Laleli, Fatih

Laleli (meaning 'with tulips' in Turkish) is a neighbourhood of Fatih, Istanbul, Turkey, lying between Beyazıt and Aksaray.

It is known for its large textile wholesaling business and is home to the Literature and Science Faculties of Istanbul University, designed by Sedad Hakkı Eldem and Emin Onat in the 1940s.

Lurking in the back streets is the much older Bodrum Mosque (AKA Mesih Paşa Cami), which started life as a 10th-century Byzantine church attached to the Myreiaion Palace.

Both stand on the site of a lost Rotunda dating back to the fifth century which is believed to have been the second largest such circular Roman temple after the Pantheon in Rome itself.

The trade is one of the strongest links between Istanbul and the former Soviet world, with cultural ties growing alongside the economic relationship.