Ariadna Choptiany: Beyoglu District

District of Beyoglu

Originally know as Pera (meaning 'across' in Greek) for its location across the Golden Horn and was separate from the historic peninsula of Constantinople by the Golden Horn. It was renamed Beyoglu, by Ottoman Turks to mean son of Bey, referring to the Venetian Bailo (bailiff) in Istanbul during the 16th century. Beyoglu includes Galata, the medieval Genoese citadel from which Beyoglu itself originated, which today is known as Karakoy and maintains a direct link to the old city center across the Galata Bridge and Unkapani Bridge.

Beyoglu was once the most progressive community in Istanbul, the first to install telephone lines, electricity, trams, and the underground railway. Taksim used to be the financial center of the Ottoman Empire and part of its banking district still remains in Karakoy. This initial wave of modernization gradually slowed down and Beyolu struggled with economic and social decline throughout the second half of the 20^th century. As such Taksim maintains a very cosmopolitan air. Many consulates remain in the area and people of various cultures live in the neighboring areas of Cihangir and Gumussuyu.

Located in Beyoglu is the largest Catholic Church in Turkey S. Antonio di Padova, the largest synagogue in Turkey, the Neve Shalom Synagogue, the seat of the Catholic Archeparchy of Diyarbakir, the Orthodox church Hagia Triada Church and the only Jewish Museum of Turkey. Several Sufi orders were also founded in Beyoglu.

(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beyoglu)

The following are several maps of the Beyoglu District from the Beyolgu Belediye (Municipality) analyzing the slope, land use and activity of the area.