See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/332902164

Sirkeci and Haydarpaşa Railway Stations: Isolated Landmarks of İstanbul

Conference Paper · May 2019

CITATIONS READS

2 3,267

3 authors:

Handan Güzelci Orkan Zeynel Güzelci

T.C. Istanbul Kultur University Istanbul Technical University
27 PUBLICATIONS 22 CITATIONS 67 PUBLICATIONS 128 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

Ali kemal Terlemez

Özyeğin University
8 PUBLICATIONS 5 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE

All content following this page was uploaded by Orkan Zeynel Güzelci on 17 June 2020.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

 SPACE International Conference 2019 on Architectural History and Theory

Sirkeci and Haydarpaşa Railway Stations: Isolated

Landmarks of İstanbul

Handan Güzelci1*, Orkan Zeynel Güzelci2, Ali Kemal Terlemez3

1
Assistant Professor, İstanbul Kültür University, Turkey h.duyar@iku.edu.tr
2
Assistant Professor, İstanbul Kültür University, Turkey o.guzelci@iku.edu.tr
3
PhD Candidate, Özyeğin University, Turkey ak.terlemez@gmail.com

ABSTRACT

S
ince the beginning of the 20th century, Haydarpaşa and Sirkeci Railway Stations have been an
important element of the city image of Istanbul in terms of urban, architectural, artistic, and
social aspects. Especially in the early 2010s, these two historical train stations lost their various
purposes due to the new transportation networks which were constructed without considering
their integration. The purpose of this study is to analyse the train stations based on their current
functions and their use, potential integration with new transportation networks, possible visual or
physical relationships and interactions with urban dwellers. To make analyses about Haydarpaşa
and Sirkeci Railway Stations a three-day workshop is organized named as “Instant Fragment”. The
workshop process includes three different phases. The first phase includes a literature review on
Haydarpaşa and Sirkeci Railway Stations. In the second phase, participants made observation and
collect data via photographs, videos, interviews, and sketches. In the third phase, participants are
divided into three groups. The first group analysed the existing situations and conditions faced
in the railway stations. The second group analysed the transportation networks in Istanbul, and
the third group produced an experimental short movie. As a result, the findings of the workshop
are presented, and future projections are made about the buildings.

Keywords: Haydarpaşa Railway Station, Sirkeci Railway Station, cultural heritage, urban
regeneration, landmark

1 INTRODUCTION
Sirkeci (1890) and Haydarpaşa (1908) Railway Stations are historical artefacts in Istanbul. These
artefacts are unique in the sense that their importance in urban planning and development of the
city, having been referred to as landmarks, not having a physical connection with one another,
as well as the diversity of user demographics and the population of users throughout history,
define them.
*
Corresponding Author
space @spacestudies.co.uk I www.spacestudies.co.uk u u 63
 SPACE International Conference 2019 on Architectural History and Theory

The architectural characteristics of Sirkeci and Haydarpaşa Stations reflect the political
discourse of the periods when they were built. While, Sirkeci Railway Station with its Oriental
style, is defined as a gate to the east for the incoming passengers of the west; Haydarpaşa Railway
Station represents the west with its Neoclassical style for the incoming passengers of the east
(Çelik, 1993; Kuban, 2007; Altınöz, 2014).

Sirkeci and Haydarpaşa Stations have been an important element of daily life and cultural
landscape in Istanbul until the late 2000s. Especially in the early 2010s, these two historical
train stations lost their purpose due to the new transportation networks which were constructed
without considering their integration. The idea of transformation of Haydarpaşa Train Station
into a hotel and the construction of the Sirkeci stop of Marmaray project next to Sirkeci Railway
Station damaged the stations’ presence both in urban life and new transportation system.
The purpose of this study is to analyse the train stations in the given contexts:
ƌɄ 0-- )/Ʉ!0)/$*).Ʉ)Ʉ/# $-Ʉ0.
ƌɄ */ )/$'Ʉ$)/ "-/$*)Ʉ2$/#Ʉ) 2Ʉ/-).+*-//$*)Ʉ) /2*-&.
ƌɄ *..$' Ʉ1$.0'Ʉ*-Ʉ+#4.$'Ʉ- '/$*).#$+.Ʉ)Ʉ$)/ -/$*).Ʉ2$/#Ʉ0-)Ʉ2 '' -.
The analyses and discussions presented in this study were obtained as a result of the 3 days long
student workshop which took place in the 3rd Istanbul Design Biennial Academy Program in
2016.
Both passengers and people who are working in the train stations experience these places in
different time periods with variable lengths. On the other hand, the stations become an image or
fragment for the people who have not experienced these spaces. This situation causes differences
in the perceptions and memories of the people about the train stations. Based on these different
types of experiences the name of the organized workshop was named as “Instant Fragment
(Anlık Fragman in Turkish)” (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Poster of “Anlık Fragman (Instant Fragment)” Workshop

64 u u space @spacestudies.co.uk I www.spacestudies.co.uk

 SPACE International Conference 2019 on Architectural History and Theory

The process of the workshop is as follows:

ƌɄ $/ -/0- Ʉ- 1$ 2ƈɄ $)".Ʉ*)Ʉ4-+ęɄ)Ʉ$-& $Ʉ$'24Ʉ//$*).
ƌɄ $/ Ʉ1$.$/ƈɄ. -1/$*)ƇɄ/Ʉ*'' /$*)ƇɄ)Ʉ*0( )//$*)Ʉ1$Ʉ+#*/*"-+#ƇɄ1$ *ƇɄ$)/ -1$ 2ƇɄ
and sketches
ƌɄ -*0+Ʉ2*-&ƈɄ
)Ʉ)'4.$.Ʉ*!Ʉ/# Ʉ 3$./$)"Ʉ.$/0/$*).Ʉ! Ʉ$)Ʉ/# Ʉ-$'24Ʉ.//$*).ɄƧ-*0+ɄųƨƇɄ
An analysis of the transportation networks in Istanbul (Group 2);
Production of an experimental short movie (Group 3)

2 PHASES OF WORKSHOP
Since the beginning of the 20th century, Haydarpaşa and Sirkeci Railway Stations have been
an important element of the city image of Istanbul in terms of urban, architectural, artistic, and
social aspects. In this context, within the scope of this study, we have created this literature study
to gain a better understanding on various concrete and abstract components of Haydarpaşa and
Sirkeci Railway Station such as their histories, locations, architectural styles, functions, relations
with arts.

2.1 Literature Review (Phase 1)

In the literature study, first, histories and locations of the train stations were explained and
then the characteristics of the stations which played an important role in the urban growth of
the city were emphasized. The Sirkeci Railway Station was designed by the German architect
August Jasmund and built between 1888 and 1890; while Haydarpaşa Train Station was
designed by German architects Otto Ritter and Helmut Cino and was built between 1906-08
(Kuban, 2007; Kösebay Erkan, 2013).
Sirkeci Station, which was a gateway to the east for the passengers coming from the west
and as the last stop of Orient Express, has the characteristics of connecting Europe and
Asia (Kuban, 2007; Kösebay Erkan, 2012). Similar to the train stations in Europe, at the
beginning of the 1870s, when the Orient Express opened, its route was ended in Yedikule
and the location of trains’ last stop was away from the city centre of İstanbul. In 1872, with the
permission of Sultan Abdulaziz, the train lines were extended, and Orient Express reached to
Sirkeci by opening gateways in the historical city walls and green area around the Topkapı
Palace (Pallini & Scaccabarozzi, 2011; Kösebay Erkan, 2012). After these modifications, Sirkeci
Railway Station was built in 1890 and opened for public use at a point that could be called as
a city centre (Figure 2).
After the opening of the Sirkeci station, the government made plans for the Asian side of
Istanbul and decided to open new railway lines connecting Istanbul with the inner Anatolia.
Haydarpaşa Railway Station was built in 1908 as the last stop of the lines coming from
Anatolia. The Haydarpaşa Railway Station was a landmark that is regarded as a gateway to
the west of Anatolia for travellers coming to Istanbul (Kuban, 2007; Kösebay Erkan 2012).
Haydarpaşa Train Station has been one of the most important landmarks in Istanbul since
its construction. Looking towards the shore, Haydarpaşa Train Station differs from all other
buildings in Istanbul because of the formal characteristics such as style, mass, and silhouette
(Kuban, 2007; Kösebay Erkan 2012; Kösebay Erkan, 2013; Kaymaz, 2013) (Figure 3).

space @spacestudies.co.uk I www.spacestudies.co.uk u u 65

 SPACE International Conference 2019 on Architectural History and Theory

Figure 2: Façade Drawing (Başar & Erdoğan, 2009) and Photos of Sirkeci Railway Stations [1,2]
Haydarpaşa and Sirkeci Train Station have always been a monumental building not only for
tourists but also for the local people who live in the historical urban landscape in Istanbul. Until
the middle of the 19th century, in the Ottoman Empire, the concept of “public building” was
not developed yet. Later, the train stations became public spaces which were well accepted by
the community (Kösebay Erkan, 2012). Apart from transportation purposes, functions such as
museum and restaurant make railway stations important public buildings that can be visited by
both city dwellers and tourists.

Figure 3: Façade Drawing and Photo of Haydarpaşa Railway Station (Kösebay Erkan,2013)

Sirkeci and Haydarpaşa Railway Stations as its built environment have the characteristics of
being open-air museums. In addition, building interiors also contain ongoing museum function
in classical terms (Akbulut & Artvinli, 2011). In the open-air museum vehicles such as historic
locomotives and wagons are exhibited, on the other hand, various objects related to trains are
exhibited in railway museums (Figure 4).

Figure 4: Left: Sirkeci Railway Museum [3]; Middle: Sirkeci Railway Museum [4]; Right: Haydarpaşa Open
Air Museum [5]

66 u u space @spacestudies.co.uk I www.spacestudies.co.uk

 SPACE International Conference 2019 on Architectural History and Theory

Another function that is included by train stations is Station Restaurants (Gar Lokantası in
Turkish) (Figure 5). The visitor profiles of Haydarpaşa and Sirkeci Train Station Restaurants
have always been variable. Both restaurants have been serving to travellers (who use trains) and
regular guests such as customs employees, artisans, translators, writers, illustrators as well as
tourists [6,7].

Figure 5: Left: Restaurant in the Sirkeci Railway Station [8]; Right: Restaurant in the Haydarpaşa Railway
Station [9]

The Haydarpaşa Railway Station had always been an essential place of Yeşilçam and it was
filmed in the opening scenes of Turkish movies where the characters coming from the suburb
to a metropole. Haydarpaşa Railway Station was used to express the feelings of reunion and
separation in the movie scenes. Movies such as “Birds of Exile” (directed by Halit Refiğ in 1962),
“Oh Beautiful Istanbul” (directed by Atıf Yılmaz in 1966), and “Time to Love” (directed by Metin
Erksan in 1965) have benefited from the visual and physical potentials of the train station (Yiğit,
2017). On the other hand, based on Agatha Christie’s book “Murder on the Orient Express “and
“Midnight Express” are movies which filmed the Sirkeci Railway Station.
Apart from all these characteristics, train stations shaped the development of transportation
networks in Istanbul. The train lines connected to Haydarpaşa and Sirkeci Railway Stations
passed through the districts which are on the shores of Marmara Sea. In the European side,
districts such as Bakırköy and Yeşilköy were connected to the city center while on the Anatolian
side the districts such as Maltepe, Kartal and Gebze were integrated into the city center. Sirkeci
Train Station provides a fast integration with closeness to the Sirkeci tram line and Eminönü
ferry pier; Haydarpaşa Train Station provides a fast integration with the ferry pier located in its
complex.

2.2 Site Visit (Phase 2) and Group Work (Phase 3)

In site visit, the participants were expected to collect data by making video interviews with
the users/visitors in the stations as well as making sketches, taking photographs and videos.
In the second phase of the workshop, we have planned a one-day excursion to visit both stations.
The participants of the workshop and tutors met at the Kadıköy Ferry Pier and walked to
Haydarpaşa Railway Station. Haydarpaşa Railway Station was closed for passengers because
of the restoration of its roof, interiors, and facades, the pier which serves to the station was also
temporarily closed. Therefore, the participants could not use the pier to reach the area and
had to walk 1 km to reach the station. In Haydarpaşa Railway Station, the openings and close
surrounding of the building were covered with wooden boards, therefore the students were not
able to see the interior spaces of the building. Therefore, photos and videos were taken from
the outside where the platforms were located. At Haydarpaşa Railway Station, it is observed
that there are kiosks and restaurants operating independently from the main function of
the building. In addition, some floors of the building are still used as TCDD (Turkish State
Railways) offices. In addition, it was observed that the building’s physical relationship with
the trains and the public was completely disconnected. Participants prepared images that
shows the observed situations during site visit in Figure 6.

space @spacestudies.co.uk I www.spacestudies.co.uk u u 67

 SPACE International Conference 2019 on Architectural History and Theory

Figure 6: Diagrams illustrating Sirkeci Railway Station Haydarpaşa Railway Station

After the analyses were done at Haydarpaşa station, the group travelled to Sirkeci Railway
Station by ferry. Because of its location, we assumed that Sirkeci Railway has great potential
due to the fact that the city dynamics are most intensely felt in the commercial area. Sirkeci
Railway Station has lost its transportation function due to the Marmaray entrance within the
Sirkeci Railway Station Complex. Marmaray is a large investment which aims to connect the
railway lines on the Anatolian and European sides of Istanbul with a tube tunnel passing
under the sea and to form a continuous railway network (Lykke&Belkaya, 2005; Kösebay
Erkan, 2012; Kösebay Erkan, 2013). It was observed that there was a crowd at the entrance
of Marmaray while there were a few scattered people in front of the Sirkeci Railway Station
Complex. It was seen that except for transportation, in Sirkeci Railway Station function such
as museums, restaurants and waiting rooms has been used at a minimum level. Participants
prepared schemes that show the observed situations during the site visit in Figure 7.

Figure 7: Diagrams illustrating Sirkeci Railway Station conditions

The study group 1 prepared photocollages which are composed of overlapping sketches,
images and photographs of Sirkeci Railway Station (Figure 8).

Figure 8: Photocollage explaining the relationship between Sirkeci Railway Station and Marmaray
Entrance

68 u u space @spacestudies.co.uk I www.spacestudies.co.uk

 SPACE International Conference 2019 on Architectural History and Theory

During the workshop, all participants had a chance to use different transportation vehicles
except trains. Due to that experience, the study group 2 prepared diagrams that analysed the
existing transportation networks of İstanbul (Figure 9).

Figure 9: Diagrams representing the transportation systems in Istanbul.

The study group 3 prepared an experimental video by using sketches, diagrams, videos,
photographs and interviews obtained from the site visit by other groups (Figure 10).
While designing the storyboards, group 3 decided to locate 3 different frames including
videos and slides. In the upper left portion of each frame in Figure 10 the existing situations
are represented and also some fragments of old movies filmed here are displayed. In the upper
right corners of each frame, the current users of the stations and their close environments
are illustrated by videos. It was observed that while the only users of Haydarpaşa Railway
Station were construction workers and the rodents living there; in the Sirkeci Railway Station,
users were tourists who take photographs and local people resting in the passenger lounge.
In the lower right part of each frame, all products of the groups 1 and 2 are presented in
synchronization with the other 2 continuing videos.

Figure 10: Four different frames of experimental video.

space @spacestudies.co.uk I www.spacestudies.co.uk u u 69

 SPACE International Conference 2019 on Architectural History and Theory

3 RESULTS OF WORKSHOP AND DISCUSSION

It is observed that Haydarpaşa and Sirkeci Railway Stations have been bypassed. New
transportation networks, alternative roads, and strategies that have evolved in Istanbul replaced
the transportation function of the stations which have been connecting Anatolia and Europe for
a century. Due to their lost function, these stations are faced with many investment plans such
as transformations into hotels or shopping centres.
Haydarpaşa and Sirkeci Railway Stations, which have great importance in the daily life of
dwellers in İstanbul, were unable to deal with the uncontrolled massive growth of the city. The
transportation networks established in the growing megacity did not incorporate these stations
into the new system. Political discourses, efforts for having more profit have begun to change
the attraction points of İstanbul. Many plans are made on Haydarpaşa including different
functions because of its dominance of the Bosphorous and having the highest property value
of the İstanbul. Although Sirkeci Railway Station is linked with Marmaray underground railway
system as a stop, the historic station building is left out of the transportation system and its
future seems similar to the Haydarpaşa Railway Station.
Past buildings such as Karaköy Port Passenger Terminal, Liquor Factory, General Directorate
of Highways Building, which live in the memory of people and are important in their daily life,
faced similar problems. They were first ignored and then with new functions and purposes with
the goal of generating more capital.
During the workshop, participants tried to discuss, analyse and visualize these observations
through diagrams, photos, and videos. The visualization techniques used in the workshop
were designed with the aim of explaining the current condition of these cultural heritage sites
to the local and foreigner visitors of the 3rd Istanbul Design Biennial. It was concluded that
the right to use public space, habits/daily routines and urban memory of the people has been
deleted and destroyed many times. It was observed that the participants could only contribute
to the discussions and analyse process after the readings and informative speeches. Students
are expected to understand the rapid change over the city through a critical perspective.
The contribution of the workshop to the architectural education is to discuss how to develop
new perspectives for different contexts such as cultural heritage values, characteristics of
transportation networks, urban transformations, and capitalism.

70 u u space @spacestudies.co.uk I www.spacestudies.co.uk

 SPACE International Conference 2019 on Architectural History and Theory

REFERENCES
Akbulut, G., & Artvinli, E. (2011). Effects of Turkish railway museums on cultural tourism. Procedia
Social and Behavioral Sciences, 19, 131-138.
Altınöz, M. Ö. (2014). 19.yy Osmanlı Mimarisi’ndeki Oryantalizm’in İber Kaynağı ve Sirkeci
Garının Analizi. Journal of Turkish Studies, 9(10), 837-837.
Başar, M. E., & Erdoğan, H. A. (2009). Osmanlı’dan Cumhuriyet’e Türkiye’de tren garları. J. Fac.
Eng.Arch. Selcuk Univ., 24(3), 29-43.
Çelik, Z. (1993). The remaking of Istanbul: portrait of an Ottoman city in the nineteenth century.
Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
Kaymaz, I. (2013). Urban Landscapes and Identity. In M. Ozyavuz (Ed.) Advances in Landscape
Architecture. InTech.
Kösebay Erkan, Y. (2012). Railway heritage of İstanbul and the Marmaray Project. International
Journal of Architectural Heritage, 6(1), 86-99.
Kösebay Erkan, Y. (2013). Haydarpaşa Tren Garı: Bugün, Dün Ve Yarın Kentin Bedeninde Bir
Yara. METU Journal of the Faculty of Architecture, 30(1), 99-116.
Kuban, D. (2007). Osmanlı mimarisi. İstanbul: Yapı-Endüstri Merkezi.
Lykke, S., & Belkaya, H. (2005). Marmaray project: The project and its management. Tunnelling
and underground space technology, 20(6), 600-603.
Palini, C., & Scaccabarozzi, A. R. (2011). Technical Landscape in the heart of the city: railway
heritage at Istanbul. In Conservation of Architecture, Urban Areas, Nature & Landscape (pp. vol-
II). CSAAR Press.
Yigit, Z. (2017). Post-migration Representations of Istanbul in Turkey’s Independent Cinema.
European Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, 2(5), 306-312

WEB REFERENCES
[1] http://osmanli.site/osmanli-eserleri/sirkeci-gari-ve-saat-kulesi/ (Last Access: 09.04.2019)
[2]http://www.yapi.com.tr/haberler/tcddden-sirkeci-gari-aciklamasi_121742.html
(Last Access: 09.04.2019)
[3]http://www.istanbulkulturturizm.gov.tr/TR-165665/tcdd-istanbul-demiryolu-muzesi.html
(Last Access: 09.04.2019)
[4]https://www.trenhaber.com/gundem/istanbul-un-ilk-demiryolu-muzesi-sirkeci-garinda-h449.
html (Last Access: 09.04.2019)
[5]http://www.gokhanbeter.com/haydarpasa-tren-gari.html (Last Access: 09.04.2019)
[6]https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/38303394.pdf (Last Access: 09.04.2019)
[7]http://earsiv.sehir.edu.tr:8080/xmlui/bitstream/handle/11498/3582/001502826006.
pdf?sequence=3 (Last Access: 09.04.2019)
[8]https://www.tripadvisor.com.tr/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g293974-d803717-i22663207-
Orient_Express_Restaurant-Istanbul.html (Last Access: 09.04.2019)
[9]http://turkey.redblueguide.com/mythos-haydarpasa-2 (Last Access: 09.04.2019)

space @spacestudies.co.uk I www.spacestudies.co.uk u u 71

View publication stats