Beyoğlu

Beyoğlu (Turkish: [ˈbejoːɫu]) is a municipality and district of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 9 km2 (3.5 sq mi), and its population is 225,920 as of 2022. It is on the European side of Istanbul, Turkey, separated from the old city (historic peninsula of Constantinople, today known as the Fatih district) by the Golden Horn. Beyoğlu was historically known as Pera and was originally established in the Byzantine period. It was initially known as Sykai (Fig Orchard) or Peran en Sykais (The Fig Field on the Other Side), referring to the other side of the Golden Horn, opposite to the historical peninsula of Constantinople. The name was eventually shortened as Péra (Greek: Πέρα) which means "across" or "beyond" in Greek. Pera, which also encompasses the citadel and port of Galata, grew significantly in the Middle Ages, when it was a colony of the Republic of Genoa between 1273 and 1453. The names "Pera" and "Galata" were used interchangeably in European sources and maps of the medieval period (e.g., the Podestà of Galata was also referred to as the Podestà of Pera), but in the following centuries, the name Galata (today known as Karaköy, a quarter within the Beyoğlu district) began to refer specifically to the port area and the adjacent neighbourhoods within the medieval Walls of Galata, while Pera (Beyoğlu) began to define the wider district, including the neighbourhoods that are further inland and outside of the citadel's walls. The Walls of Galata were largely demolished in the 19th century for enabling northward urban growth, but surviving portions of the citadel's walls still exist. In the 19th century, Beyoğlu's population was largely composed of foreigners of European origin, including Catholic Levantines, along with local Christians and Jews. Several events in the 20th century have led to the emigration of...