Where does the names of towns in Istanbul come from?

Aksaray: After the conquest of Constantinople, Ishak Pasa, one of the viziers of Fatih Mehmet Sultan brought people from Aksaray (near Konya) to settle down in this area and this part of the city is called Aksaray ever since.

Ahirkapi : Ahirkapi comes from the Sultan’s stable (Has Ahir) near one of the seven gates by the Marmara Sea.

Bagdat Caddesi: The area was named after the road used for eastern campaign during the Roman and Ottoman periods.

Baglarbasi :It is called Baglarbasi because this part of the city was famous for vineyards and orchards – once.

Bebek :It is believed that the name comes from the a commander knicknamed “Bebek” guarding the area.

Beyazit :This area was called Beyazit after Sultan Beyazit II built a “kulliye” (mosque complex).

Beyoglu :There are a few theories for this name. One of them is the Venecian prince residing in this area were called Beyoglu and it remained so. Another one is that the official way of addressing the Venecian ambassador was “Bey Oglu”. Either way, it’s got something to do with the Venecians in Istanbul. The original name is Pera which is still used since the Roman period.

Bakırköy:The old name of Bakirkoy “Makri Hori” during the Roman period. It was changed into “Makrikoy” after the conquest and finally it became “Bakirkoy” by the order of Atatürk.

Cemberlitas:Constantinus Forum was called “strapped stone” during the Ottoman Empire because of the metal circles around it.

Cengelkoy: It was called hook village because big anchors were build in this area.

Eminonu: The area was named after Customs Department (Gumruk Eminligi) and the payclerks, paymasters during the Ottoman period.

Ferikoy: The area was named after Madame Feri living during the reigns of Sultan Abdulmecid and Abdulaziz, whose husband was donated the land in this area.

Galata: Gala means “milk” in Greek. It is believed to be derived from this word refering the diary farms in this area. Another theory is that Galata means “path to the sea” in Italian, which could make more sense considering the Genoese hegemony in the area.

Kadikoy: Kadikoy was called “Chalcedon” due to chalcedon trade for ages until the conquest. Later on the town was called Kadikoy because of the first judge in the city.

Okmeydani : It was called arrow arena because there were stones used for training arcory.

Sisli : It is believed that the name was mutated from the Siscilerin Konagi (the mansion of the skewer), a family whose business was producing skews.

Saskinbakkal : The name comes from “confused” grocer who opened a grocer in Saskinbakkal, a modern and very busy neighbourhood today, when there was no settlement or population except for the people coming to swim.

Tahtakale:The name of this famous shopping area was mutated from “taht-el-kale” in Arabic. It means “crown of the fortress”.

Taksim: Taksim meaning shareout in Turkish is the place containing a reservoir from which water is distributed to various parts of a city.

Uskudar :The name was mutated from “Scutari” in Greek meaning military barracks.