The Cemil Topuzlu Open-Air Theatre is a contemporary amphitheatre located in the Harbiye neighborhood of Istanbul

Istanbul

Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...

, Turkey

Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

. It is situated across from the Lütfi Kırdar Congress Center and Exhibition Hall, and behind the Istanbul Hilton Hotel on the Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

an side of the city.

Its construction was begun in 1946 and completed in 1947. Named after Cemil Topuzlu Pasha

Cemil Topuzlu

Professor Cemil Topuzlu , also known as Cemil Pasha, was a leading surgeon in Turkey who was internationally recognized for his pioneering work in several areas, including open chest cardiac massage, and described in several papers published in Ottoman Turkish, French and German.On 27 August 1903,...

 (1866-1958), the legendary mayor of İstanbul in the era of Ottoman

Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...

 Second Constitutional Monarchy, it is the biggest open-air theatre in Istanbul

Istanbul

Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...

 with a 3,975 seat capacity. It holds 4,500 people in total in a style reminiscent of classical theatres

Roman theatre (structure)

The characteristics of Roman to those of the earlier Greek theatres due in large part to its influence on the Roman triumvir Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus. Much of the architectural influence on the Romans came from the Greeks, and theatre structural design was no different from other buildings...

.

As the city's most popular summertime venue, the theatre primarily hosts music concerts in various genres of local and international performers. It also hosts cultural activities for several festivals held in Istanbul in the summer.

In its history the theatre has hosted world famous artists such as Miles Davis

Miles Davis

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, Leonard Cohen

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, Keith Jarrett

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, Iron Maiden

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