Taksimde Hayat

Since the area where the city’s water was divided during the Ottoman period, the square was named Taksim. Taksim Square, Istanbul is not only an important challenge for all of Turkey. This is the meeting point for people and transport networks, as well as where ceremonies and protests take place. The Republic Monument, located in the middle of the square, was built in 1928. The monument contains statues of Atatürk, İsmet İnönü, Fevzi Çakmak, soldiers and two Russian generals who assisted during the War of Independence. AKM (Atatürk Cultural Center), which was destroyed in the square and as a result of intense discussions, is waiting to reach its new face. The situation of Gezi Park is known as… All the traffic in the square was underground, so that the pedestrians could walk easily, but this place was more comfortable because the pedestrians are walking on flat concrete. If one of Turkey’s most important challenge does not fit that image. We need immediate landscaping.

Istiklal Street, where the heart of Istanbul beats, is also the most populous street of the whole country. Most of the time, this street “if you throw a pin does not fall”. We didn’t like the crowd so much, we always tried to stay away from Istiklal Street when we were in Istanbul, but for some reason, it always attracted us a few times. Anybody who comes to Istanbul will step into Independence at least once. Although we stay away from here, the values of the street and the surrounding works are undeniable.

Almost every building of this 1400-meter-long street has a separate story and the architecture of most buildings is spectacular. Foreigners and Levantines who lived here during the Ottoman period called the street “Grande Rue de Pera” (Great Pera Street). Pera name changed to Beyoğlu and foreigners left Istanbul and the street changed its name to İstiklal.

One end of Istiklal Street is located in Taksim Square, the other end is in Tunel and the Nostalgic Tram that runs through the street has been running since 1875. Tram is an image associated with İstiklal and most of the classic Istanbul photographs use the Nostalgic Tram-İstiklal duo.