Today we are going to walk to the Haydarpaşa Terminal and take some shots of what it was the busiest rail terminal in Turkey. This terminal is located in Kadiköy district at the Asian side of Istanbul. You can easily get here by ferry if you come from the European side, there is a stop before the Kadiköy Iskelesi. If you come from the Asian side there is a bus terminal just beside it. The trek will take us just an hour and a half and at the end of this you can enjoy a çay at the Iskelesi restaurant (ferry terrminal) while you enjoy the skyline of Topkapı palace, the Blue Mosque and Haya Sophia at the European side of İstanbul.
The Haydarpaşa Terminal (Turkish: Haydarpaşa Garı) is a major intercity terminal and transportation hub in Kadıköy, İstanbul currently closed for upgrades. It is the busiest rail terminal in Turkey and one of the busiest in Eastern Europe. The terminal also has connections to bus and ferry services.
"Haydarpaşa Terminal is the western terminus of the Istanbul-Ankara Main Line and was the western terminus of the former Baghdad Railway (İstanbul-Konya-Adana-Aleppo-Baghdad) and the Hejaz Railway (İstanbul-Konya-Adana-Aleppo-Damascus-Amman-Medina). The tracks do not cross the Bosphorus, but there is a train ferry which carries rail cars from the Haydarpaşa Terminal on the Asian side to the Sirkeci Terminal on the European side." Wikipedia
It is now proposed that the station will be used as a terminal for high speed intercity trains to Ankara, while suburban trains will instead run through the Mamaray tunnel to the European side of the city.
This trek is important to me since is part of the reasons I am in Istanbul, the Marmaray project. I feel a connection between the railroad and my current life in Istanbul so I really wanted to take shots of this station just like it is today before is being upgraded.
On February 2, 2012, Haydarpaşa Railway Terminal temporarily closed to long distance trains for at least 30 months to allow for the construction of the Istanbul–Ankara high-speed railway, and the Marmaray rail transport project which will connect Istanbul's Asian and European sides via an undersea commuter train line. There will be no train services between Istanbul and the Asian destinations of Turkey at least until 2015.
If we look back at the history of this place we can find that the terminal was build in 1904 by two German architects: Otto Ritter and Helmut Conu.
Interior hall in Haydarpaşa Terminal
"They chose a neo-classical structure and construction started in 1906. Its foundation is based on 1100 wooden piles, each 21 meters long, driven into the mushy shore by a steam hammer. German and Italian stonemasons crafted the facade embellishments of the terminal. The German engineers and craftsmen who worked at the construction site of the building established a small German neighbourhood in the Yeldeğirmeni quarter of Kadıköy. The new pseudo-castle structure was completed in on August 19, 1909. The new terminal was inaugurated on November 4, 1909 for the anniversary of Mehmed V. " CFOA History - Trains and Railways of Turkey
Details on the columns at the interior hall
You can find Ottoman mosaic in this small building as you can see the details at the windows and the doors of this place. They are beautiful and its color remain so vivid.
Besides this Iskele building you can find a caffee shop where you can take a cup of tea while you enjoy the view to Sultanahmet.
In November 2012, the station was the site of a three day art exhibit entitled: "Haydarpasa: Past, Present and Uncertain Future" which was organised in collaboration with the WMF (World Monuments Fund), and featured Canadian and Turkish artists and photographers, seeking to raise international interest in preserving the station as a vibrant public transportation hub.
Here is my contribution to this project while I grab your attention to this building. I hope you enjoy this quick review of Haydarpaşa with this photo trek and hope you will do it next time you visit Istanbul.
Soreya Reyes
www.searchingforemotion.com
STREET LIFE AND DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY
Twitter: @street_photos_
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Twitter: @street_photos_
Instagram: street.photos.soreyar
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