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Kadıköy

Kadıköy is the first Greek Colony by the Bosphorus, founded by Megara in c. 675 B.C. It was then known as "Chalcedon." Together with Üsküdar -then known as "Chrysopolis"-, Kadıköy was considered suburban to the main city -Constantinople. Neither of these colonies were well suited geographically for defense -plus, they did not have city walls either- and thus both colonies have been subjected numerous occupations by invading armies. It is for this reason that there are no monuments pertaining to the Byzantium era in the districts. Chalcedon came to be called Kadıköy (the village of the 'kadı' -the Judge), because the headquarters of the Chief of Justice of the Ottoman Empire's Anatolian provinces were here. Today, Kadıköy stands as a commercial district with a lot of street sellers, buffets, little cafes and bars. Similar to Beşiktaş, in Kadıköy also there is a large port and bus station, where ferries, buses and minibuses arrive and allow for transfers to other parts of the city. The most famous street of Kadıköy is Bahariye Caddesi. Bahariye Caddesi is for Kadıköy, what İstiklal Caddesi is to Taksim. On this street there are shops, cafes, bookstores and restaurants. The typical meeting point in Kadıköy is by the statue of the "bull." Bahariye Caddesi extends down from this statue. In one of the crossing streets in Kadıköy is the so called "Barlar Caddesi" -the bar street in english -an unofficial name that the people have given to the street as it is full of bars. You may always run into an open bazaar in Kadıköy. There are clothes for tailoring, ready-to-wear items, accessories, shoes, vegetables, fruits and many other things being sold in the open bazaars. Make sure to enjoy its hectic organization and vivid atmosphere if you come upon one -at the same time watch out for pick-pocket. There is a fish market also in Kadıköy -adding onto its commercial nature of business. An extension of Kadıköy is Moda. Moda is the so-called modern face of Kadıköy. Here are nice houses, villas and elegant restaurants. Moda Teras is a famous restaurant for instance. Moda is also well liked by university students. It is a common meeting point for those living on the Asian side of Istanbul.

Kadıköy

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