Cihangir

This article is about the neighborhood. For its namesake, the Ottoman prince, see Şehzade Cihangir. For other uses, see Cihangir (disambiguation).
Cihangir
Neighbourhood
Cihangir is located in Turkey
Cihangir
Cihangir
Location in Turkey
Cihangir is located in Istanbul
Cihangir
Cihangir
Cihangir (Istanbul)
Coordinates: 41°01′59″N 28°59′07″E / 41.03306°N 28.98528°E / 41.03306; 28.98528
CountryTurkey
ProvinceIstanbul
DistrictBeyoğlu
Government
 • MuhtarAdnan Bal
Population
 (2022)
3,739
Time zoneUTC+3 (TRT)

Cihangir is an affluent neighbourhood in the municipality and district of Beyoğlu, Istanbul Province, Turkey.[1] Its population is 3,739 (2022).[2] It is located between Taksim Square and Kabataş.[3] It has many narrow streets, two parks, and many street cafes especially in and around Akarsu Yokuşu Sokağı.

The neighbourhood has a bohemian reputation.[4] It is known for its artists, writers, actors, and expatriates – as well as its large army of street cats. It was also a stronghold for protesters during the Gezi Park protests.[3]

Cihangir was named after Şehzade Cihangir whose heartbroken father, Suleiman the Magnificent, had Mimar Sinan build a mosque overlooking the Bosphorus to commemorate his death. The name means "conqueror" in Turkish and, in turn, comes from the Persian compound word jahan + gir (جهانگیر), meaning "conqueror of the world". Today, the Cihangir Mosque, originally built in 1559 but reconstructed in 1889, offers views across the Bosphorus to Sarayburnu.[4]

In 2012, British newspaper The Guardian included Cihangir and neighbouring Çukurcuma in the list of the five best places in the world to live, next to Santa Cruz de Tenerife, in Spain; the district of Sankt Pauli, in Hamburg, the north coast of Maui, in Hawaii and Portland, in the U.S. state of Oregon.[5]

Ece Temelkuran wrote that this neighbourhood is like Soho, Manhattan.[6]

  1. ^ Mahalle, Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference tuik was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Delin, Sevil (2013-12-09). "A day in … Cihangir, Istanbul". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-05-23.
  4. ^ a b "Cornucopia Magazine". www.cornucopia.net. Retrieved 2019-05-23.
  5. ^ "Santa Cruz de Tenerife, uno de los cinco mejores sitios del mundo para vivir, según "The Guardian"". ABC.es. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  6. ^ Temelkuran, Ece (2019). How to Lose a Country: The Seven Steps from Democracy to Dictatorship. London: HarperCollinsPublishers. p. 131. ISBN 978-0-00-829404-5.