View source for Levent

{{distinguish|text=the [[Levant]] in the [[Levantine Sea|Eastern Mediterranean]]}}
{{for|people with the name|Levent (name)}}
{{pp-sock|small=yes}}
{{Infobox Turkey place
| type                 = neighbourhood
| province             = Istanbul
| district             = Beşiktaş
| name                 = Levent
| population_total     = 2911
| population_as_of     = 2022
| coordinates          = {{coord|41.08181|29.01584|type:city|display=it}}
| image_skyline        = Modern Istanbul skyline.jpg
| image_caption        = A distant view of Levent's skyline from the [[Bosphorus]] strait in Istanbul
}}
[[File:Ido2.JPG|thumb|A catamaran [[İDO|Seabus]] on the [[Bosphorus]], with the skyline of Levent in the background. [[Istanbul Sapphire]] is the first tower at left.]]

'''Levent''' is a neighbourhood in the municipality and district of [[Beşiktaş]], [[Istanbul Province]], [[Turkey]].<ref>[https://www.e-icisleri.gov.tr/Anasayfa/MulkiIdariBolumleri.aspx Mahalle], Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 12 July 2023.</ref> Its population is 2,911 (2022).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Address-based population registration system (ADNKS) results dated 31 December 2022, Favorite Reports|url=https://biruni.tuik.gov.tr/medas/?kn=95&locale=en |access-date=12 July 2023|publisher=[[TÜİK]]|language=en|format=XLS}}</ref> It is one of the main [[business district]]s of [[Istanbul]] located on the [[Europe]]an side of the city. It is situated to the north of the [[Golden Horn]], at the western shore of the [[Bosphorus]] [[strait]].

Levent, together with nearby [[Maslak]], is one of the main business districts on the European side of the city, where numerous [[skyscraper]] projects are currently under construction or in the planning phase. One of the modern skyline clusters of the city is located here, hidden behind the hills of the [[Bosphorus]] and not disturbing the atmosphere of the [[Constantinople|historical peninsula]] of Istanbul, which is at quite a distance.

The tallest skyscraper in Levent<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20070314100018/http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/zo/?id=100015 Emporis: Levent]}}</ref> is the 54-floor [[Istanbul Sapphire]],<ref name=Sapphire>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20070429155334/http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=kilertower-istanbul-turkey Emporis: Sapphire]}}</ref> which has a roof height of 238 metres (261 metres including its spire).<ref name=Sapphire/> It was Istanbul's and Turkey's tallest skyscraper between 2010 and 2016 — as of 2020, it is the 4th tallest skyscraper in Istanbul and Turkey, behind ''Metropol Istanbul Tower 1''<ref name="emporis">{{cite web|url=https://www.emporis.com/buildings/1204211/the-metropol-tower-istanbul-turkey|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180314175822/https://www.emporis.com/buildings/1204211/the-metropol-tower-istanbul-turkey|url-status=usurped|archive-date=March 14, 2018|title=The Metropol Tower, Istanbul|website=[[Emporis]]|access-date=22 November 2020}}</ref><ref name="aremas">{{cite web|url=https://aremas.net/assets/img/ProjectHeader/metropol%20eren.png|title=Image of Metropol Istanbul Towers|website=aremas.net|access-date=22 November 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://i.hizliresim.com/4M6Y4A.jpg|title=Image of Metropol Istanbul Towers}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://i.imgur.com/Zk7d3Re.jpg|title=Image of Metropol Istanbul Towers and the Ataşehir district|access-date=28 November 2020}}</ref> (70 floors / 301 metres including its twin spires) in the [[Ataşehir]] district on the Asian side of the city; and ''Skyland Istanbul Towers 1 and 2''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.skylandistanbul.com/|title=Skyland Istanbul}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://i.hizliresim.com/DPpoQy.jpg|title=Image of Skyland Istanbul Towers}}</ref> (2 x 70 floors / 293 metres), located adjacent to [[Türk Telekom Stadium]] in the Seyrantepe quarter of the [[Sarıyer]] district, on the European side.

The stations [[Levent (Istanbul Metro)|Levent]] and [[4. Levent (Istanbul Metro)|4. Levent]] along the [[M2 (Istanbul Metro)|M2]] line of the [[Istanbul Metro]] serve the Levent business district and its surrounding neighbourhoods.

==Etymology==
[[File:View of Levent financial district from Istanbul Sapphire.jpg|thumb|right|View of [[Büyükdere Avenue]] in Levent at night, from the observation deck of [[Istanbul Sapphire]].]]

Levent is also a name for men in Turkey (cf. [[Levent (name)|Levent]]) that derives from the ''[[Levend]]'', a type of soldier ([[marines|naval infantry]]) of the [[Ottoman Navy]].<ref name=Levend>[http://www.barbaros.biz/OSMANLI_DONANMASI_KIYAFETLERI.htm Kıyafet-i Asakir-i Bahriyye: Costumes and ranks of the Ottoman Navy]</ref> ''Levend'' itself has derived from ''Levantino'' ([[Levant]]ine) which means ''Person from the [[Levant]] (East Mediterranean)'' in [[Italian language|Italian]].<ref name=Levend/><ref name=DAFN>Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, {{ISBN|0-19-508137-4}}.</ref> This was how the Italians (the [[Republic of Genoa|Genoese]] and [[Republic of Venice|Venetians]]) used to call the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] sailors, a name which was also adopted by the Ottoman Turks.<ref name=Levend/><ref name=DAFN/><ref name=Nisanyan>[[Sevan Nişanyan]]. ''Sözlerin Soyağacı: Çağdaş Türkçenin Etimolojik Sözlüğü''. URL: http://www.nisanyansozluk.com/search.asp?w=levent{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Retrieved 30 October 2009.</ref> The use of the word ''levend'' for describing seamen first appeared in the [[Ottoman Turkish language]] during the 16th century.<ref name=Nisanyan/> These marine soldiers had the reputation of possessing strong, muscular physiques and daring, fearless characters; which is the reason why the [[Turkish language|Turkish]] word ''levent'', its [[Greek language|Greek]] [[cognate]] ''[[Leventis|levénti]]'' (λεβέντη) and its [[Bulgarian language|Bulgarian]] cognate ''levént'' (левент) are still popularly used for defining "athletic, gallant, brave" men.<ref name=DAFN/>

The name Levent (''Levend'') came to be applied to the neighbourhood because in 1780 the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] [[Kapudan Pasha|Fleet Admiral]] [[Cezayirli Gazi Hasan Pasha]] was awarded a farmland here by the Ottoman Sultan [[Abdülhamid I]]; and in the early 19th century a military compound was built in the area of this farm.<ref>Haldun Hürel. ''Semtleri, Mahalleri, Caddeleri ve Sokakları A'dan Z'ye İstanbul'un Alfabetik Öyküsü''. İkarus, 2008. {{ISBN|978-975-999-290-3}}. Page 220.</ref> The nearby [[İstinye]] neighbourhood on the European shoreline of the [[Bosphorus]] also featured an important shipyard and dock for maintaining and repairing the military vessels of the [[Ottoman Navy]]. However, the [[Imperial Arsenal (Ottoman Empire)|Imperial Arsenal]] (''Tersâne-i Âmire'') and the Naval Ministry (''Bahriye Nezareti'') of the Ottoman Navy were located on the shores of the [[Golden Horn]].

==History==
[[File:Kanyon_Mall_Istanbul_14.jpg|thumb|[[Kanyon Shopping Mall|Kanyon Towers & Mall]] on [[Büyükdere Avenue]] in Levent.]]
[[File:Bosphorus_Bridge-1.jpg|left|thumb|Heading towards Levent through the [[Bosphorus Bridge]] (1973), the oldest of three suspension bridges and two tunnels which connect Istanbul's Asian and European sides.]]

In the early 19th century, during the final years of the reign of Sultan [[Selim III]], the first military compound of the [[Nizam-ı Cedid|Nizam-ı Cedid (New Order) Army]] was built in Levent; which was then known as the ''Levend(Levent) Çiftliği'' (Levend Farmlands), eventually becoming known as the ''Levend(Levent) Kışlası'' (Levend Barracks).

In 1868, during the first territorial organization of the Istanbul Municipality, Levend (Levent) was placed within the district of [[Beşiktaş]] (which was designated as the ''7th Area'' of the Istanbul Municipality), having remained within this district ever since.

The modern neighbourhood of Levent was formed in 1947, when Emlak Kredi Bankası (a Turkish bank which was established to finance housing projects) chose the Levent area for constructing a well-planned residential compound, formed mostly of [[villa]] type houses with gardens. After the completion of the first phase of the Levent project in 1960, numerous other residential compounds were constructed in the area, eventually extending towards nearby [[Etiler]].

Starting from the late 1980s and early 1990s, with initial projects such as the [[Sabancı Center]], [[Yapı ve Kredi Bankası|Yapı Kredi Towers]], TAT Towers, [[MetroCity AVM|Metrocity Towers]] and [[Isbank Tower 1|İş Bankası Towers]], Levent became a popular location for constructing new [[skyscraper]]s, mostly owned by Turkish [[bank]]s and [[conglomerate (company)|conglomerates]]. One of the city's major [[skyline]] clusters (together with those of [[Maslak]] and [[Şişli]] on the European side; and [[Ataşehir]] and [[Kozyatağı]] on the Asian side of Istanbul) is located in Levent. At present, Levent hosts the tallest skyscraper of Istanbul and Turkey, the 54-floor [[Istanbul Sapphire]]; while the construction of numerous new [[mixed-use development|mixed-use skyscraper projects]] and [[shopping mall]]s are ongoing in the neighbourhood, which has evolved into a [[central business district]].

== Image gallery ==
<gallery>
File:Sapphire_building_9010.jpg|[[Istanbul Sapphire]] is currently the tallest skyscraper in Levent
File:Sapphire building 9017 PANORAMA2B.jpg|Rear facade of [[Istanbul Sapphire]] in Levent
File:QNB Finansbank Kristal Kule.jpg|[[Finansbank]] Tower and [[Istanbul Sapphire]] on [[Büyükdere Avenue]]
File:QNB Finansbank Kristal Kule 2.jpg|[[Finansbank]] Tower on [[Büyükdere Avenue]]
File:Sapphire Building 2652.jpg|[[Sabancı Center]], [[Türkiye İş Bankası|İşbank]] and [[Finansbank]] towers viewed from the roof of [[Istanbul Sapphire]]
File:Kanyon Shopping Mall, Istanbul (3 July 2007).jpg|[[Kanyon Shopping Mall|Kanyon Mall]] on [[Büyükdere Avenue]]
File:EAA_Zorlu_Center.jpg|[[Zorlu Center]] on [[Büyükdere Avenue]]
File:Zorlu center01.jpg|[[Zorlu Center]] on [[Büyükdere Avenue]]
File:Istanbul_Levent_skyline.jpg|View of Levent from [[Kanlıca]] Hekimler Sitesi across the [[Bosporus]]
</gallery>

==Panoramic View==

{{wide image|Istanbul Skyline Beşiktaş Şişli.JPG|1000px|align-cap=center|A panoramic view of [[Dolmabahçe Palace]] and the skyline of Levent from the [[Bosphorus]]}}

== See also ==
* [[Maslak]]
* [[Bankalar Caddesi]]
* [[İstanbul Finance Center|Istanbul International Finance Center]]
* [[List of tallest buildings in Istanbul]]
* [[List of tallest buildings in Turkey]]
* [[Architecture of Turkey]]

==References and notes==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20070314100018/http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/zo/?id=100015 Emporis: Skyscrapers of Levent financial district]}}

{{Beşiktaş, Istanbul}}
{{European neighborhoods of İstanbul by the Bosporus}}

[[Category:Neighbourhoods of Beşiktaş]]
[[Category:Istanbul Central Business District]]