“Polite Stone”
Despite its pleasant name, Kabataş, midway between Fındıklı and Dolmabahçe, is little more than a major transport interchange where the trams from Sultanahmet terminate and passengers can change to the funicular running up to Taksim Square. In 2024 a new ferry terminal for trans-Bosphorus, Princes Islands and Bursa ferries was nearing completion too. It will incorporate a Metro connection to Beşiktaş to bypass the traffic congestion.
Monuments are thin on the ground although there are a few late Ottoman fountains of passing interest if you have to hang around for a ferry. The Dolmabahçe Palace is just a short walk from Kabataş.
Around Kabataş
The most conspicuous of the fountains is the large freestanding Hekimoğlu Paşa Çeşmesi that stands close to the tram terminal. Built in 1732, it was restored in 2009 although its plain marble sides continue to offer temptation to taggers.
On the opposite side of the road you’ll see a small sebil, one of the public water dispensaries provided by the wealthy to ease the lot of the less well-off in high summer. It was commissioned in 1787 by the grand vizier Koca Yusuf Paşa and has now been converted into a pleasant small cafe if you need somewhere to wait for a ferry.
Heading towards Dolmabahçe you’ll see another sebil on the busy corner opposite the Beşiktaş football stadium. Commissioned for Hacı Memed Emin Ağa in 1741 it doubles up as a private burial plot which you can can sometimes go into.
Drinking
On the inland side of the road there’s a large brunch of the Turkish coffee-house chain, Kahve Dünyası. Its side wall on the Fındıklı side serves as Yanköşe, the İstanbul equivalent of the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square, hosting outdoor art installations on a rotating basis.
Now showing at Yanköşe (March 2024): Gelecege Salınmak (Leap Into The Future) by Sena Başöz. In it clips of young athelestes of the Early Republican era from the Selahhatin Giz Collection of photographs represent the future of the young Republic, free like birds from the weight of history.
Transport info
If you’re a tourist you’ll probably find that all roads lead eventually to Kabataş since this is one of the city’s most important transport interchanges and likely to become even more important once the new ferry terminal is completed. In March 2024 the first ferries were starting to use it as the building finally took shape.
Nearby areas
