of the stone apartment buildings of Teşvikiye in the Ottoman period. Prominent buildings include the Milli Reasürans building, and the neo-Baroque Teşvikiye Mosque, who established the neighbourhood by building the mosque and the nearby historic Teşvikiye Police Station, encouraging citizens of Istanbul to settle in this new district (hence the name Teşvikiye, from teşvik, encouragement in Turkish.) Abdi İpekçi Avenue. There are a number of well-known schools, including some buildings of Marmara University and Işık Lisesi.

Places of interest

Arts, entertainment, and sports venues

Bomontiada, incorporating parts of the former Bomonti Brewery(tr)

Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall

Cemil Topuzlu Open-Air Theatre

Türk Telekom Stadium

Museums and historical places

Istanbul Military Museum

Atatürk Museum

Ihlamur Palace

Monument of Liberty

Religious buildings

Şişli Mosque

Teşvikiye Mosque

Cathedral of the Holy Spirit

Cemeteries

Pangaltı Catholic Cemetery

Şişli Armenian Cemetery

Zincirlikuyu Cemetery

Shopping malls

Cevahir Mall

Kanyon Shopping Mall

MetroCity AVM

Profilo Shopping Center

Skyscrapers

Diamond of Istanbul

Istanbul Sapphire

Sabancı Center

Şişli Plaza