“Anchor Village”
Important date: 6 January (Epiphany) when a cross is tossed into the Bosphorus to be recovered by swimmers
The Bosphorus suburb of Çengelköy is generally regarded as a nice place to live despite the horrendous traffic that pours through it at all times. It’s not really a place to come for sightseeing although there are some old Ottoman houses in the back streets in varying degrees of disrepair. There are also some rather fine old çeşmes (fountains) here, including the Lahanacılar Çeşmesi (Cabbage Fountain) in front of the police station on the main road which has a cabbage-shaped finial. This dates back to 1854 and commemorates a time in the 15th century when two teams, one taking its name from the cabbages of Merzifon and the other from the okra of Amasya, were trained as cavalry by competing against each other at the horseback sport of cirit.
Until recently, the Vahdeddin Köşkü, a huge 19th-century mansion distinguished by a tower topped with an onion dome, served as a landmark high on the hillside above Çengelköy as you came into from Beylerbeyi. Originally built for the Armenian Köçeoğlu family, it became home to Sultan Abdülaziz’s nephew, Prince Burhaneddin, and then to Mehmed VI Vahdeddin, the last Ottoman sultan who reigned from 1918 to 1922 before being sent into exile. Astonishingly in 2012 it was demolished in favour of a modern replica which is nice enough until you see pictures of the original!
Approaching Çengelköy from Beylerbeyi you will see on the inland side of the road a fine modern çeşme erected in memory of the 18 people who died in the suburb during the failed coup attempt of 2016.
Leaving Çengelköy on the coast road heading north towards Kuleli you’ll see on the inland side of the road the austere 19th-century building that houses the Greek Orthodox Church of Hagios Georgios. Unfortunately I’ve never known it to be open to visitors.
Around Cengelköy
The most obvious place for car lovers to feed their addiction is probably the Rahmi M. Koç Museum in Hasköy. There, though, the cars are just part of a much wider collection not just of vehicles but of other industrial artefacts as well. On the road running inland from Çengelköy to Ata 2, however, the SAV Automobile Museum is a small and easily overlooked attraction (only open Friday-Sunday, admission fee, bus: Müze) completely devoted to veteran and vintage cars which are parked in all their shiny glory across two whole floors. I fear it may no longer be receiving visitors though.
Eating and drinking
In the 2020s a strange sort of eating frenzy seized Çengelköy with every other cafe and restaurant now apparently selling either midye tava (fried mussels) or kököreç (intestines roasted on a horizontal split) or both.
That aside, the place to sit down for a glass of çay has to be the Tarihi Çınaraltı Çay Bahçesi (Historic Tea Garden Under the Plane Tree) on the waterfront which is dominated by a huge and ancient plane tree, its branches held up by props. Their menemen breakfasts are pretty good too. Should you fancy a macaroon to accompany the çay the Seval Pastanesi on the high street has been in the pastry business since 1957.
The large Erbap Restaurant, also on the high street, is the sort of place to come if you’re after a decent everyday meal rather than something pricy and special occasion. Crowds pour in for Sunday brunch; you might like to join them provided you can find a table.
Sleeping
Transport info
Çengelköy is served by an infrequent but very enjoyable coast-hopping ferry service (https://www.sehirhatlari.istanbul/) as well as be ferries to Kabataş.
It is also served by deniz dolmuşeş (sea taxis) from Galataport. These are relatively expensive and accept payment only by temassız (contactless) cards – half-price if you pay with a Mastercard.
Otherwise you can easily get here by bus from Üsküdar although coast-road traffic jams are a pain, especially at weekends.
Nearby areas
15 Temmuz Şehitleri Çeşmesi (15th July Martyrs Fountain)
