Bankalar Caddesi, also known as Voyvoda Caddesi, in the historic Galata quarter of the district of Beyoğlu (Pera) in Istanbul, Turkey, was the financial centre of the late Ottoman Empire. It strikes out west from busy Kemeraltı Caddesi in Karaköy and segues into Okçu Musa Caddesi which leads up to Şişhane and Tepebaşı in Beyoğlu.
Bankalar Caddesi (c. late 1920s) by Sébah & Joaillier. The Ottoman Bank building (1892) is seen at left.
The Ottoman Bank Archives and Research Centre, former head office of the Ottoman Bank, Constantinople.
Bankalar Caddesi in 2016
Bankalar Caddesi was Istanbul's financial centre during the Ottoman period. Completed in 1892, the Ottoman Central Bank headquarters is the large building at right.
Galata is the former name of the Karaköy neighbourhood in Istanbul, which is located at the northern shore of the Golden Horn. The district is connected to the historic Fatih district by several bridges that cross the Golden Horn, most notably the Galata Bridge. The medieval citadel of Galata was a colony of the Republic of Genoa between 1273 and 1453. The famous Galata Tower was built by the Genoese in 1348 at the northernmost and highest point of the citadel. Galata is now a quarter within the district of Beyoğlu in Istanbul.
A view of Galata (modern Karaköy) with the Galata Tower (1348) at the apex of the medieval Genoese citadel walls, which were largely demolished in the 19th century to enable northward urban growth.
View of the Golden Horn and the historic peninsula of Istanbul from the Galata Tower.
Minaret of the Arap Mosque, originally the belfry of the Church of San Domenico which was built in 1325 by Dominican friars in Galata.
Bankalar Caddesi (Banks Street) in Galata was the financial center of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Central Bank Building (1892) is seen at left.
