Opportunities Abound in Up-and-Coming Coastal Cultural Hub

By. Justin Mays

With the inauguration of Galataport, one of the largest coastline projects in the world with an investment of 1.7 billion USD, inquiries are surging from people seeking apartments for sale in Istanbul European side around the Beyoglu area. The epicenter of the project is the seaside Karakoy port district stretching around a 1.2 kilometer of coastline. This area will be host to a high-tech cruise port and public esplanade with a strong contemporary design narrative that pays homage to and incorporates the historical and natural elements of the port, as well as blends with the cultural texture of the surrounding neighborhood. It is slated to become an important social and artistic hub for locals and visitors alike and is estimated to host 25 million tourists a year. Visitors to the area will find museums, shopping, restaurants, luxury hotels and office spaces. 

As part of this ambitious project, an impressive new route dubbed the Beyo?lu Culture Road has been created to link cultural venues in the area. Fanning out from Karakoy to Galata and continuing to the popular Taksim square, at its core are Galataport that will host various cultural events and art installations and Tophane Square that will be the first museum quarter in Istanbul with world renowned Istanbul Modern and Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University Painting Musuem at its core. Additionally, the historic Atlas Cinema was restored and made into a Museum of Cinema and the newly opened Taksim Mosque will operate as a culture and arts center host to traditional workshops, a library and exhibitions. Rounding out the route are the Ataturk Cultural Center and the Galata Tower.

 Hidden behind old warehouses and customs offices, previously this area has been closed to public use for nearly 200 years. This prime spot of coastline will transform into a public waterfront connecting urban areas to the Bosphorus, establishing a new point of reference to the city. As a result, real estate in the transforming Beyoglu area, promises to be a solid place in which to invest.