Taksim Square
Where Ottoman water pipes once split across the city, five major roads now fan out from a single monument marking a republic's birth.
Coming soon on iOS — be first to walk Istanbul offline.
Taksim is the hinge of modern European Istanbul — metro hub, road convergence, and public stage rolled into one open square. The Republic Monument, sculpted by Pietro Canonica and unveiled in 1928, commemorates the fifth anniversary of Turkey's 1923 founding. To the north, Gezi Park became the flashpoint for the 2013 Occupy Taksim protests when the city moved to demolish it for a shopping venue built on the old barracks site.
What to look for
- The Republic Monument by Pietro Canonica (1928) — read the figures and dates on it, which track directly back to the Turkish War of Independence
- The Ottoman-era stone reservoir on one side of the square, the original reason this spot was called Taksim (Arabic for 'distribution')
- Gezi Park to the north — a small strip of green whose near-demolition in 2013 sparked citywide protests
The central Istanbul Metro station is here — use it as your base for the European side; İstiklal Caddesi runs directly west from the square.
Taksim Square is one of 39 sights worth the detour in Istanbul, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Istanbul pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Istanbul
- Hagia SophiaCompleted in 537, it held the title of world's largest church for over 500 years — then a mosque, a museum, and a mosque again.
- Constantinople (Istanbul)One peninsula that served as the throne of four empires for sixteen centuries straight.
- Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque)Ahmed I placed it directly opposite Hagia Sophia in 1609 and gave it six minarets — a deliberate challenge to the city's greatest building.
- Topkapı PalaceFor nearly four centuries, the sultans who ruled the Ottoman Empire lived and governed from here — until the court finally moved to Dolmabahçe in 1856.
- ByzantiumGreeks from Megara planted a colony here in the 7th century BC — and the name they gave it eventually became the word for an entire empire.
- Rams Park (Ali Sami Yen Sports Complex)Galatasaray's 53,978-seat fortress on the European side of Istanbul — and the second most eco-friendly stadium on the planet.