Kasımpaşa

Kasımpaşa sits on the north shore of the Golden Horn and served for centuries as the main base of the Ottoman navy, with shipyards founded here in the late 15th century and still partly in use. The district gave Istanbul its own dialect, boxing traditions, and the Piyale Paşa Mosque, a rare Mimar Sinan design completed in 1573 with a six-dome plan modelled on the Great Mosque of Bursa. Cumhuriyet Meydanı and the nearby shoreline have been reshaped by recent redevelopment while the steep back streets keep their traditional mahalle feel.