[2] The neighbourhood takes its name from the Mekteb-i Harbiye (Ottoman War Academy) that functioned here for many years, albeit with intervals, in the 19th and 20th centuries.

The 19th-century French girls school, the Lycée Notre Dame de Sion Istanbul, stands on the western side of Cumhuriyet Caddesi.

The Hilton Istanbul Bosphorus, Turkey's first five-star hotel, designed in 1955 by Sedad Hakki Eldem, is on the eastern side of Cumhuriyet Caddesi, surrounded by extensive grounds, a precious commodity in such a built-up part of town.

The Architecture Department of the Istanbul Technical University (İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi) is housed in what was originally the Taskısla (Stone Barracks) building designed by British architect William James Smith between 1846 and 1852 There are a number of cultural institutions in Harbiye including the Harbiye Muhsin Ertuğrul Stage,the Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall, the Istanbul Congress Center and the Cemil Topuzlu Open-Air Theatre.

Most of Macka Park a large and very popular inner-city green space where concerts and festivals are held in summer, lies within the Harbiye area.