Galatasaray Islet 3.14

The Galatasaray Islet, is a small island on the Bosphorus strait off Kuruçeşme neighborhood in Istanbul, Turkey, which is owned by Galatasaray Sports Club.Its location just north of the Bosphorus Bridge, with the view of the Bosphorus, makes it an attractive facility that houses bars, 6 restaurants and two swimming pools. Only 165m far from the European coast, the islet is reachable by free ferry service.In Autumn 2002, construction has started to turn the Galatasaray Islet into one of the most prominent landmarks of the city. Totally rebuilt, it serves since July 2007 the Galatasaray community and Istanbulers as an entertainment and recreation center.A fire broke out in the kitchen chimney on October 4, 2007 that burnt down two restaurants and damaged four other premises on the islet.In 2017, Nilhan Osmanoglu stated they will claim ownership of the islet in future.HistoryIn 1872, Ottoman sultan Abdülaziz (reigned 1861–1876) granted the islet to the Ottoman-Armenian court architect Sarkis Balyan (1835–1899), who erected a three-story house on it as his own residence. In 1874, during one of his several visits to Istanbul, Russian-Armenian painter Ivan Aivazovsky stayed in the mansion of Sarkis on the islet, and made here a number of paintings commissioned by the sultan for the Dolmabahçe Palace.