| Golden Horn |
An old trading point and popular shoreline residential area during the Byzantine period, it was largely inhabited by Jewish immigrants from Spain during the Ottoman period. The mixtures of Armenians, Greeks, Gypsies and Turks living along its shores reflected the city's colorful mosaic. Since 1880 the famed Cibali cigarette factory has been operating there. In Fener is the patriarchate and mother church of the Greek Orthodox Church and nearby, the Bulgarian Church, built of cast iron in the neo-gothic style. At the far end of the Golden Horn is the Eyüp neighborhood and Eyüp Sultan Mosque, the most famous monument of these shores which has drawn countless Muslim pilgrims since the day it was built. On the cliffs above the mosque is the teahouse of Pierre Loti which offers the city's finest view of the Golden Horn. |