On the shores of the Golden Horn, 600 years of shipyard heritage meets modern living — a one-of-a-kind destination uniting hotels, restaurants, cultural venues and global brands.
A historic shipyard is carried into the 21st century with a bold vision.
Transforming Turkey's largest industrial heritage site, Tersane Istanbul creates a new route for life, culture, and experience in the heart of the city. Rising on the northern coast of the Golden Horn on the very site of the Imperial Shipyard (Tersane-i Amire), which was once the naval base of the Ottoman Empire, this unique project breathes new life into the historic waterfront. It transforms the monumental industrial complex into a contemporary neighborhood integrated with hotels, museums, art and culture spaces, living areas, a marina, and a coastal promenade stretching nearly two kilometers.
Tersane Istanbul brings a new urban culture and a forward-looking vision to the oldest part of the city by establishing a strong connection with the past. The Golden Horn, defining the northern border of the Historical Peninsula where Old Istanbul rises in all its glory and where ancient Byzantium and Constantinople flourished, has always been a defining element in Istanbul's topography with its calm waters. Due to the strategic advantages of this natural harbor, three of the world's greatest empires chose Istanbul as their capital. Welcoming settlements along its shores since the 7th century BC, the Golden Horn enabled Constantinople to develop as a powerful port city. After the conquest in 1453, while the city was being rebuilt as the capital of the Ottoman Empire, the Golden Horn became a cosmopolitan hub where global trade thrived and merchants from all over the world flocked.
Surrounded by shipyards, commercial houses, and warehouses since the Byzantine period, the Golden Horn remained one of the main industrial zones of Istanbul during both the Ottoman and Republican eras due to its strategic location. Carrying the city's industrial weight for centuries, the region long remained in the shadow of the Bosphorus's grandeur. Until now...
A transformation from an industrial base into a dynamic city center looking toward the future. Every city has a center; Istanbul has multiple! For this unique megacity, built across two continents and having served as the capital to three great empires, evolving into a polycentric city over time was an expected outcome. Yet, the heart and soul of Istanbul has always been the shores of the Golden Horn in every era.
Having been the center of production for centuries and declared a historical site in 1995, Tersane-i Amire is awakening to a completely different life today. While breathing new life back into the historic shores of the Golden Horn, Tersane Istanbul transforms the region into a dynamic and contemporary city center that forms deep connections with the water and embraces the cultural continuity of the neighborhood.
Located on the northern shore of the Golden Horn, Tersane Istanbul is a unique heritage site that hosted the city’s maritime activities for centuries. Founded in 1455 by Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror, just two years after the conquest of Istanbul, Tersane-i Amire transformed over time into a hub that gave a land empire its power on the seas. Continuously developed by the Ottoman sultans, the shipyard became one of the largest shipbuilding centers in the Mediterranean during the 16th and 17th centuries. Possessing a vast production infrastructure ranging from slipways to a torpedo factory, and a propeller foundry to warehouses, this complex also established its own ecosystem with structures like a hospital, a bathhouse, and a school. Remaining active until the 1970s, Tersane-i Amire was later partially relocated and closed; however, it preserved its place in Istanbul's industrial memory by protecting its architectural and cultural heritage. And now, Tersane Istanbul brings this historic waterfront back to life. Hidden behind high walls for nearly 600 years, the area is opening to the public for the first time along with all its original structures through a rebirth making the traces of the past felt in every corner.
During the siege of Istanbul, Sultan Mehmed II realized the ability of Genoese warships to break through the Ottoman naval blockade and reach the city. Immediately after the conquest, he ordered the construction of a similar ship for his own navy. The first ship was built in Sarayburnu, but its launch resulted in failure. Thereupon, it was decided that the ships should be launched into sheltered waters that provided a natural harbor and into the Sultan's favorite spot in the city: the Golden Horn. Thus, in 1461, the foundations of Tersane-i Amire were laid with a few shipbuilding slips on the remains of an old Byzantine shipyard on the Golden Horn.
Following Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror's decision to move shipbuilding activities to the Golden Horn, Tersane-i Amire served as the Ottoman Empire's most important naval shipyard for nearly 600 years. Many subsequent sultans continued to make significant investments in the shipyard. Expanding greatly during the reign of Sultan Selim I (1512–1520), it became one of the largest shipyards in the world during the years Suleiman the Magnificent (1520–1566) occupied the throne. The history of Tersane-i Amire is intertwined with the history of the Ottoman Empire: when the Empire rose, the shipyard thrived, and when the Empire declined, the shipyard stagnated.
During the galley era, the Ottoman Empire was a powerful state capable of successfully building its own ships. Even after campaigns where the navy was completely destroyed by fire, a new fleet could be rebuilt within one or two years at Tersane-i Amire. In tandem with advancements in maritime technology, Tersane-i Amire underwent various modernization processes, transitioning from wooden-hulled galleys to galleon-style sailing ships, which served as the primary warships until the mid-19th century. From the 19th century onward, ships began to be constructed from iron and steel; sails were replaced by steam engines, and oars by propellers.
In order to keep pace with these technological developments in the global shipbuilding industry and to elevate the Ottoman navy to the same level as those of the world’s greatest powers, Tersane-i Amire underwent comprehensive transformations numerous times, and expert consultants were brought in from Europe. Especially during the reign of Sultan Selim III (1789-1807), the shipyard was almost entirely entrusted to Western experts.
During the reign of Sultan Selim III, three new slipways named the Stone Slipway, the Wooden Slipway, and the Valide Slipway were also built in the shipyard; among these, the Valide Slipway was designed for the construction and maintenance of steamships. During the reign of Sultan Abdülaziz (1861-1876), the shipyard was made suitable for steamship production and took on a completely different appearance with the construction of massive factory buildings, new slipways, and dry docks.
Following the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century, the introduction of steam power created a new revolution in the maritime industry. While ironclad warships formed the backbone of navies worldwide, the Ottoman Empire also needed to transition from sailing ships to steamships to increase its power on the seas. However, the infrastructure of Tersane-i Amire was not sufficient to realize this transformation. During the reign of Sultan Abdülaziz (1861-1876), the Valide Slipway, completed in 1864, was built to bring the empire's first steamship project to life. Named after the Sultan's mother, Pertevniyal Valide Sultan, who personally financed its construction, the slipway dominated the Golden Horn skyline for centuries as a magnificent testament to the engineering genius and innovative spirit of the past.
Following the occupation of Istanbul in 1918, Tersane-i Amire was relocated to Gölcük. Although it returned to its rightful place on the Golden Horn following the Straits Convention in 1941, it was primarily used for the routine maintenance and repair of ships during the Republican era. In 1995, in line with the global trend of repurposing industrial buildings located in city centers, Tersane-i Amire was declared a historical site. Today, this historic shipyard is preparing to open a new chapter in its story as Tersane Istanbul, driven by a bold and innovative vision. Rising upon Turkey's largest industrial heritage site, the project transforms into Istanbul's vibrant new city center, hosting accommodation, residential, art and culture, gastronomy, and shopping areas with its 1.8-kilometer coastline and 27 historic buildings. Hidden behind its high surrounding walls for centuries, the shipyard opens a new window to Istanbul, looking out over the magnificent silhouette of the Golden Horn, framed by views stretching from Hagia Sophia to Balat, and from Süleymaniye to Fatih Mosque, the Phanar Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, and the Iron Church.