Bosphorus Mansions in Istanbul

Istanbul is built on two continents, divided by the Bosphorus. Along its shores stand the yalıs — the waterside mansions often called the pearls of the Bosphorus and today counted among the most expensive homes in the world.

Istanbul and the Bosphorus

Istanbul is one of the great cities of the world, where a modern western city meets its eastern traditions — a melting pot of civilisations and cultures. Despite its age, much of its heritage survives, including Hagia Sophia, Topkapı Palace (home of the Ottoman sultans), the Sultanahmet Mosque with its blue tiles, and the Grand Bazaar.

The Bosphorus is one of the city's most popular areas, especially busy in summer. Its shores are lined with neighbourhoods, Ottoman palaces, fortresses, old wooden mansions, hotels, parks, gardens, restaurants and cafés. Turks call it Boğaziçi, meaning "inner strait". As a natural strait on the route between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, it has been a strategic waterway since antiquity, and today it carries international cargo ships as well as local fishing boats and the ferries that link the European and Asian sides.

• European shore — Beşiktaş, Ortaköy, Arnavutköy, Bebek, Rumeli Hisarı, Emirgan, Yeniköy, Tarabya
• Asian shore — Üsküdar, Beylerbeyi, Çengelköy, Kanlıca, Anadolu Hisarı

The three bridges

The yalıs: history and architecture

Of Istanbul's original 600 Bosphorus mansions, around 360 are still standing. They are an essential part of the city's cultural history, as each reflects a different era and architectural style.

Built in the 18th and 19th centuries, most were originally constructed with light timber frames and load-bearing walls. In later reconstructions, the structural system was changed from timber to reinforced concrete while most of the original character was retained. A typical yalı has:

• Two or three storeys
• A shared living area in the middle of each floor, with four rooms around it
• Terraced gardens at the back
• A water well in the garden

Some of the most valuable mansions

Among the Bosphorus mansions with the highest values are:

• Esma Sultan Mansion
• Hasip Paşa Mansion
• Muhsinizade Mansion
• Kont Ostrorog Mansion
• Tophane Müşiri Zeki Paşa Mansion

For current waterfront and Bosphorus-view homes, browse our Istanbul properties.