[5] Beykoz includes an area from the streams of Küçüksu and Göksu (just before Anadoluhisarı) to the opening of the Bosphorus into the Black Sea, and the villages in the hinterland as far as the Riva creek.

The mouth of the Bosphorus in ancient times was used as a place of sacrifice, specifically to petition the Twelve Olympians, including Zeus and Poseidon, for a safe journey across the Black Sea, without which no one would venture into those stormy waters.

Consequently, Beykoz has been invaded by groups from around and beyond the Black Sea: Thracians, Bithynians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, and finally Turks.

The name Beykoz was established at this time and is thought to be derived from Bey (meaning prince, lord, or gentleman) and Koz (the Persian word for village).

Three of the most distinctive buildings from Bosphorus to Beykoz include Küçüksu Palace, a classic Ottoman imperial hunting lodge, the castle of Anadolu Hisarı, and older site which was constructed by the Ottomans during the buildup to the conquest to secure the Bosphorus for the Turkish armies; The final and most recent, near Kanlıca, is Khedive Palace, built in 1907 as the holiday home of the Khedive of Egypt.

As well as the obvious attraction of living by the water the large areas of forest parkland on hillside along much of this coast make the Beykoz waterfront a peaceful retreat from the city.

But the water is the clincher: the scent of the sea coming off the Bosphorus, people fishing, the huge ships sliding by, and the sound of foghorns in the evening.

The town centre also has a village feel to it, with smallish, aging buildings, many of them houses rather than blocks of flats, especially on the hills that climb up away from the coast.

Being far from city infrastructure, public transit is taking time to arrive, but the general peacefulness of neighbourly relations and the possibility of a Bosphorus view more than compensate.

The inland around and between Cumhuriyet Köyü, Alibahadır, Değirmendere, Akbaba, Dereseki, and Polonezköy are all popular retreats, and new roads were paved to service the luxury housing that is going up in places.