Kabatas

Famous Istanbul historian Jak Deleon writes about Kabatas in his book named 'The Bosphorus: A Historical Guide ' :

'' In antiquity, Kabatas was named Aiantion ( or, according to some sources, Petra Thermastis ) and in Byzantine times it was called Butharion. The name Aiantion comes from a temple dedicated by the people of Megara to Ajax, son of the King of Salamis and hero of the Trojan War. It is said that the district's name ( Kabatas, Rough Stone ) comes from the fact that there was once a giant rock which stood here. According to Evliya Celebi, in the 15th century a gunpowder storehouse blew up and a huge stone carried by the explosion fell to the ground on this waterfront. At the beginning of the 19th century, the Mustafa Necip Efendi Mansion was built on the spot where the stone had apparently descended.

Also in the 15th century, Cizmecibasi Mahmut Bedrettin Aga founded the Cizmeciler Tekkesi ( religious lodge ) which was a charitable organisation with the resources to support almost the entire neighbourhood. Once the focal point of the district, the lodge began to fall into ruin in the 18th century and was completely demolished during the 19th century.

The mosque built by Reisulkuttab Omer Avni Bey is a 17th century building. The plane tree beside the landing stage was planted by Omer Avni Bey himself. The fountain of Vizier Hekimoglu Ali Pasa was moved inland from the shore due to road developments but was returned to its original position in the 1950s. Now opposite the landing stage, the Grand Vizier Koca Yusuf Pasa Fountain (18th century ) was formerly next to the Findikli Mosque. During the widening of the road between Tophane and Dolmabahce, it was transferred from Findikli to Kabatas. The Kabatas quay was constructed in the 19th century and Abdulmecid commemorated the event by having a column erected at the site.

The Kazasker Ebusuud Efendi Mansion that graced the slopes of Kabatas in the 19th century was renowned for its splendid marble pool, its tulips and its boundless orange groves. The wooden waterfront palace below the mansion was converted by Abdulhamid II into a school that was later moved to Ortakoy, thus laying the foundation for the Kabatas Boys' Lycee.

The first car ferry service of the Sirket-i Hayriye ( the Boat Company ) sailed from Kabatas, enabling carriages to cross from one shore of the Bosphorus to the other. This ferry was the brainchild of one of the directors of the company, Huseyin Haki Efendi. ''