Eminönü, historically known as Pérama, is a predominantly commercial waterfront area of Istanbul within the Fatih district near the confluence of the Golden Horn with the southern entrance of the Bosphorus strait and the Sea of Marmara.

[2] Eminönü's position on the Golden Horn made it a natural port, with the peninsula above it being eminently defensible.

It was this location that led to the foundation of Byzantium, and from here that the city grew, with the oldest neighbourhoods being the port districts along the Golden Horn.

By the 12th century, merchants from Venice, Amalfi, Genoa and Pisa had also settled in the area, acquiring their own wharfs and waterfront districts.

10. after a century, the Latin colonies, especially the Genoese and Pisans, obtained privileged areas around Eminönü - Sirkeci and settled here and established their own commercial wharves in the port.

[3] Eminönü's appearance changed significantly in the 16th and 17th centuries with the creation of the New Mosque (completed in 1591) and the Spice Bazaar which was built in 1660 as a sale outlet for goods imported overland from Egypt.

To make space for the New Mosque a community of Jews was moved out of Eminönu and relocated in Hasköy on the other side of the Golden Horn.

In 1841 the first permanent Galata Bridge across the Golden Horn linked Eminönü more closely to Karaköy where steamships docked, while the Orient Express train service from Europe terminated at nearby Sirkeci Station from 1888.

At the entrance to the Golden Horn of Istanbul, Eminönü district forms an important part of the port, which has existed since the city was founded, together with Sirkeci.

This district, which is an important focus of urban life as well as the center of one of the most important ports in the world, covers the coastline starting from the Eminönü Campus of Istanbul Commerce University located on Unkapanı road, continuing with the building of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce and extending to Sirkeci and the bazaar area just behind it.

The hill running up to Mahmutpaşa is lined with shops selling household goods, clothes and circumcision outfits for young boys.

The hans of Tahtakale sell everything from household goods and delicatessen items to freshly ground coffee and packaging.

[5] On the road running inland to Sirkeci the Ali Muhiddin Hacı Beki r confectionery shop has been in business since 1777.