Sisli district is one of the central districts located on the European side of Istanbul. Despite having no coastline, it is situated at the exit point of two bridge crossings connecting Asia to Europe. The name Sisli is also the name of the neighborhood in the center of the district. The most common association regarding the name “Sisli” is that it comes from a family engaged in making skewers, known to the public as “Şişçiler,” who lived here and had a mansion in the area. Istanbul, which has a history of 2500 years, is a relatively newer residential area. However, the establishment of what we now know as the Kurtuluş neighborhood, historically called Ayios Dimitrios and later referred to as “Tatavla” due to its horse stables, dates back to the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent (1520-1566). During maritime conquests, craftsmen captured from the islands in the Aegean and Mediterranean were settled in this area, and later on, foreigners who came to Istanbul for trade also settled here.
It is known that the people living in this neighborhood displayed skills in various professions, from shipbuilding to shoemaking, became famous for the profession of “tulumbacılık” (firefighting), and held significant places in Istanbul’s art, culture, and sports life. By the late 18th century, in this settlement, which had a population reach of twenty thousand, mostly consisting of Greeks, they even had a decree prohibiting people outside their community from entering the region. Tatavla was governed by an Elder Council consisting of 12 members. This council was made up of 53 representatives selected from 1,030 establishments in the area. This order continued until the Republican period, and with the lifting of the entry ban, the neighborhood was named “Kurtuluş” (Liberation).
A significant portion of the old structures in the area was destroyed by fires, while foreign schools, churches, and cemeteries continue to exist today as structural documents of various periods. Until the mid-1800s, there were no other significant settlements in Sisli, and vegetable and fruit cultivation, as well as floriculture, were carried out in the vast open fields and gardens in the area. The Westernization movements of the Ottoman Empire during the same century had an impact not only around the palace but also in every aspect of social life in Istanbul. Undoubtedly, the relocation of the palace and its affiliated personnel from the Topkapi Palace and its surroundings to the coastal palaces in Besiktas facilitated the development and expansion of these areas as they gradually opened up for settlement, as well as the construction of new roads extending to the surroundings.
The declaration of the Tanzimat Edict upon Sultan Abdulmecit’s ascension to the throne (1839-1861) granting foreigners the right to acquire private property and the encouragement of settlement in the area now known as Teşvikiye led to an increase in demand from wealthy and influential individuals close to the palace. Very few of the mansions built during this period have survived to this day. Another settlement area is the barley fields and mulberry grove located in the Northeast of the current Sisli district, which was established during Sultan Abdulmecit’s reign to accommodate immigrants who lost their homes in border areas and sought refuge in Istanbul during the Empire’s territorial losses. This rural settlement area was named Mecidiyeköy after the sultan.
In addition, we see the establishment of public buildings such as the Military Academy in 1862, the Darülaceze (a charitable institution for the poor) in 1895, and the Etfal Hospital in 1898, as well as the Bomonti Brewery established in the early 1900s and the founding of the Matbaa-i Osmaniye (an Ottoman printing house).
However, the trend of large populations shifting to the Sisli area was amplified by the damage caused by the great Beyoğlu fire in 1870, affecting wealthy foreigners and minorities, who intensified their demands for brick buildings. The extension of the horse-drawn tram and later the electric tram from Taksim to Pangaltı and Sisli, along with the laying of electric and gas lines, turned the region into one of the most attractive spots in Istanbul. Over time, Sisli and its surroundings became the venue not only for wealthy foreigners and influential minorities but also for Ottoman pashas and elite intellectuals who embraced or admired a Western lifestyle. The area transformed into a setting for a more contemporary and modern way of life under the conditions of its time. The struggles for freedom during the era of “constitutional monarchy” following the declaration of the Tanzimat, as well as the events of March 31, would eventually be symbolized by the “Abide-i Hürriyet Monument” opened in Sisli in 1911.
Today, many neighborhood names in Sisli District are associated with pashas who held important positions during that time and participated in this struggle, such as Mahmut Şevket Pasha, Halil Rıfat Pasha, and İzzet Pasha. Mustafa Kemal’s National Independence Movement, which would be initiated in Anatolia, will also have its first headquarters in Sisli. Additionally, many neighborhoods in Sisli are named with references to that period, such as 19 Mayıs, Cumhuriyet, Ergenekon, Bozkurt, İnönü, and Halide Edip Adıvar. The dark days of the early 1900s, the years of occupation, the constantly occurring fires, and security concerns led to the emergence of apartment buildings where multiple families, even if in separate sections, could live together. The proliferation of these apartments in Sisli and the transformation of the former transport routes into orderly housing districts later facilitated the formation of the main streets that would constitute the backbone of the city.
The rapidly increasing demand around this backbone created new housing areas and neighborhoods. Sisli also took its share from the large waves of migration that began in the 1950s. Slum neighborhoods such as Çağlayan and Gültepe emerged in the area. With its rapidly growing population, Sisli was transformed from a township under the Beyoğlu District into a district itself through a new administrative arrangement in 1954. In the 1960s, new slum neighborhoods like Örnektepe, Kuştepe, Çeliktepe, and Hürriyet were added to Sisli. During that time, Kağıthane, which was located within the district boundaries, transformed into a heavily industrialized area. New workshops were also established around Bomonti. In contrast, the shops and passages located on the ground floors of the lined apartment buildings around Rumeli, Halaskargazi, and Cumhuriyet Streets formed the city’s most popular and vibrant shopping center.
In the 1980s, in response to rapidly increasing demand, not only the ground floors of the apartments on the street but increasingly the other floors as well turned into workplaces or retail spaces. The neighborhoods of Mecidiyeköy and Gayrettepe, as well as Büyükdere and Yıldızposta Streets, were affected by this development. With the establishment of Kağıthane as a district in 1987, Sisli District was divided into two separate areas. The northern part of the district contains the neighborhoods of Ayazağa, Huzur, and Maslak, which are characterized by forests, military zones, and industrial facilities. In a region that used to be home to hunting lodges and pavilions, today, especially around Büyükdere Street and the İstinye junction, some of the city’s highest prestige buildings housing major companies and financial institutions have risen.