1861 Stolpe Folding Map of Beyoğlu, Istanbul, Turkey (1st Map of Beyoğlu)

This is a c. 1861 C. Stolpe city plan or map of Beyoğlu, Istanbul, Turkey. It is the oldest known map of Beyoğlu, in one of just three surviving examples. Today Beyoğlu is Istanubl's most fashionable neighborhood.

A Closer Look

The map focuses on three quarters within Beyoğlu: Galata, Karaköy, and Kasımpaşa. Karaköy is not explicitly delineated but is part of Galata. Major streets are illustrated throughout, with hospitals, synagogues, consulates and embassies, theaters, markets, mosques, and churches labeled. Hundreds of other locations and streets are numerically identified and named in indexes specific to each quarter. Color coding differentiates between Christian and Muslim neighborhoods.

Beyoğlu

People have lived in Beyoğlu since the 7th century BC. During the Renaissance, from 1273 to 1453, the Genoese maintained a trading colony here. During the latter Ottoman period, the quarter was widely regarded as a European zone, a fact that proved a draw to wealthy cosmopolitan Turks. In the 19th century (as here), Beyoğlu became a diplomatic zone, drawing multiple embassies and consulates. Pera (as it was then called) became one of the first areas of Constantinople to have electricity, trams, and telephone lines. Today, Beyoğlu is one of the most fashionable neighborhoods in Istanbul, home to nightclubs, restaurants, museums, art galleries, and elite shops.

Publication History and Census

This map was drawn by Carl Stolpe, engraved in stone by Julius Straube, and printed by Carl Grack c. 1861. We note but two other surviving examples, one at the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin and a second at the Dominican Study Institute in Istanbul. No market history.