Kartal
Encyclopedia
Kartal is a district of Istanbul
, Turkey
located on the Asian side of the city, on the coast of the Marmara Sea between Maltepe
and Pendik
. The mayor is Altınok Öz (CHP
). Despite being far from the city centre, Kartal is heavily populated now. (total population of 541,209) (2008 census). Total land area is 147,000 m² which includes some countryside areas inland. Her neighbours are Maltepe the west, , Sultanbeyli
and Sancaktepe
the north and Pendik
the east. It was the neighbour of Gebze
(1923–1987), Şile
(1923–1987), Beykoz
(1928–1987), Üsküdar
(1923–1987), Ümraniye
(1987–2009) and Kadıköy
(1928–1992 and 2004–2009). It was a neighbour again with Kadıköy from the northwest due to Ferhatpaşa quarter passed from Maltepe to Samandıra in 2004. However, this neighbourhood was ended with Ataşehir's separation from Kadıköy and Samandıra's separation (joined to Sancaktepe) from Kartal in 2009.
map ref 40°50′N 29°11′E
' in Turkish
) was a fishing village on the Marmara shore during the Byzantine Empire
called Kartalimen or Kartalimin in Greek
, and was founded at the beginning of the 6th century. In the 11th century the town was conquered by the ruler of the Seljuks, Suleyman Shah
, and then in 1329 Kartal became part of the Ottoman Empire
(However the Byzantines
re-took this city in 1403 and held it for 17 years).
By 1947, Kartal was an industrial area and with the introduction of commuter trains to Haydarpaşa Terminal
from Gebze
in 1973, Kartal became even more important as an industrial area of Istanbul.
The current trend is that as more and more housing is built near the coast, factories there are being closed down and moved inland. For example the large cement factory on the shore, which is to be converted into a cultural center, was closed in 2003.
. But most people travel by road, it is easy to get from Kartal to both the E5, the main road from Anatolia to the Bosphorus Bridge
, and to the TEM, the huge motorway which crosses the Bosphorus via the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge
. Also the coast road from Tuzla
to Bostancı
is another important route. And finally Sabiha Gökçen International Airport
at Kurtköy, Pendik
is 15 minutes away. And finally when the Marmaray project is completed it will be possible to reach the European side of Istanbul by a commuter rail system without interchange. An initial stage, a subway between Kadıköy
and Kartal Turnabout (on E5-Highway) is planned to begin running in 2012. There is also a project to connect both Kartal Seashore Station with Kartal Turnabout which are approximately 5 km away from each other, through a Monorail system as far as discussed. http://www.ibb.gov.tr/tr-TR/SubSites/raylisistemler/Pages/kadikoy-kartal.aspx
With all these transport options Kartal is becoming heavily populated despite being far away from the centre of Istanbul. Luxury apartment complexes have been built on the coast, along with much more housing inland and this has attracted more shops and infrastructure. There are a number of well-known private and state schools in the area, including Kartal Anadolu İmam Hatip Lisesi a religious high school and Kartal Anadolu Lisesi, one of the few German-language high schools in Istanbul. And the housing is of good-quality in general making Kartal a nice area to live. If you don't mind a long commute. Building near the coast slowed down after the 1999 earthquake, when people became very aware that a major fault line runs just off this coast. However building on the high ground inland is proceeding apace and Kartal is projected to be a major urban and industrial area by the 2020s.
The park around Ayazma Fountain in Yakacik is a popular picnic spot for Kartal's people.
Dr. Altınok ÖZ, the current mayor of Kartal is against the project to be committed. http://www.altinokoz.net/?view=219
The Kartal team includes:
Architects: Zaha Hadid
Architects
Design: Zaha Hadid with Patrik Schumacher
Project Leaders: DaeWha Kang and Saffet Bekiroglu
Project Team:
Sevil Yazici
Daniel Widrig
Melike Altinisik
Elif Erdine
Miya Ushida
Fulvio Wirz
Mairagrazia Lanza
Gonzalo Carbajo
The coast of Kartal has sandy and clay
soils, whereas the northern part of the district is mostly silica. On the Yakacık Hill, there are limestone
and quartz
deposits.
is one of the several Alevi
temples in Istanbul
. Kartal Surp Nişan Chuch is an Armenian Church located on the downtown of Kartal. Muhammad Maarifi Mosque
which is also on Kartal has the mausoleum of a Maarifi Islamic order founder.
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...
located on the Asian side of the city, on the coast of the Marmara Sea between Maltepe
Maltepe
Maltepe is a district in the suburbs of Istanbul, Turkey between Kadıköy and Kartal on the Marmara sea. Its neighbours are Kadıköy to the west and Kartal to the east. The mayor of Maltepe is Mustafa Zengin . Maltepe used to border Ümraniye from the northwest between 1992 and 2004...
and Pendik
Pendik
Pendik is a district of Istanbul, Turkey on the Asian side between Kartal and Tuzla, on the Marmara Sea. Its population is 625.365 and its mayor is Salih Kenan Şahin .-History:...
. The mayor is Altınok Öz (CHP
Republican People's Party (Turkey)
The Republican People's Party is a centre-left Kemalist political party in Turkey. It is the oldest political party of Turkey and is currently Main Opposition in the Grand National Assembly. The Republican People's Party describes itself as "a modern social-democratic party, which is faithful to...
). Despite being far from the city centre, Kartal is heavily populated now. (total population of 541,209) (2008 census). Total land area is 147,000 m² which includes some countryside areas inland. Her neighbours are Maltepe the west, , Sultanbeyli
Sultanbeyli
Sultanbeyli is a working class suburb of Istanbul, Turkey on the Asian side, inland from Kartal and Pendik. It has a population of 272,758 , more than triple the 1990 figure of 82,298. The mayor is Hüseyin Keskin .- History :...
and Sancaktepe
Sancaktepe
Sancaktepe is a district in the suburbs of Istanbul, Turkey. It became a district in the year 2008....
the north and Pendik
Pendik
Pendik is a district of Istanbul, Turkey on the Asian side between Kartal and Tuzla, on the Marmara Sea. Its population is 625.365 and its mayor is Salih Kenan Şahin .-History:...
the east. It was the neighbour of Gebze
Gebze
Gebze is an industrial city in Kocaeli Province, Turkey. Situated 30 miles east of Istanbul on the northern shore of the Sea of Marmara, it is the largest district of Kocaeli; Gebze has experienced rapid growth in recent years- from 159,116 in 1990, to 282,444 in 2009. Gebze accounts for 15% of...
(1923–1987), Şile
Sile
Şile is a small holiday city on the Black Sea, 70 km from the city of Istanbul, Turkey. Şile is the also the name of the district and the municipality that contain the city center of Şile...
(1923–1987), Beykoz
Beykoz
Beykoz is a district in the suburbs of Istanbul, Turkey at the northern end of the Bosphorus on the Anatolian side. Beykoz includes everything from the streams of Küçüksu and Göksu up to the opening of the Bosphorus into the Black Sea, and the villages in the hinterland as far as the river of Riva...
(1928–1987), Üsküdar
Üsküdar
Üsküdar is a large and densely populated municipality of Istanbul, Turkey, on the Anatolian shore of the Bosphorus. It is bordered on the north by Beykoz, on the east by Ümraniye, on the southeast by Ataşehir, on the south by Kadıköy, and on the west by the Bosphorus, with the areas of Beşiktaş,...
(1923–1987), Ümraniye
Ümraniye
Ümraniye is a very large working class district of Istanbul, Turkey with a population of over 250,000. It became district in 1987 by secession from Üsküdar. Also; Ömerli, Koçullu, Sırapınar and Hüseyinli villages were separated from Beykoz district in same year. Finally, Nişantepe quarter passed...
(1987–2009) and Kadıköy
Kadiköy
Kadıköy is a large, populous, and cosmopolitan district of İstanbul, Turkey on the Asian side of the Sea of Marmara, facing the historic city centre on the European side of the Bosporus...
(1928–1992 and 2004–2009). It was a neighbour again with Kadıköy from the northwest due to Ferhatpaşa quarter passed from Maltepe to Samandıra in 2004. However, this neighbourhood was ended with Ataşehir's separation from Kadıköy and Samandıra's separation (joined to Sancaktepe) from Kartal in 2009.
map ref 40°50′N 29°11′E
History
The center of Kartal (meaning 'eagleEagle
Eagles are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than 60 species occur in Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just two species can be found in the United States and Canada, nine more in...
' in Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
) was a fishing village on the Marmara shore during the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
called Kartalimen or Kartalimin in Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
, and was founded at the beginning of the 6th century. In the 11th century the town was conquered by the ruler of the Seljuks, Suleyman Shah
Suleyman Shah
Suleyman Shah Suleyman Shah Suleyman Shah (Ottoman Turkish: سليمان شاه, Süleyman Şah - Süleyman bin Kaya Alp; (b. ca. 1178 – d. 1236). The son of Kutalmish was father of Ertuğrul, who was, in turn, the father of Osman I, the founder of the Ottoman Empire. His other son was Saru Yatı, the father of...
, and then in 1329 Kartal became part of the Ottoman Empire
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...
(However the Byzantines
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
re-took this city in 1403 and held it for 17 years).
By 1947, Kartal was an industrial area and with the introduction of commuter trains to Haydarpaşa Terminal
Haydarpasa Terminal
The Haydarpaşa Terminal or Haydarpaşa Station is a major intercity rail station and transportation hub in Kadıköy, İstanbul. It is the busiest rail terminal in Turkey and the Middle East and one of the busiest in Eastern Europe. The terminal also has connections to İETT bus and ferry service. The...
from Gebze
Gebze
Gebze is an industrial city in Kocaeli Province, Turkey. Situated 30 miles east of Istanbul on the northern shore of the Sea of Marmara, it is the largest district of Kocaeli; Gebze has experienced rapid growth in recent years- from 159,116 in 1990, to 282,444 in 2009. Gebze accounts for 15% of...
in 1973, Kartal became even more important as an industrial area of Istanbul.
The current trend is that as more and more housing is built near the coast, factories there are being closed down and moved inland. For example the large cement factory on the shore, which is to be converted into a cultural center, was closed in 2003.
Living in Kartal today
Kartal is on the sea and there are ferries to Adalar (Princes' Islands) and to YalovaYalova Province
Yalova Province is a province in northwestern Turkey, on the eastern coast of the Sea of Marmara. Its adjacent provinces are Bursa to the south and Kocaeli to the east. The provincial capital is the city of Yalova. The population of the Yalova Province is 203,741...
. But most people travel by road, it is easy to get from Kartal to both the E5, the main road from Anatolia to the Bosphorus Bridge
Bosphorus Bridge
The Bosphorus Bridge, also called the First Bosphorus Bridge is one of the two bridges in Istanbul, Turkey, spanning the Bosphorus strait and thus connecting Europe and Asia The bridge is located between Ortaköy and Beylerbeyi The Bosphorus Bridge, also called the First Bosphorus Bridge is...
, and to the TEM, the huge motorway which crosses the Bosphorus via the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge
Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge
The Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, also known as the Second Bosphorus Bridge , is a bridge in Istanbul, Turkey spanning the Bosphorus strait...
. Also the coast road from Tuzla
Tuzla
Tuzla is a city and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina. At the time of the 1991 census, it had 83,770 inhabitants, while the municipality 131,318. Taking the influx of refugees into account, the city is currently estimated to have 174,558 inhabitants...
to Bostancı
Bostanci
Bostancı is a neighbourhood of Kadıköy, located on the Anatolian side of Istanbul, Turkey. The neighbourhood fronts the Sea of Marmara and is not far from the Princes' Islands. From the Bostancı shore, five islands; Kınalıada, Burgazada, Heybeliada, Büyükada, and Sivriada can be seen...
is another important route. And finally Sabiha Gökçen International Airport
Sabiha Gökçen International Airport
Sabiha Gökçen International Airport is one of the international airports serving İstanbul, Turkey. The facility is named after Sabiha Gökçen, the first female combat pilot in the world. Located southeast of central İstanbul, it is on the Asian side of the bi-continental city...
at Kurtköy, Pendik
Pendik
Pendik is a district of Istanbul, Turkey on the Asian side between Kartal and Tuzla, on the Marmara Sea. Its population is 625.365 and its mayor is Salih Kenan Şahin .-History:...
is 15 minutes away. And finally when the Marmaray project is completed it will be possible to reach the European side of Istanbul by a commuter rail system without interchange. An initial stage, a subway between Kadıköy
Kadiköy
Kadıköy is a large, populous, and cosmopolitan district of İstanbul, Turkey on the Asian side of the Sea of Marmara, facing the historic city centre on the European side of the Bosporus...
and Kartal Turnabout (on E5-Highway) is planned to begin running in 2012. There is also a project to connect both Kartal Seashore Station with Kartal Turnabout which are approximately 5 km away from each other, through a Monorail system as far as discussed. http://www.ibb.gov.tr/tr-TR/SubSites/raylisistemler/Pages/kadikoy-kartal.aspx
With all these transport options Kartal is becoming heavily populated despite being far away from the centre of Istanbul. Luxury apartment complexes have been built on the coast, along with much more housing inland and this has attracted more shops and infrastructure. There are a number of well-known private and state schools in the area, including Kartal Anadolu İmam Hatip Lisesi a religious high school and Kartal Anadolu Lisesi, one of the few German-language high schools in Istanbul. And the housing is of good-quality in general making Kartal a nice area to live. If you don't mind a long commute. Building near the coast slowed down after the 1999 earthquake, when people became very aware that a major fault line runs just off this coast. However building on the high ground inland is proceeding apace and Kartal is projected to be a major urban and industrial area by the 2020s.
The park around Ayazma Fountain in Yakacik is a popular picnic spot for Kartal's people.
The Kartal Urban City Project
On June 4, 2007 the Greater Istanbul Municipality and the former mayor of Kartal announced that a new futuristic type urban city environment will be built in Kartal-Pendik. The city will be built on an area which is currently an abandoned industrial site. Upon completion Kartal will be the new centre of Asian Istanbul. It is intended that the new city will be the World's first fully green "city". The plan includes a central business district, luxury residential developments, cultural facilities such as concert halls, museums, and theatres, and leisure locations including a marina and tourist hotels.http://www.arcspace.com/architects/hadid/kartal_pendik/kp.html, http://istanbulmetro.com/?p=129,http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=141441 .Dr. Altınok ÖZ, the current mayor of Kartal is against the project to be committed. http://www.altinokoz.net/?view=219
The Kartal team includes:
Architects: Zaha Hadid
Zaha Hadid
Zaha Hadid, CBE is an Iraqi-British architect.-Life and career:Hadid was born in 1950 in Baghdad, Iraq. She received a degree in mathematics from the American University of Beirut before moving to study at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London.After graduating she worked...
Architects
Design: Zaha Hadid with Patrik Schumacher
Project Leaders: DaeWha Kang and Saffet Bekiroglu
Project Team:
Sevil Yazici
Daniel Widrig
Melike Altinisik
Elif Erdine
Miya Ushida
Fulvio Wirz
Mairagrazia Lanza
Gonzalo Carbajo
Geography
Behind the coast the land rises sharply up to Yakacık Hill ("the balcony of Istanbul") and Aydos, on these hills the land is fertile and has a mild climate.The coast of Kartal has sandy and clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
soils, whereas the northern part of the district is mostly silica. On the Yakacık Hill, there are limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
and quartz
Quartz
Quartz is the second-most-abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust, after feldspar. It is made up of a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall formula SiO2. There are many different varieties of quartz,...
deposits.
- Waters: The streams of Paşaköy, Kavaklıdere and Fındıklı feed the reservoir behind Ömerli DamÖmerli DamÖmerli Dam is a dam in Turkey. The development was backed by the Turkish State Hydraulic Works.-References:*, State Hydraulic Works , Retrieved December 16, 2009...
.
Religion
The major population of today's Kartal are Moslems. Kartal CemeviCemevi
A Cemevi means literally a house of gathering in Turkish, and is a place of fundamental importance for Turkey's Alevi-Bektashi populations and traditions. It is not a place of worship in the strict sense of the term; the accent is laid on its aspect as lieu of assemblage...
is one of the several Alevi
Alevi
The Alevi are a religious and cultural community, primarily in Turkey, constituting probably more than 15 million people....
temples 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...
. Kartal Surp Nişan Chuch is an Armenian Church located on the downtown of Kartal. Muhammad Maarifi Mosque
Muhammad Maarifi Mosque
Muhammad Maarifi Mosque is a historical mosque in Kartal district of Istanbul, Turkey, which was once a Rifa'i Tekke.Muhammad Maarifi, a descendant of the prophet Muhammad, was born in Edirne , who came and settled in Kartal during the late Ottoman period, where he founded the Maarifiyye Rifa'i...
which is also on Kartal has the mausoleum of a Maarifi Islamic order founder.
External links
- The Government Office at Kartal (In Turkish)
- Kartal Municipality (In Turkish)