Living in Fatih, Istanbul

Fatih is the historic peninsula of Istanbul - the original walled city of Constantinople, and the largest central district on the European side. It fills the entire triangle of land between the Golden Horn to the north, the Sea of Marmara to the south, and the great Theodosian land walls to the west, ending at the ferry piers of Eminönü in the east. This is where Istanbul began: nearly every famous monument of the old city sits inside its boundaries, from Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque in Sultanahmet to Topkapı Palace, the Grand Bazaar and the Süleymaniye. It is less a single neighborhood than a whole city within the city - a dense patchwork of bazaars, mosque complexes, university quarters, working-class streets and the colourful Golden Horn districts of Fener and Balat, all layered over buildings older than most countries.

Who lives here

A genuinely mixed and deeply local population, and on the whole more traditional than the trendier districts across the water. Fatih is one of the largest residential districts in Istanbul, taking in dozens of distinct neighborhoods, and it is widely regarded as one of the more conservative, religious parts of the city - the quarter of Çarşamba, around the Fatih Mosque, is among its most observant, with a long history of medreses (religious schools) and Sufi lodges. At the same time the district has a very large student presence, thanks to Istanbul University, whose main campus sits beside Beyazıt Square, and it has long been home to migrant and immigrant communities drawn to its central location and cheaper rooms. Balat, on the Golden Horn, is the exception that everyone photographs - its steep, multicoloured streets, old Greek, Armenian and Jewish heritage and growing café scene have made it popular with artists, students and a younger, more international crowd in recent years.

What it's like during the day

Busy, historic and intensely commercial. The heart of the district's economy is the bazaar quarter: the covered Grand Bazaar (Kapalıçarşı), one of the largest covered markets in the world, sprawls between Beyazıt and Nuruosmaniye, while the Spice Bazaar (Mısır Çarşısı) sits down by the ferries at Eminönü, and the streets in between are a non-stop warren of wholesalers, workshops and shops. Around Beyazıt Square the university, the old book market (Sahaflar Çarşısı) and the Beyazıt Mosque draw students and shoppers all day. Sultanahmet, at the tip of the peninsula, is the tourist core - Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Topkapı Palace and Gülhane Park within a short walk of one another. North and west the character shifts: the Süleymaniye complex crowns its hill above the Golden Horn, the Fatih Mosque and the Wednesday Çarşamba Pazarı street market anchor a quieter, more residential quarter, and the lanes of Fener and Balat run down to the water past old churches, synagogues and the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate.

What it's like in the evening

Quieter and more low-key than the nightlife districts across the Golden Horn. Fatih is not a bar-and-club part of town - much of the district is residential, conservative or given over to the bazaars, and many areas wind down early once the shops close. The evening life that exists is centred on food and tea: meyhane taverns and fish restaurants near the water, çay gardens, traditional coffeehouses, and the cafés and kebab houses that fill up after dark. Balat is the liveliest evening pocket, with a cluster of small cafés, bistros and a younger crowd, though it stays gentle by Istanbul standards. For a big night out, residents generally cross to Beyoğlu, Karaköy or Kadıköy - all a tram, ferry or short Marmaray ride away.

Getting around

Excellent, and a real strength of living here. The backbone is the T1 tram, which runs the length of the peninsula through Eminönü, Sirkeci, Gülhane, Sultanahmet, Çemberlitaş, Beyazıt, Laleli and Aksaray before crossing the Golden Horn to Karaköy and Kabataş - for many residents it is the daily commute. The M2 metro stops at Vezneciler, within walking distance of Beyazıt, the university and the Grand Bazaar, linking the district to Şişhane, Taksim and the business towers further north. The Marmaray under-sea rail line stops at Sirkeci, putting the Asian side (Üsküdar, Kadıköy via interchange) only minutes away. Along the Golden Horn the T5 tram runs from Eminönü out through Fener, Balat and Ayvansaray toward Eyüp. And the ferry piers at Eminönü send boats across to Karaköy, Kadıköy and up the Bosphorus. The İstanbulkart runs all of it. The one catch is the terrain - the peninsula is built over seven hills, and many quarters involve serious climbs.

Eating and shopping

One of the densest and most traditional food-and-shopping landscapes in the city. The bazaars set the tone: the Grand Bazaar for jewellery, textiles, carpets and souvenirs; the Spice Bazaar for spices, dried fruit, teas and lokum; and the wholesale streets around them for almost everything else. Eating runs to the classic and the cheap - kebap and köfte houses, pide and lahmacun ovens, çiğ köfte counters, historic lokanta canteens, baklava and dessert shops, and the fish sandwiches and tea by the water at Eminönü. Kuru Fasulye (white-bean stew) at the old eateries below the Süleymaniye Mosque is a local institution. Balat adds a newer layer of brunch spots and specialty cafés. Everyday groceries come from bakkal corner shops, neighborhood markets, the weekly street pazar markets - the Wednesday market in Çarşamba is the biggest - and the usual Turkish supermarket chains.

When NOT to pick it

If you want nightlife, polish or peace and quiet. Much of Fatih is conservative and residential, and the more observant quarters around Çarşamba and the Fatih Mosque feel a long way in atmosphere from the bars of Beyoğlu or Kadıköy - newcomers used to a liberal, going-out district should know what they are choosing. The tourist core around Sultanahmet is crowded and can feel impersonal, while the bazaar streets are loud and packed by day and shut down early. Much of the housing stock is old, often without lifts, and the steep, hilly terrain is hard work. On the upside, this is one of the most affordable central districts in Istanbul - rents here run clearly below Beşiktaş and generally below Kadıköy - which, together with the transport links and the student crowd around the university, keeps demand steady and rooms moving.

Fatih is at its best for people who want to live inside the historic heart of Istanbul - among the bazaars, the great mosques and the layered history of the old city - with first-rate transport, real local life and some of the most affordable central rents around, and who don't need a nightlife district on the doorstep to feel at home.