On the north bank of the Golden Horn, Tersane Istanbul stands as a testament to the rich maritime history of Istanbul. In 1455, only two years after he besieged Constantinople, Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror laid the foundations of Tersane-i Amire, which would soon play a pivotal role in giving a land-based empire its power at sea.

The shipyard had been continuously developed and expanded by successive Ottoman sultans over the centuries. At its peak in the 16th and 17th centuries, it was one of the largest shipyards in the Mediterranean. Complete with slipways, warehouses, a torpedo facility, and a foundry for propellers, the shipyard also developed an ecosystem of its own with a range of administrative and public buildings, including a hospital, hammam and school, all clustered on the Golden Horn.

Tersane-i Amire remained in operation into the 1970s. Afterwards, it was partially moved and partially closed, with its historic slipways and buildings protected as part of the city’s industrial heritage.

Tersane Istanbul is set to give this historic waterfront back to the people of Istanbul. For the first time in a lengthy 600 years, the shipyard and the entirety of its unique heritage assets are opening to the public with hints of its storied past embedded in every corner.

Following Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror’s decision to shift shipbuilding activities to the Golden Horn, for almost 600 years of industrial history, Tersane-i Amire served as the Ottoman Empire’s premier naval shipbuilding facility. The successive sultans continued to make substantial investments in the shipyard. It expanded greatly during the reign of Sultan Selim I (1512 – 1520) and while Süleyman the Magnificent (1520 - 1566) was still on the throne, Tersane-i Amire became one of the largest shipyards in the world.

The history of Tersane-i Amire is closely intertwined with that of the Empire. When the Empire was on the rise, the shipyard was flourishing; when the Empire was in decline, so was the shipyard.

In the days of the galleys, the Ottoman Empire was a state that successfully built its own ships. Even after the campaigns that resulted in a completely burnt down fleet, the Navy could rebuild its fleet at Tersane-i Amire within a year or two.

Keeping pace with the technological advances in the maritime industry, Tersane-i Amire has gone through various stages of modernization, advancing from wooden-hulled galleys, which formed the backbone of the Navy to the galleon-style vessels that were used as main battleships until the mid-19th century. From the 19th century onwards, ships began to be built from iron and steel. Sails were also replaced with steam engines and paddles with propellers.

In order to keep up with all these technological leaps in the global shipbuilding industry and to improve the calibre of the Navy to that of the world’s greatest states, Tersane-i Amire experienced significant transformations and consultants from Europe were brought in to the shipyard. Particularly during the reign of Sultan Selim III (1789 - 1807), the shipyard was almost completely entrusted to the Western experts.

Sultan Selim III also added three new slipways Taş Kızak, Ağaç Kızak and the Valide Slipway to the shipyard. The latter was intended for building and maintaining steam-powered vessels.

In the reign of Sultan Abdülaziz (1861 - 1876), the shipyard was made capable of building steam-powered ships and it gained a completely different appearance with the construction of huge factory buildings, new slipways and pools.

After the occupation of Istanbul in 1918, Tersane-i Amire was moved to Gölcük. Following the Straits Convention in 1941, the shipyard returned back to the Golden Horn, where it belonged, but was mainly used for routine maintenance or repairs during the Republican period.

In 1995, with the industrial buildings and complexes in the city centers undergoing adaptive reuse across the world, Tersane-i Amire was declared a conservation site.

Today, the shipyard is preparing to write a new chapter in its story with a bold, new vision.

As Tersane Istanbul, it is transforming into a forward-facing, dynamic new downtown of Istanbul with its 1.8 kilometer long coastline and 27 historic buildings hosting areas for accommodation, residences, arts and culture, gastronomy, retail, and more.

Rising on the largest industrial heritage site in Türkiye, Tersane Istanbul is a bridge from the past to the future. Hidden away in anonymity for centuries with the perimeter walls built around it, the historic shipyard opens a window to an unparalleled view of Istanbul framed by the city’s iconic landmarks; from Hagia Sophia to Balat, from Süleymaniye Mosque to Fatih Mosque, from the Greek Patriarchate of Fener to the Iron Church, all backdropped by the magnificent Golden Horn skyline.