Cihangir

Hikayemiz

Cihangir is one of the neighborhoods of the Beyoğlu district in Istanbul, Turkey. The neighborhood has many narrow streets, a park, and street cafes. It is located between Taksim Square and Kabataş.The neighborhood was named after Şehzade Cihangir when his father had Mimar Sinan build a wooden mosque there overlooking the Bosphorus to commemorate his death. The neighborhood's name comes from this mosque.EtymologyThe Istanbul neighborhood of Cihangir was named after Şehzade Cihangir when his father had Mimar Sinan build a wooden mosque there overlooking the Bosphorus to commemorate his death. The neighborhood's name comes from this mosque.The name means "conqueror" in Turkish and, in turn, comes from the Persian compound word jahan + gir (جهانگیر), meaning "conqueror of the world".HistoryDuring Byzantine times, the area of the present neighborhood was probably not settled, although there were Byzantine buildings near present-day Tophane and Fındıklı along the Bosphorus below Cihangir.During the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent, the area was a forested hunting ground. It was one of the favorite places of Suleiman's son Cihangir, and after Cihangir's death, Suleiman had Mimar Sinan build a wooden mosque there overlooking the Bosphorus. The neighborhood's name comes from this mosque.