Bebek (Istanbul, Turkey)

Bebek is a neighbourhood in the municipality and district of Beşiktaş, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its population is 5,464 (2022). It is an affluent neighbourhood located on Bebek Bay on the European shore of the Bosphorus strait. It is flanked by similarly affluent neighbourhoods such as Arnavutköy and Rumelihisarı. 'Bebek' means 'baby' in Turkish. Some believe its use as a name comes from a shortened form of the term 'Boğaz'ın gözbebeği', which means 'pupil of the Bosphorus' or "the apple of the Bosphorus' eye" in Turkish. Others think it takes its name from the nickname for the handsome Mustafa Çelebi who was put in charge of this area after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453. Yet others think it took its name from the Turkish expression meaning 'pretty as a baby'. Bebek has been a popular residential district since Ottoman times and its historic architecture sometimes recalls the lost cosmopolitanism of the past. Today it is best known for a string of see-and-be-seen restaurants, cafes and shops catering to the city's more well-heeled residents. Infrequent Şehir Hatları ferries, mainly timed to suit commuters, call into Bebek. Otherwise it is accessible by buses running along the coast road. It is a notorious traffic bottleneck, especially at weekends.