Bağdat Avenue
Bağdat Avenue (Turkish: Bağdat Caddesi, lit. 'Baghdad Avenue') is one of the most important high streets on the Anatolian side of Istanbul, Turkey. It runs approximately 14 km (8.7 mi) from Maltepe in the east to Kadıköy in the west, almost paralleling the coastline of the Sea of Marmara. The most important part of the street runs 6 km (3.7 mi) from Bostancı to Kızıltoprak within the district of Kadıköy. Bağdat Avenue is usually seen as the counterpart of Istiklal Avenue on the European side of the city in terms of its importance and glamour although it lacks the fine heritage of historic buildings to be found on Istiklal Avenue with almost all its architecture modern.
Riders in Stage 8 of the 49th Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey at Bağdat Avenue, 2013. | |
| Native name | Bağdat Caddesi (Turkish) |
|---|---|
| Length | 14,000 m (46,000 ft) |
| Location | Maltepe-Kadıköy, Istanbul, Turkey |
| Postal code | 34846, 34842, 34840, 34744, 34740, 34738, 34730, 34728, 34724, 34722 |
| Coordinates | 40.96215°N 29.07701°E |
| From | Üsküdar Caddesi in Cevizli, Maltepe |
| To | Taşköprü Caddesi in Kızıltoprak, Kadıköy |
Bağdat Caddesi mainly runs through middle and upper-class residential areas. A one-way street for traffic, it is lined with old plane trees and flanked by a series of shopping malls, boutiques and shops, as well as by restaurants serving international and local cuisine, pubs and cafes, luxury car dealers and banks. Most of the shops are open seven days a week, including Sunday afternoons.
Heading westwards, Bağdat Avenue runs through: Cevizli, Maltepe, İdealtepe, Küçükyalı, Altıntepe, Bostancı, Çatalçeşme, Suadiye, Şaşkınbakkal, Erenköy, Caddebostan, Göztepe, Çiftehavuzlar, Selamiçeşme, Feneryolu and Kızıltoprak. The busiest stretches of Bağdat Avenue run between Suadiye and Caddebostan, where most of the shopping malls and fashion stores are located.