Vefa

Vefa is part of the district of Fatih in Istanbul, and lies inside what was once the old walled city of Constantinople. It lies roughly northwest of the eastern section of the Aqueduct of Valens, and is rich in monuments, both Byzantine and Ottoman. It takes its name from the Muslim saint (wali) Shaykh Ebu’l Vefa whose real name was Şeyh Muslihiddin Nureddinzade who is buried locally in his own mosque and dergah. Vefa lies to the east of busy Atatürk Bulvari, the main road pushed through the old city by the French architect Henri Prost in the 1950s. Immediately to its north is the area of Küçükpazarı while to the east is the Süleymaniye district around the huge Süleymaniye Mosque complex. Buses link Vefa to Taksim, Eminönü, Fatih and Beyazıt. The Vezneciler Metro stop on the M2 line is a short walk away as is the Cibali tram stop on the Golden Horn.