13. Egypt Apartments
İstiklal Caddesi 163, Beyoğlu
Hovsep K. Aznavuryan, 1905-1910
The most famous apartment building in Istanbul is the Mısır Apartmanı – the winter residence of Abbas II, the Khedive of Egypt and Sudan. It was built located next to the Church of Saint Anthony of Padua, on the site of the demolished Trocadero Theatre. It was one the first Istanbul apartment buildings fully made of concrete. The Egyptian influence can be seen in multiple details on the façade.
The building was later owned by the İpar family, who rented the apartments to people among whom were celebrities such as Mehmet Akif Ersoy, the author of the lyrics of the national anthem of Turkey, and Sami Günzberg, the dentist of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. In recent years the building has been used by several art galleries, and there is a famous restaurant in the penthouse.
14. Khedive’s Mother’s Palace
Cevdet Paşa Caddesi 12, Bebek
Anton Laščak, Dimitrios Fabricius or Raimondo D’Aronco, 1902
This gorgeous palace stands on the site of a wooden building which was, in different times, owned by the Sheikh al-Islam as well as by two Grand Viziers. In 1895, Sultan Abdul Hamid II bought it and gave it to Emina Ilhamy, the mother of Abbas II, the Khedive of Egypt and Sudan. She demolished the old building and built the current structure, which she used as her summer residence.
The palace has many Art Nouveau features, such as whiplash lines on the windows, bird-shaped turrets on the roof towers, elaborate wrought-iron fences, and even more masterful staircase banisters on the inside. The building has often been thought of as another work of Raimondo D’Aronco, but it is more probable that it was designed by either Anton Laščak or Dimitrios Fabricius, who were both employed in the Khedive’s court.
The Consulate of Egypt now operates in the building.
15. Khedive’s Palace
Hidiv Kasrı Caddesi 1, Çubuklu
Anton Laščak & Delfo Seminati, 1907
Abbas II, the Khedive of Egypt and Sudan, used this building as his summer residence in Istanbul. It is considered to be the best work of Laščak, together with the Tahra Palace in Cairo. He was inspired by Italian Renaissance villas, adding features of Ottoman and Art Nouveau architecture.
16. Aznavur Passage
İstiklal Caddesi 108, Beyoğlu
Hovsep K. Aznavuryan, 1900s
This arcade was built in the 1900s on the site of two famous cafes. It was born as a block of luxury apartments with a private courtyard, which was later opened at both ends to allow the pedestrians in. The architect was Armenian Hovsep K. Aznavuryan, who also designed the Egypt Apartments opposite to it on the Grande Rue de Péra (İstiklal Avenue). The wrought iron of the large window and the decorative panels flanking the entrance are clearly Art Nouveau.
17. İstiklal Caddesi 106
Next to the Aznavur Passage is another Art Nouveau structure. Here the ornaments are concentrated on the upper part of the façade.
Aznavur Passage (İstiklal Cd. 108, on the left) and its neighbour (İstiklal Cd. 106, on the right)
18. Ragıp Sarıca Pasha’s Apartments
İstiklal Caddesi 40, Beyoğlu
Aram & Isaac Caracach, early 1900s
Ragıp Sarıca Pasha was a wealthy statesman during the reign of Abdul Hamid II. He is known to have funded the construction of three covered passages in Pera: the Passage of Anatolia, the Passage of Africa, and the Passage of Rumelia (better known as the Cité Roumelie). His own winter residence was also located on the Grande Rue de Péra. It is one of the most attractive buildings in the upper part of the avenue. The floral, geometric and brick ornaments around the windows are diverse and dynamic. The building is the work of the Armenian architects who also designed the Cité Roumelie and the Ferah Apartments, both standing nearby.
19. Ferah Apartments
Mis Sokak 24, Beyoğlu
Aram & Isaac Caracach
This corner building, designed by Aram and Isaac Caracach, has a more restrained look if one compares it to the Ragıp Sarıca Pasha’s Apartments. The same decorative elements are repeated on the entire façade.
20. Azaryan Apartments
Inönü Caddesi 18, Beyoğlu
Léon Gurekian, 1903-1904
This extravagant building, today known as Gümüşsuyu Palace, is reminiscent of some works by Mikhail Eisenstein in Riga.
21. Parma Apartments
Meşrutiyet Caddesi 7, Beyoğlu
1895 (?)
This Art Nouveau building, now a hotel, belonged to Paolo Parma, one of the tailors of Sultan Abdul Hamid II. Close by, in the direction of Tarlabaşı, there is another building known to have been owned by the Parma family.
22. Meşrutiyet Caddesi 17
This building is located across the street from the British Consulate. There are some floral ornaments on its façade, but more remarkable are the lion’s heads on the sides. The motif of three vertical parallel lines, the central one of which is longer than the other two, is typical of Art Nouveau.
23. Asmalı Mescit Caddesi 5
This is one of the most elaborate Art Nouveau façades on the side streets of İstiklal Avenue. I haven’t been able to find any information about its original owner and architect.
24. İstiklal Caddesi 205 & 207
These two structures stand near the Ravouna Building. Their façades show floral decorations with mascarons, which is typical of Art Nouveau.
25. Kumbaracı Yokuşu 24
This building, located in Tophane, is a lesser-known example of Art Nouveau architecture in Istanbul. It shows floral motifs above the windows and in the balcony railings.
26. Şah Kulu Bostan Sokak 14
Two extravagant masks are among the very few features of Art Nouveau on this façade.
27. İstiklal Caddesi 24 / Bekar Sokak 2
This building is relatively modest, if one does not count the Art Nouveau ornaments between the windows and the ironwork of the balconies.
28. Süleyman Nazif Sokak 14
This apartment building in Osmanbey has a beautiful Art Nouveau door.
29. Dulkadiroğulları Sokak 4
This building is a real hidden gem. The colourful elements and carvings of its main entrance, balcony and windows make it stand closer to Art Nouveau than the other wooden houses in Arnavutköy.
grande flânerie 