It is bordered to the north by Beykoz, to the east by Ümraniye, to the southeast by Ataşehir and to the south by Kadıköy; with Karaköy, Kabataş, Beşiktaş, and the historic Sarayburnu quarter of Fatih facing it on the opposite shore to the west.

Üsküdar has been a conservative cultural center of the Anatolian side of Istanbul since Ottoman times with its landmark as well as numerous tiny mosques and dergahs.

Üsküdar is a major transport hub, with ferries to Eminönü, Karaköy, Kabataş, Beşiktaş and some of the Bosphorus suburbs.

Üsküdar is a stop on the Marmaray rail service at the point where it starts its journey under the Bosphorus, re-emerging on the European side at Sirkeci.

According to an ancient Greek geographer, the city received the name Chrysopolis because the Persian empire had a gold depository there or because it was associated with Agamemnon and Chryseis' son, Chryses.

[5] Also, in the 8th century AD it was taken by a small band of Arabs, who caused considerable destruction and panic in Constantinople, before withdrawing.

So there are well-established communities here, many retired people, and many residents commute to the European side for work or school (being cheap and central Üsküdar has a large student population).

Üsküdar's long promenade along the coast from the center down in southern direction towards the bus station at Harem is popular in summer as it commands views of the European shore of Topkapı Palace, Hagia Sophia, Sultan Ahmed Mosque (The Blue Mosque), Taksim and Beşiktaş.

[citation needed] On nice days people gather on the shore to fish, sit and drink tea or to enjoy being out on the water in little rowing boats.

The streets of Salacak behind the coast, in the area called Imrahor, are attractive and still hold a number of classic Ottoman wooden houses.

[14] Further down along the coast is the Harem neighborhood, which contains a major intercity bus terminal and the Selimiye Barracks, where Florence Nightingale once tended wounded British soldiers.

Formerly orchards and fruit-gardens (bağ), it became a residential neighborhood in the 19th century, home to the typical Istanbul urban mix of Greeks, Jews, Turks, and Armenians.

Until the 1990s the area remained a middle-class residential neighborhood,[citation needed] and today is still an attractive district with a mixture of housing and office/commercial property.

Altunizade is still an attractive residential neighborhood, home to the large and busy Capitol shopping and entertainment center.

This avenue with its patisseries, ice-cream parlors and cafés, is the center one of the most pleasant neighborhoods of Istanbul,[citation needed] consisting of tree-lined streets and well-planned housing areas, as well as Fine Arts Academy (Marmara University), and Çamlıca Girls’ High School set in a tree-lined garden.

The village has a number of shops, bakeries and waterfront cafes offering gorgeous views of the Bosphorus that tend to be busy, especially at weekends.

This hill, known as Tchamlidja in 19th-century spelling, has the highest point in Istanbul and commands a panoramic view of the entire city.

Unlike most of southern Istanbul, Üsküdar is cooler than its surroundings, with an average temperature slightly below 14 °C (57 °F), and an AHS heat zone rating of 3.

[16] Though densely populated, Üsküdar has many areas of greenery, including the Çamlıca hills, the Bosphorus coastline, and various parks.

Fethi Paşa Korusu is a large park on the hillside that extends down to the Bosphorus shore, slightly beyond Üsküdar in the area called Paşalimanı.

There is a café in the park, a stone waterfall which children climb on and a small stage area where on Friday evenings in summer a band of amateur musicians give open-air concerts at sunset.

Uphill from the dock in the Valideiatik neighborhood is the Atik Valide Mosque, built by Murat III's mother and also designed by Sinan.

Other important mosques of Üsküdar include Ahmediye, Ahmet Ağa, Ahmet Çelebi, Altunizade, Ayazma, Aziz Mahmud Hudayi, Baki Efendi, Beylerbeyi, Bodrumi Ömer Lütfi Efendi, Bostancı, Bulgurlu, Çakırcıbaşı, Fatih, Gülfem Hatun, Hacı Ömer, İmrahor, İranlılar, İstavroz, Kandilli, Kara Davut Pasha, Kaymak Mustafa Pasha, Kısıklı, Küleli Bahçe, Malatyalı İsmail Ağa, Mirzazade, Paşalimanı, Rum Mehmet Pasha, Selimiye, Solak Sinan, Tahır Efendi, Üryanizade, and Vanikoy.

[23] Important tekkes (dervish lodges) include the Aziz Mahmud Hudayi (1541–1628), who is buried in the neighbourhood named after him and is the founder of the Jelveti Sufi order;[24] the Nasuhi Efendi at Doğancılar, who is the founder of the Nasuhiyye Khalwati Sufi order[25] and the grandfather of the Turkish-American music producer Ahmet Ertegun; and the famous Özbekler Tekkesi at Sultantepe,[26] where the Ertegun family members are buried.

Built in 1790 by Sheikh Numan Dede of the Galata lodge, it underwent many restorations and functions as the Classic Turkish Arts Foundation today.

Some of these include Süleyman Hilmi Tunahan (1888-1959), an Islamic scholar; Shaykh Jamaluddin Kumuki (1788-1869), the father-in-law of Imam Shamil; Sheikh Hamdullah (d. 1526), a master calligrapher.

One of the largest and most visible çeşmes is the fountain of Ahmet III (1728–29), an impressive marble structure in the center of Üsküdar near the ferry docks.