Galatasaray Square

This square roughly midway along İstiklal Avenue takes its name from the historic Galatasaray High School whose grand gated building overlooks it. A long-established institution founded in the Ottoman era, the school gave its name to one of the country's famous football clubs. The square has served as a focal point for public gatherings, marches and demonstrations, and a monument marks its civic role. Surrounded by cafés, bookshops and the entrance to the fish market lanes, it forms a busy crossroads of Beyoğlu's pedestrian life.