Istanbul Area Guide: Districts
Three little-know Istanbul gems
Today, Istanbul has a total of 39 districts. 25 of these districts are located on the European side. 14 districts are located on the Anatolian side.
In the first years of the Republic, in 1927, the province of Istanbul consisted of 7 districts. These; Istanbul (Center), Islands, Bakırköy, Beyoğlu, Çatalca, Şile and Üsküdar.
By 1930, the number of districts of Istanbul had increased to 15. These were the districts of Adalar, Bakırköy, Beşiktaş, Beykoz, Beyoğlu, Çatalca, Eminönü, Fatih, Kadıköy, Kartal, Sarıyer, Silivri, Şile, Üsküdar and Yalova.
Eyüp, Şişli, Zeytinburnu and Gaziosmanpaşa became districts in the following years, respectively. And the number of districts of Istanbul increased to 19.
The number of districts increased with the population of Istanbul, which grew rapidly after 1980. With Kağıthane, Küçükçekmece, Büyükçekmece, Pendik and Ümraniye becoming districts, İstanbul now had 24 districts. With the regulations made in the 90s and most recently in 2008, the number of districts in İstanbul reached 39.
23 of these districts have a coastline. The other 16 districts are located in the interior. The most populous district of the city was Esenyurt, according to the latest census. Adalar is the quietest town. The islands are also natural wonders in the middle of the sea, disconnected from the city itself.
Istanbul is known all over the world for its Bosphorus shore. The districts of the city overlooking the Bosphorus are more popular because of this natural beauty. Districts facing the Bosphorus on the Anatolian side are Kadıköy, Üsküdar and Beykoz. On the European side, the districts facing the Bosphorus are Beşiktaş, Beyoğlu, Sarıyer and Fatih.
Istanbul and its districts will impress you with their historical gems, being a metropolis and natural beauties.