Pierre Loti Cafe

Pierre Loti Cafe

The present day Pierre Loti Café, overlooking the Bahariye Islands and the Golden Horn was built over the site of the original coffee house where French novelist Pierre Loti used to come to admire the view. Loti, real name Louis Marie-Julien Viaud, was a French naval officer and novelist born in 1850. He wrote tales…

Golden Horn Tramway Line

Golden Horn Tramway Line

On the 4th of January 2021 a new tramway line that runs the length of the Golden Horn opened. In Turkish Golden Horn translates as Haliç, meaning mouth or inlet. It’s named for the horn-like shape of this estuary which stretches approximately seven kilometres from the point where the Sea of Marmara and the Bosphorus…

Suleymaniye Mosque

Suleymaniye Mosque

I recently went to visit Suleymaniye Mosque (cami in Turkish) after last having seen it in 1996. Despite being some time ago, I still had memories of its majestic grandeur. However nothing really prepares you for just how light this solid structure appears. It seems to be perched on the edge of a hill overlooking the…

St Stephen Church Istanbul
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St Stephen Church Istanbul

When the original wooden St Stephen Church Istanbul was erected on the shores of the Golden Horn in the early 19th century, the Bulgarian Church was trying to break away from the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Istanbul. At that time the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople controlled all the religious affairs of Orthodox congregations throughout the entire…