Flower Passage

During Tanzimat Period, Sultan Abdulhamit and Sultan Abdulaziz often went to Naum Theatre to watch the plays. Naum Theatre was located in the corner that intersects Istiklal Street and Sahne Street, in Beyoglu. Verdi’s famous opera “II Trovatore” was staged in this theatre long before Paris. Thanks to famous Italian operas that were staged in Naum Theatre, it was counted as one of the important culture centers in Istanbul and in Europe.

    In 1870, a big fire broke out in Beyoglu and Naum Theatre was destroyed by the fire. However, lt was one of the reconstructed buildings in the area after the fire. Hristaki Zagros Efendi, one if the Greek bankers known as “Galata Bankers” purchased the area of the theatre in 1876. With the project designed by Italian Architect Cleanthy Zanno, Hristaki Zagros Efendi had a new type of building built on this area in which there was a bazaar and an apartment.

    The building which was completed in 1876 had 24 shops designed in Parisian style,which was trendy at those times, and 18 luxurious apartments over the shops. The Passage formed by the shops were called “Hristaki Passage” and the building was called “Citè de Pera”. Acemyan’s tobacco shop, which was opened in the early stages of the Passage, Maison Parret and Valloury’s patisserie, Japanese shop, Natural florist, Pandelis’ flower shop, Schumacher’s bakery, Papadopulos’ bindery, Keserciyan’s tailor, Yorgo’s tavern and Sideris’ fur shop were a few of these 24 shops.

    In 1908, when the ownership of the building was transferred to the Grand Vizier Sait Pasha, the passage took the name "Sait Pasha Passage". In the years of the 1940 Armistice, florists began to settle in small shops in the passage. White Russian women, barons and duchesses fleeing the October Revolution were some of those who were selling flowers. When Cite de Pera started to be used as a flower auction area for a while, the florists in Beyoğlu gathered in the passage and the name of the passage was turned into the "Florists (Çiçekçiler) Passage".

    After 1940, the beer and pubs took place in the passage; it gradually moved apartment owners and florists to other places and only the name "flower" (çiçek) remained. The first tavern of the passage was opened by Yorgo Efendi. In the following period, the tavern was restored by taking into consideration the basic situation of the Flower Passage with the efforts of the Beautification and Survival Association. After the restoration in 1988, it was reopened as a tavern and in December 2005, the last maintenance and renovation of the historical building were carried out with the support of Mey İçki A.Ş. The roof and all other visual elements were restored, and a bright, spacious and pleasant environment was created in the passage.

The photos of the old shop owners, the photos of Aydin Boysan, who is a famous gourmet, architect, author and regular visitor of the passage and the photos of the acardonist Madam Anahit decorate the walls of the passage. Çiçek Pasajı (Flower Passage-Cite de Pera), which has an elaborate facade architecture, is still the most fancy building of Beyoğlu. In the survey prepared by Beyoğlu Beautification Association, "What is the first thing that comes to mind when it comes to Beyoğlu?" was asked and most of the people answered the question as “Çiçek Pasajı”.