Cağaloğlu: the hamam, the Sublime Porte, and the publishers' street

Stops along the way

Things to notice.

1. 01

   1

   Sirkeci Marmaray

   Marmaray (or the Eminönü T1 stop, a short walk further west) is the entry point at sea level. From the station, walk south up the slope toward Sultanahmet — Cağaloğlu is the small district climbing in between.

   01

   Sirkeci Marmaray

   Marmaray (or the Eminönü T1 stop, a short walk further west) is the entry point at sea level. From the station, walk south up the slope toward Sultanahmet — Cağaloğlu is the small district climbing in between.

   ◉Street View
2. 02

   2

   Bab-ı Ali (the Sublime Porte gate)

   The surviving doorway of the Ottoman government complex. Bab-ı Ali means the high gate; the building behind it was the Grand Vizier's office, where foreign ambassadors presented credentials to the Sublime State. After 1923 the gate became part of the Istanbul Governor's compound. The institution is gone; the door is still here.

   02

   Bab-ı Ali (the Sublime Porte gate)

   The surviving doorway of the Ottoman government complex. Bab-ı Ali means the high gate; the building behind it was the Grand Vizier's office, where foreign ambassadors presented credentials to the Sublime State. After 1923 the gate became part of the Istanbul Governor's compound. The institution is gone; the door is still here.

   ◉Street View
3. 03

   3

   Cağaloğlu Yokuşu

   The climbing street that gives the district its identity. Through the twentieth century this was the address of Istanbul's daily papers — Hürriyet, Cumhuriyet, Milliyet, Tercüman. Most have moved to media compounds in the suburbs; some buildings carry the original masthead plates.

   03

   Cağaloğlu Yokuşu

   The climbing street that gives the district its identity. Through the twentieth century this was the address of Istanbul's daily papers — Hürriyet, Cumhuriyet, Milliyet, Tercüman. Most have moved to media compounds in the suburbs; some buildings carry the original masthead plates.

   ◉Street View
4. 04

   4

   The old newspaper district

   Walk the side streets off Cağaloğlu Yokuşu — Ankara Caddesi carries the Hürriyet legacy and several surviving press buildings. The presses are gone, the architecture is still the news quarter's. Look up for the carved building names from the press era.

   04

   The old newspaper district

   Walk the side streets off Cağaloğlu Yokuşu — Ankara Caddesi carries the Hürriyet legacy and several surviving press buildings. The presses are gone, the architecture is still the news quarter's. Look up for the carved building names from the press era.

   ◉Street View
5. 05

   5

   Cağaloğlu Hamamı

   Mahmud I's 1741 hamam, the most famous of Istanbul's working bathhouses. Separate male and female sections under the same roof, baroque-Ottoman vaulting, the marble göbektaşı in the centre of each hararet. Go in for a kese or just look at the entrance — either is part of the walk.

   05

   Cağaloğlu Hamamı

   Mahmud I's 1741 hamam, the most famous of Istanbul's working bathhouses. Separate male and female sections under the same roof, baroque-Ottoman vaulting, the marble göbektaşı in the centre of each hararet. Go in for a kese or just look at the entrance — either is part of the walk.

   ◉Street View
6. 06

   6

   Sultanahmet tram (T1)

   Two minutes from the hamam to the tram stop. T1 east takes you back through Eminönü and Karaköy; west via Aksaray to the Yedikule land walls; the Hagia Sophia dome is right there if you want to extend into Sultanahmet proper.

   06

   Sultanahmet tram (T1)

   Two minutes from the hamam to the tram stop. T1 east takes you back through Eminönü and Karaköy; west via Aksaray to the Yedikule land walls; the Hagia Sophia dome is right there if you want to extend into Sultanahmet proper.

   ◉Street View