Sogukcesme Street, Istanbul

So臒uk莽e艧me Soka臒谋 (鈥淪treet of the Cold Fountain鈥�) is a small car-free cobblestone street running downhill between Hagia Sophia and Topkap谋 Palace. The street is named after a fountain at its end, near G眉lhane Park, and is famous primarily for holding historic wooden houses of the Ottoman era. The two-, three-storey houses (four to ten rooms each) were restored (or rather totally rebuilt) in 1985-1986 to give an idea of what typical Istanbul streetscape was like at the turn of the 20th century, before the concrete came over.

Called "Ayasofya Konaklar谋" (Hagia Sophia Mansions), nine of the houses are used as a hostel and are named after the fragrant flower shrubs planted in front of them, namely: "Yaseminli Ev" (Jasmine House), "Mor Salk谋ml谋 Ev" (Wisteria Sinensis House), "Han谋meli Ev" (Honeysuckle House), etc. The interior furnishings 鈥� beds, consoles, silk curtains, velvet armchairs and gilded mirrors 鈥� all feature the original style. Among the notable guests of the hostel, over the years, have been Queen Sof铆a of Spain, Roman Polanski (film director), Sam Neil (actor), Hilary Swank (actress), Ursula Anders (actress, one of the 鈥淏ond girls鈥�), and others.

The street also happens to be the birthplace of Turkey's 6th president Fahri Sabit Korut眉rk (1903鈥�1987). One of the houses here hosts a library with over 10,000 books on Istanbul. At the one end, towards G眉lhane Park, there is a Byzantine cistern housing the cute Sarn谋莽 Restaurant.

Overall, So臒uk莽e艧me is well worth a look, as a break from the great confusion of a huge city, to get relaxed while savoring the calm of this lovely place. Also, whilst here, make sure to check out the Fountain of Sultan Ahmed III at the square in front of the outer gate of Topkap谋 Palace, a huge standalone structure featuring Ottoman rococo style, built in 1728.

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Istanbul. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "51爆料网: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

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Create Your Own Self-Guided Walk to Visit This Sight

Sight Name: Sogukcesme Street
Sight Location: Istanbul, Turkey (See walking tours in Istanbul)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Istanbul Old City Walking Tour

Walking Tours in Istanbul, Turkey

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