Haydarpaşa Station is the main train station of TCDD in Kadıköy, on the Asian side of Istanbul. Haydarpaşa Station, one of the first historical beauties that comes to mind when one thinks of Istanbul, is a main station that connects Istanbul to the world for nearly a hundred years. In 1908, it was put into service as the starting station of the Baghdad Railway line. The station, which has also hosted Turkish movies, has often suffered from fires throughout its history.
Let’s examine the history and architectural features of Haydarpaşa Station, which is the symbol of Kadıköy and gathers the Bosphorus with the whistle sounds of the trains.
History of Haydarpasa Station
It is known that before Haydarpaşa Station was built, the starting point of the railroad, which operated until Pendik in 1872, was located on its site.
During the reign of the Ottoman Sultan Abdülhamid II, the construction of the station started on May 30, 1906 and it was put into service on August 19, 1908. The construction of the building was carried out by a German company under the name of Anadolu Baghdad.
Two German architects Otto Ritter and Helmuth Cuno and 1500 Italian stonemasons worked on the project for two years and it was inaugurated on May 19, 1908. During World War I, a large part of the building was damaged as a result of a fire caused by a sabotage of the ammunition in the depot in 1917. The building was repaired again and took its present form. The importance of the station increased over time with the expansion of the railroad network into the interior of Anatolia. In 1979, the explosion and heat caused by the collision of the tanker Independenta with a ship off Haydarpaşa damaged the building’s lead stained glass windows made by O Linneman. It was extensively restored in 1976 and by the end of 1983 the restoration of the four facades and two towers was completed.
On November 28, 2010, the roof collapsed due to a heavy fire on the roof and the 4th floor became unusable.
Due to the railway works on the Istanbul-Eskişehir section of the Ankara-Istanbul High Speed Train Project, train services across the country were suspended for 24 months as of February 1, 2012.
Haydarpaşa Train Station, which was built on an area of 2525 square meters when it was first built, spread over a total area of 3836 square meters in 2013 when it was closed; it served for years with seven tracks and four platforms. Familiar trains such as the Orient Express, Baskent Express, Fatih Express, Kurtalan Express have all departed from here for many years.
Haydarpasa Station Architectural Structure
Haydarpaşa Station, where light pink colored granite stones brought from Hereke were used in its construction, has a special place for Istanbul with its architectural features as well as its history. A bird’s eye view of the building, which can be considered a classic example of German architecture, shows that one leg is long and the other leg is shaped like a short letter “U”. Inside the building there are large rooms with high ceilings. It is known that when the station was first built, there were handcrafted embroideries on the ceilings of these rooms, but later these embroideries were plastered over. Today, only the embroidery of winged train wheels with the TCDD emblem on the four corners on the ceiling of one of the rooms remains in its original form.
Haydarpaşa Station is called a neo-classical building. Spread over a total area of 3 thousand 836 square meters, the station has 5 floors. It was built on 1100 wooden piles, each 21 meters long. It is known that the main structure of the building rises on a grid of piles placed on these piles.
Another architectural feature of the historic station is its wooden roof made in the form of a “steep roof”, a style frequently used in classical German architecture. Lefke-Osmaneli stone facade cladding was used on the ground floor and mezzanine floors. There are wooden rectangular windows in the eaves cornice of the building and in the cornices of the 2nd and 3rd floors. There are rectangular ornamental columns between the windows. The facade is decorated with geometric and floral patterns. On the sides of the building facing the sea, there are circular towers narrowing from the base to the roof, corresponding to both ends of the building.
Fires and Explosions at Haydarpaşa Station
Perhaps one of the most remarkable but unfortunately bad memories in the history of Haydarpaşa Station is the sabotage organized by a British spy on September 6, 1917. While the wagons waiting at the station were being loaded with ammunition by cranes, as a result of the sabotage of the British spy; the ammunition stored in the building, the ammunition waiting at the station and the ammunition in the trains about to enter the station exploded and a fire of unprecedented magnitude started. Hundreds of soldiers on the trains also suffered great damage from this explosion and the fire. It was even reported that the violence of the explosion broke the windows of houses in Kadıköy and Selimiye.
On November 15, 1979, a Romanian fuel tanker named ‘Independanta’ exploded slightly off the station, shattering the building’s windows and historic colored stained glass windows.
A fire broke out on the roof of the historic Haydarpaşa Train Station at around 15.30 on 28.11.2010 and completely destroyed the roof of the station. The fire, which was brought under control within 1 hour and then completely extinguished, was allegedly caused by the renovation of the roof.
Mausoleum at Haydarpasa Station
Haydar Baba Mausoleum is a mysterious mausoleum hidden between the rails at Haydarpaşa Train Station. The mausoleum, from which the station takes its name, has been discussed for years. Although the mausoleum has a very interesting story and there is a traditional situation. In the years when the railway station was put into service, the head of the train station wants the train track to pass through the place where the mausoleum is located and starts to work with a team for this purpose. According to the stories; on the night when the works were started, Haydar Pasha, who gave his name to the station, entered into the dream of the movement supervisor. In the dream, he says “Don’t disturb me” to the dispatcher. The movement chief ignores this dream and continues to work with the engineers. Haydar Pasha, whom he sees again in his dream, grabs the chief engineer by the throat and says the same thing again. Affected by this chilling dream, the chief engineer stops the work. Afterwards, the railroad planned to be built passes through two sides of the tomb. Thus, Haydar Baba Mausoleum is still visited today in a way that divides the railroad in two. Today, it is said that halamakinists and train personnel stop by before their journey and pray for a safe journey.
Haydarpasa Station Roof Clock
Unlike many similar roof and facade clocks in Anatolia, the clock on the roof of the station was completed in 1908 together with the building itself. The clock on the pediment with baroque ornaments consists of a circular dial. Although the original mechanism of the clock is preserved, the Eastern Arabic numerals on the dial were replaced with Arabic numerals with the Alphabet Revolution.
Name Origin of Haydarpasa Garı
Haydarpaşa Station was named after Haydar Pasha, who contributed to the construction of the Selimiye Barracks. Sultan Selim III deemed it appropriate to call this neighborhood and its vicinity Haydarpaşa as a gesture to Haydar Pasha, who showed outstanding efforts during the construction of the barracks bearing his name.
My Thoughts on Haydarpaşa Station
Dating back to the 20th century, this station has carried the universal bond of Istanbul and its surroundings. This building, which has suffered from frequent fires, has managed to survive to this day despite everything, and the role of the robustness of its structure and construction techniques in this is undeniable. It has been an interval to spread the culture and importance of this region to the whole world and has fulfilled its duty properly until today.
What do you think about Haydarpaşa Station, which is a cultural center as well as a station? Do you think it is one of the places that connects Istanbul to the world? Is there anything missing? If you haven’t checked it out yet, you can read our Aspendos review here.
Architect:Otto Ritter and Helmuth Cuno
Architectural Style: Neo-classical
Year: 1908
Location: Kadikoy,Istanbul, Turkey