Before the Shopfronts Close: A Çukurcuma Evening

1. 01
   History

   Find the Hammam at the Top of the Slope

   Start at the working hammam beside Galatasaray High School, which presents itself as open since 1481 and carries that date in its identity. Independent sources do not confirm who commissioned it. What is certain is that a functioning hammam still stands at the top of the slope descending from İstiklal to Çukurcuma, and it stays open until 9 pm.

   Galatasaray Hamamı, Istanbul, Turkey
2. 02
   Local

   Go Object Hunting in the Shop Windows

   Walk the narrow streets of Çukurcuma, Istanbul’s antique-dealer quarter. The neighborhood name is tied to a local story that after the conquest, Mehmed the Conqueror said, 'let us perform Friday prayer in that hollow.' The historic core of the area is the mosque built by Mimar Sinan between 1541 and 1547; today, mainly its minaret survives. In the evening, this stop is about the windows and the street texture rather than going inside.

   Çukurcuma Caddesi, Beyoğlu, Istanbul, Turkey
3. 03
   Culture

   Look at a Novel’s Museum from the Outside

   Pause at this corner building from 1897, which since 2012 has housed a museum based on a novel. Orhan Pamuk wrote the book and collected the objects in parallel. Inside are eighty-three display cases, each corresponding to a chapter of the novel. The museum was named European Museum of the Year in 2014. This stop is intentionally designed as an exterior visit.

   The Museum of Innocence, Istanbul, Turkey
4. 04
   Local

   Wait for Evening in the Square

   Finish at Firuzağa Square, the living room of Cihangir at the bottom of the slope. The mosque here was rebuilt in 1823–24 after the fire of 1 March 1823. Its present form is a raised mass with shops underneath and stairways on both sides, reflecting Tanzimat-era architecture. The neighborhood took on its current identity after migration waves in the 1970s.

   Firuzağa Meydanı ve Firuzağa Camii, Istanbul, Turkey

Check opening hours before you go. Hours, access conditions and weather can change.