The stadium had a capacity of 23,477 (all-seater) and was situated in the Mecidiyeköy quarter of the Şişli district, at the center of the European side of the city.

The first initiative to acquire a plot of land for Galatasaray was in 1933, when the then president of the club Ali Haydar Barşal showed an interest in a mulberry orchard in Mecidiyeköy.

The President of the Turkish Sports Organization at the time, Adnan Menderes, provided financial assistance for the project.

In the atmosphere of war, only a small open tribune was allowed in the stadium, which was set on a field of earth and inaugurated under the presidency of Muslihittin Peykoğlu in 1945.

Its distance from the city center in those days, however, its inaccessibility by public transportation, and the rough winds that characterized the district were factors that contributed to a long period in which the stadium lay idle and football games never took place.

In 1961, during the presidency of Refik Selimoğlu, a new agreement was signed with the Physical Education General Directorate whereby the utilization rights of the newly completed stadium were explicitly given to Galatasaray.

Unfortunately, tragedy struck during the opening match: in one of the stands many people fell onto the first floor, which caused numerous injuries, but luckily none of them were fatal.

1997, The Galatasaray administration assigned a Canadian architectural firm the job of designing Turkey’s first multi-function, modern stadium to be built in place of Ali Sami Yen Stadı, which was planned to be torn down.

Over the period of 2001-2002, a revision was made in the project with an eye toward reducing the amount needed for financing but this time, although costs were brought down, the economic crisis of 2001 stood in the way of overcoming the financial issue.

It was decided that the new stadium to be built within two years on the new plot would be transferred to Galatasaray in return for the club's handing over the property on which Ali Sami Yen stood.

At the end of 2007, ten years after the initial announcement of the project in 1997, the groundbreaking for the new stadium was carried out (December 13, 2007) at a ceremony attended by state officials.

In 2008, Galatasaray’s last year at Ali Sami Yen, the Lower Closed Tribune was renovated in line with UEFA standards.

In the past, games were played in front of more than 35,000 spectators in this stadium, which is nicknamed "The Hell" by Galatasaray's supporters because of the sea of red and yellow, intimidating atmosphere and the enthusiastic support of the fans who often make mass use of torches, smoke, drums, flags and giant posters to create visual grandeur and apply psychological pressure on visiting teams.

Ali Sami Yen is important for Galatasaray because it saw many victories against renowned European football clubs, such as Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Juventus, Milan and many others.

The new home ground of Galatasaray is the newly built Türk Telekom Arena in the Seyrantepe quarter near Maslak financial district in Şişli.

Having been 1-0 behind, goals from captain Arda Turan, defender Servet Çetin and Colin Kazim-Richards made the final score 3-1.

[5] The new home ground of Galatasaray is the newly built Rams Park in the Seyrantepe quarter near Maslak financial district in Şişli.