City of Countless Names- Findikli p2

Famous Locations:

Bezm-i Alem Valide Mosque

At the most northwesterly point of Findukli’s coast, where the shore road meets the grounds of Dolmabagtche Palace, pashas other high-ranking notables gather to worship at the recently built Bezm-i Alem Valide Mosque. Two years ago, the Sultan’s mother, Bezm-i Alem Valide Sultan, commissioned the magnificent mosque’s construction close to her son’s future palace. At its completion, the Sultan named it after her, although many call it Dolmabagtche Mosque.

The imperial design of Bezm-i Alem Valide Mosque shows the same European influences apparent in Dolmabagtche Palace. Unusual round peacock-tail windows splay over its four walls up to the dome, giving the mosque the look of a squared egg as well as lighting the interior. Inside, its rich baroque and empire décor befit its patroness’s pedigree, looking more like a royal residence than mosque. The Sultan often attends from the mosques’ balcony reserved for his household.

The local European community holds the mosques’ Muvakkitler (the keeper of the clocks), a dwarf named Bazarlu, in very high esteem. Because of his incredible technical skill, Soldiers recuperating in the nearby quarters of Tophane, Pera, and Galata depend on Bazarlu to maintain the delicate mechanisms in their watches and clockwork limbs.

Sali Bazaar

Despite the name, Findulki has no bazaar in the truest sense of the word. The Sali Bazaar is an open-air market, whereas in Constantinople, a bazaar is a market enclosed by a building. Merchants from across the city gather to sell their goods every Tuesday, which is why it is also known as the Tuesday market. The foreign shipments stored in the warehouses in Tophane fill the market with an interesting mix of local and European wares surrounded by fishmongers.

It’s proximity to the European quarter also makes the Sali bazaar the one of the safest place in Constantinople for a Turkish Petty Conjuror to openly sell their services. Conjurors flock to Findikli every Tuesday to sell their services to foreigners without fear of persecution.

Many cooks come to the Sali Bazaar to buy bread baked by Istani Celebi, a Turkish gnome. His family’s bread has a fine consistency and is light as air. If asked about his technique, Istani says a powerful dervish blessed his ancestor. 

Taksim Artillery Barracks

In the early 1800s, Sultan Selim tried to modernize his army, despite the Janissaries attempts to stop his reforms. Unable to use the facilities used by the Janissaries, he needed new barracks to house his new troops. For his garrison north of the Bosporus, Sultan Selim built the grand Artillery Barracks in 1806, west of the Grand Champs des Morts and northeast of Taksim Square.

The barracks’ design emphasizes Ottoman strength and grandeur. Small domes catch the light on the rooftop of the four corner towers, while sparely-decorated stone walls full of windows form the barrack’s façade. Its rectangular shape completely encloses its massive courtyard in the center. The barracks can comfortably house 500 soldiers with room for another 200 in the barracks’ hospital.

Because of its close proximity to Pera, the Sultan allowed the French Army to billet their soldiers posted to Pera-Galata in Taksim Barracks. These same soldiers act as a police force keeping peace in the European Quarter under the orders of their Ambassador, without the Sultan’s authority.