Üsküdar, Istanbul

Üsküdar stands on the Asian shore of the Bosphorus, facing the historic peninsula. In antiquity it was Chrysopolis, the "city of gold", a harbour town in the territory of neighbouring Chalcedon. In 324 AD Constantine the Great won the decisive Battle of Chrysopolis here against his rival Licinius, a victory that made him sole emperor and led to the founding of Constantinople. The Byzantines later called the district Skoutarion, the origin of the Turkish Üsküdar and the European name Scutari.

Üsküdar came under Ottoman rule a century before 1453 and became the starting point of the caravan roads into Anatolia and of the annual pilgrimage procession to Mecca and Medina. Royal women endowed its finest buildings: Mimar Sinan built the Mihrimah Sultan Mosque by the pier in 1548 for Süleyman the Magnificent's daughter, and the Atik Valide Mosque, completed in 1583, for Nurbanu Sultan. Sinan also designed the small waterside Şemsi Pasha Mosque in 1580.

The 18th century added the Yeni Valide Mosque (1710), built for Gülnuş Emetullah Sultan, and the ornate Fountain of Ahmed III (1728) on the main square. Offshore, the Maiden's Tower (Kız Kulesi) has guarded the entrance of the Bosphorus for centuries in various forms; its present stone structure dates largely from an 18th-century rebuilding, and it reopened as a museum in 2023 after restoration.

During the Crimean War the Selimiye Barracks served as a British military hospital where Florence Nightingale worked in 1854–1856. Today Üsküdar is a traditional yet lively residential district and a major transport hub linking ferries, the Marmaray rail tunnel and the M5 metro.

Start at the pier square with the Mihrimah Sultan Mosque, the Fountain of Ahmed III and the Yeni Valide Mosque, then walk the waterfront south to the Şemsi Pasha Mosque, one of Sinan's most charming small works. Continue along the Salacak shore, where tea gardens and benches face the Maiden's Tower and the skyline of Sultanahmet – one of Istanbul's best sunset views.

Boats from Salacak take visitors to the Maiden's Tower, now a museum with exhibitions on its history and a viewing terrace. Inland, climb to the Atik Valide Mosque complex and the tile-decorated Çinili Mosque (1640) for a quieter, local side of the city, with neighbourhood markets and old wooden houses along the way.

Üsküdar is known for traditional sweets: try the Turkish delight and helva of long-established confectioners, simit and tea by the water, and fish sandwiches near the pier. From Üsküdar it is an easy walk or short bus ride north to the colourful village of Kuzguncuk and on to Beylerbeyi, or uphill by metro to Çamlıca Hill.

Üsküdar is also a great base for Bosphorus trips: ferries and Bosphorus tour boats call at its piers, and the waterfront between the main square and Kuzguncuk is lined with cafés where you can watch ships pass between Europe and Asia while sipping Turkish tea.

Ferries run frequently from Eminönü, Karaköy and Beşiktaş to Üsküdar in about 15 minutes. Marmaray trains cross under the Bosphorus from Sirkeci in just a few minutes, and the M5 metro continues inland towards Çamlıca. An Istanbulkart works on all of them.

Üsküdar is a traditional district: dress modestly, especially when visiting mosques, and avoid entering during prayer times, particularly at Friday noon. For the sunset at Salacak, arrive early to find a seat. Many shops and cafés stay open late, and the waterfront is busy in the evening.