Galataport

It includes the city's cruise ship terminal, around 250 shops and restaurants, a Peninsula hotel, the Istanbul Modern art museum, and other cultural and entertainment facilities; the complex also hosts festivals.

By the end of the 20th century it was best known as being the location of the Istanbul Modern art gallery (housed in an old warehouse) and a string of nargile (water-pipe) cafes popular with young people.

[7] The cruise terminal covers 29,000 sq metres of land and spreads along 1.2 kilometres of shore, with views across the water to the historic peninsula of Istanbul with Topkapı Palace and the Ayasofya Mosque at its heart.

[8] Development of the port area includes the creation of a new square covering the site of an old military parade ground and centred on Istanbul's first free-standing clocktower.

The water side of the square is occupied by the new Renzo Piano-designed home for the Istanbul Modern art gallery, scheduled to open in the autumn of 2022.

The southern side of the square is partly filled by the Mimar Sinan-designed 16th-century Kılıç Ali Paşa Mosque and by the elaborately decorated, free-standing Tophane Fountain, erected in 1732.

Overview of Galataport from Cihangir showing Istanbul Painting and Sculpture Museum on left and Nusretiye Mosque on right with Asian shore and Princes' Islands in the background
The İstanbul State Art and Sculpture Museum designed by Emre Arolat
The restored clocktower on the public square and the Nusretiye Mosque behind it
The Istanbul Modern Art Museum
The İstanbul State Art and Sculpture Museum of the Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University
The restored Paket Postanesi (Parcel Post Office) building is now a symbol of Galataport