Turkey Real Estate Tips – Expert Advice & InsightsLast updated June 21, 2026Published by Maximos Real Estate

Sisli District Of Istanbul

Sisli is one of the most fascinating historical areas in Istanbul located in the European part of the city. It has a famous mosque, the Sisli Mosque

Where is Sisli located in Istanbul?

Sisli is one of the most fascinating historical areas in Istanbul located in the European part of the city. It has a famous mosque, the Sisli Mosque.
It is one of 39 municipalities in the greater city of Istanbul; to the east is bordered by the municipality of Besiktas, to the north by the Sarayir region, to the west by Eyup, Kagithane and Bey Oglo from the south.

The population of the Sisli district in 2017 was 318 thousand people, spread over an area of 35 km 2, shared by several neighborhoods in Sisli, such as Nisantisi district, Mecediakoy, Ok Meydan, with a population density of 9100 inhabitants/km 2.

Map of Istanbul in English

In this approximate drawing, we find a map showing the administrative division of the city of Istanbul, its areas and regions, and the location of the ancient Sisli area.

History of the Sisli area

Until the 1800s, Sisli was open countryside, used for hunting and agriculture and leisure. It was developed as a middle-class residential district during the last years of the Ottoman Empire and the early years of the Turkish Republic (the late 19th-early 20th centuries). French culture was an important influence in this period and the wide avenues of Sisli were lined with large stone buildings with high ceilings and art nouveau wrought-iron balconies, and which often had little elevators on wires in the middle of the stairways.

This trading middle-class was composed of Jews, Greeks, and Armenians as well as some Turks, many of whom built homes in Sisli after a large fire in the neighboring district of Beyoglu in 1870. To this day, several families from Istanbul’s local Armenian community live in the Kurtulus neighborhood of Sisli. The area was also popular with the Levantine trading families of this period who settled in Istanbul for trade or were contracted by the Ottoman Empire. Sisli attracted migrants from former possessions in Greece and the Balkans. In the late 19th century, Sisli was one of the first areas supplied with tramlines, electricity and natural gas.

The Darülaceze orphanage and the large Sisli Etfal Hospital were built here in this period, as well as the French schools of St. Michel and Notre Dame de Sion. Following the founding of the Turkish Republic in the 1920s, larger and larger buildings were built along wide avenues such as Halaskargazi Caddesi, the main road that runs through the middle of Sisli, with its little arcades of shops below tall buildings of apartments and offices.

In the Republican era, the area was still the residence of the middle-class, as well as traders there were now writers and poets and Sisli acquired theatres, cafes and other cultural amenities. The Hilton Istanbul Bosphorus hotel was built here in the 1950s and many others followed.

Sisli Today

After the movement of a number of residents out of Istanbul’s historic borders, large buildings in the area have become for companies, banks, and supermarkets. In the 1970s, most of the old buildings were modernized and replaced with modern multi-storey buildings.
The back streets are still of a residential nature, and many working-class families and students have settled here. As in most parts of Istanbul, the number of people living and working in these blocks is a challenge to existing infrastructure projects; for example, competing to find a parking place for your car in the old Sisli lanes is not simple!

But for the inhabitants of Sisli, the spirit of the place and the fragrant history of many shops, cafes and authentic facilities make life in it a real pleasure in itself, which cannot be replaced by any other choice.
In addition, the central Sisli location for other vital areas of Istanbul doubles the desire to live in it.

Business and shopping in Sisli

Being a central area well-served with public-transport and other infrastructure, Sisli is a center of trade and shopping. The main road through Sisli up to the skyscrapers of Mecidiyeköy, Gayrettepe, Levent and beyond is now lined with office blocks. Europe’s largest and the world’s second largest (urban-area) shopping mall, Cevahir Istanbul, is situated here. Due to Sisli’s middle-class past and the enduring quality of some neighborhoods the area is home to many upmarket shops mainly in the stylish and charming Nisantasi area. Parking is an enduring problem, especially in the narrow side-streets.

People also come to Sisli for schooling; this city-center area has some well-known high schools and a great number of dersane (preparatory courses for the annual university entrance exams), evening and weekend schools where people come to cram for university or high school entrance examinations, or to learn English.

Attractions in Sisli

Sisli has a huge number of tourist attractions, catering to all tastes and social and tourist needs, for visitors and residents alike, including:

Museums and historical places in Sisli District Of Istanbul

Istanbul Military Museum.
Ataturk Museum.
Freedom Statue.

Sports venues in Sisli

Turk Telecom Stadium.

Technical buildings in Sisli

Cemal Resit Rey Concert Hall.
Cemil Topuzlu Open-Air Theater.

Worship buildings in Sisli

Sisli Mosque.
Tesvikiye Mosque.
Cathedral of the Holy Spirit.

Malls and shopping centers in Sisli District

Jawaher Mall.
Canyon Shopping Center.
Metro City Shopping Center.
Profilo Shopping Center.

High-rise buildings and skyscrapers in Sisli

Diamond of Istanbul
Istanbul Sapphire Istanbul Sapphire
Sabanci Center
Shishli Plaza Sisli Plaza