Bağdat Avenue
This article needs additional citations for verification. (November 2008) |
Native name | Bağdat Caddesi (Turkish) |
---|---|
Length | 14,000 m (46,000 ft) |
Location | Maltepe-Kadıköy, Istanbul, Turkey |
Postal code | 34846, 34842, 34840, 34744, 34740, 34738, 34730, 34728, 34724, 34722 |
Coordinates | 40°57′44″N 29°04′37″E / 40.96215°N 29.07701°E |
From | Üsküdar Caddesi in Cevizli, Maltepe |
To | Taşköprü Caddesi in Kızıltoprak, Kadıköy |
Bağdat Avenue (
Bağdat Caddesi mainly runs through middle and upper-class residential areas. A one-way street for traffic, it is lined with old plane trees and flanked by a series of shopping malls, boutiques and shops, as well as by restaurants serving international and local cuisine, pubs and cafes, luxury car dealers and banks. Most of the shops are open seven days a week, including Sunday afternoons.
Heading westwards, Bağdat Avenue runs through:
History
Bağdat Avenue started life as a road connecting Constantinople with Anatolia during the Byzantine and later the Ottoman periods, when it was used for trade and military purposes. It acquired its name after the recapture of Baghdad by Sultan Murad IV in 1638. However, the original road started from Üsküdar and passed through Haydarpaşa Meadows, joining what became the later route in Kızıltoprak.
The Ottomans built fountains with namazgahs (open-air areas set aside for prayer) along the road to serve travellers arriving to or departing from the city. Some of the neighbourhoods along Bağdat Avenue are still named after these fountains (Turkish: çeşme), such as Söğütlüçeşme (Willow Fountain), Selamiçeşme, and Çatalçeşme (Forked Fountain).
During the reign of Sultan Abdul Hamid II (1876–1909), some pashas, high officials and wealthy traders purchased land around Bağdat Avenue and erected luxurious chalet-like wooden mansions, a few of which still exist today.
Before
Until the 1960s, the coastal area close to Bağdat Avenue served as a summer resort primarily for the city's upper and middle classes, who mainly lived on the European side of İstanbul closer to their businesses. Following the opening of the
Attractions
There are several large public parks just off Bağdat Avenue. These include Özgürlük (Freedom) Park in Selamiçeşme and Göztepe Park which offers displays of tulips in April and of roses in June.
The small mosques along Bağdat Caddesi only date from the late 19th century. Most prominent are the Zühtü Paşa Mosque in Kızıltoprak (1885) and the Galip Paşa Mosque in Caddebostan (1889).
In the back streets of
Overlooking the
Celebrations
Bağdat Avenue hosts a cultural parade on the evening of Republic Day, which is celebrated every year on October 29.
Celebrations also take place on Bağdat Avenue whenever the home football team
Since the 1960s
Besides cultural parades, there are also a lot of concerts and competitions that brands such as Red Bull organize. For instance, in August 2022, they organized brought their global Flagtug competition to Caddeboston Sahili (Beach) where competitors attempt to fly their own home-made flying machines. The event was a huge success and was broadcast as a livestream.[3]
Namesakes
In some other parts of Turkey and elsewhere around the world, there are streets of the same name:
See also
- Abdi İpekçi Avenue
- İstiklal Avenue
- List of upscale shopping districts
References
- ISBN 9789752307346.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link - ^ Newspaper Sabah (in Turkish)
- ^ [1] (in Turkish)
- ^ Municipality of Kayseri Archived January 12, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Virtual Tourist