# Istanbul/Rural

The Rural areas include the Silivri, Çatalca and Arnavutköy districts on the outskirts of Istanbul, share a rich history rooted in rural agriculture and small settlements that have gradually transformed over time.

## Understand

Silivri has ancient origins, with evidence of early civilizations dating back to the Roman and Byzantine periods. In the Ottoman era, it was a quiet village known for its agricultural production. Over the 20th century, it began to urbanize, especially as its coastal location and proximity to Istanbul made it a desirable area for summer homes and retreats. Today, Silivri is a growing district with a blend of industrial activity, residential neighborhoods, and coastal tourism.
Historically, Çatalca was a rural area, famous for its fertile land and agricultural production. It has roots dating back to the Byzantine and Ottoman periods, though it remained a quiet and sparsely populated district for centuries. Its natural beauty and close proximity to the city center make it a popular choice for those seeking a peaceful suburban lifestyle.
Arnavutköy, like its neighboring districts, has a history tied to agricultural and rural life. The district’s name comes from Albanian settlers who arrived in the area during the Ottoman period. For much of its history, Arnavutköy remained an agricultural and fishing community, but recent decades have seen a shift toward industrialization and urbanization. The district has experienced significant development, especially with the expansion of transportation infrastructure and the construction of new residential areas. Arnavutköy has become a dynamic part of Istanbul, offering a mix of industrial zones, suburban housing, and rural landscapes.

## Get in

* 41.26083328.7422221 Istanbul Airport (IST). Istanbul's chief airport, and the main port of entry into Turkey. 30 km northwest of the city in Arnavutköy, on the Europe-side Black Sea coast. It has a very wide range of international flights, by Turkish Airlines and other carriers, and domestic flights at least daily to all the major Turkish cities. (updated Nov 2019)
* 41.150728.48032 Çatalca Train Station. It is being converted to a high-speed line, which is scheduled to be operational in late 2026. (updated Feb 2025)
The main roads are D-100, D-200, O-4 (E-80 TEM) and O-7. Only the Arnavutköy area is accessible by metro with M11 line.

## See

* 41.1424628.458331 Çatalca ( Çatalca 2.1 km, Çatalca Kaymakamlığı). A small town 40 km west of central Istanbul and 15 km north of Büyükçekmece that had a substantial Greek population until the 1920s transfers. Spared from destruction in the Balkan wars which foreshadowed the Great War, the old quarter has many historic wooden buildings and fountains in leafy squares. A short stretch of the old town walls still stand just north of the centre. In the outer areas, bunkers of the WW2 'Çakmak Line' and remnants of the Byzantine Anastasios Walls could be observed. (updated Jul 2023)
** 41.14378728.4572282 Population Transfer Museum (Çatalca Exchange Museum / Mübadele Müzesi), Bahar Sk 4 (100 m west of town centre). Tu-Su 10:00-17:00. The town's main sight, housed in a red brick neoclassical building erected as a Greek tavern, this museum commemorates the forced population transfer of 1922–26, whereby Greeks living in Turkey were expelled to Greece, while the Turks of Greece were expelled to Turkey. (updated Jul 2023)
* 41.18166728.4041673 Cave Monastery of İnceğiz (İnceğiz Mağaraları) ( Kabakça 5.3 km, Su Deposu 5.6 km, plus minibuses from Çatalca to İnceğiz village 1 km north of the site). A Byzantine monastery complex carved into a cliff, set in a lush valley. The site is free, but May-Sept there's a 32 TL toll for cars on the access roads. There's a picnic area, pity about all the trash, and a couple of restaurants nearby. (updated Jul 2023)The "cave" monasteries at İnceğiz
* There's a string of small resorts and beaches along the Black Sea coast. Those furthest east, Rumelifeneri and Kilyos, are described under Istanbul/Bosphorus. These continue west along the coast to Arnavutköy. This formerly quiet area (not to be confused with the downtown district of the same name) now hosts Istanbul's new airport, so it's likely to become rapidly industrialised.
* 41.34628.3114 Kurşunlugerme ( Gümüşpınar Girişi 6 km). A remarkable Roman double aqueduct above the village of Gümüşpınar. Here water from two catchments converged then flowed by an upper and lower channel all the way to Constantinople. In 2020 treasure hunters got it into their heads that gold was buried beneath, so they blew it up, incurring substantial damage.. (updated Jul 2023)
* 41.228.3333335 Anastasian Wall (Anastasius Suru, Ἀναστάσειον Τεῖχος). it was a defensive wall built in the 5th century to protect Constantinople from barbarian attack from the west. It ran for 56 km from Evcik on the Black Sea coast right across the Thracian peninsula to Silivri on the Marmara coast. Unlike the better-known Hadrian's Wall in England, it was neither well-constructed nor well-garrisoned, so the barbarians gleefully overran it, and it was abandoned in the 7th century. Much of the stone was looted or recycled for later buildings, and little remains of its southern half. The northern half has lasted better, with little forts and substantial masonry, such as the section leading to Evcik Beach. (updated Jul 2023)
** 41.450228.38386 Evcik Beach (Evcik Plajı) ( Prof Dr Tansu Çiller Caddesi 6.5 km). A wide, undeveloped sandy beach backed by cliffs, unexpectedly popular during summer weekends despite its relative remoteness. A narrow track steeply descends to it, but it's best to park your car ahead of the slope to avoid climbing back up in reverse. The ruins of the Byzantine church of St George over the bluff mark the northern end of the Anastasian Wall. (updated Jul 2023)
* 41.478228.29677 Yalıköy (formerly Podima) ( Yalıköy. Bus #404 runs here from Çatalca.). The most interesting of the resorts along this part of the coast. The beach has multi-coloured stones much used as garden mosaics in the city. (Modern quarries nearby still extract these for the Turkish glass industry.) The town has restaurants and accommodation. (updated Jul 2023)The rugged coastline around Yalıköy
* 41.41277828.1855568 Binkılıç (formerly Istranca) ( Binkılıç Beldesi. #402 runs here from Çatalca.). A village which has accommodation and old wooden houses. Past Binkılıç, the highway eventually reaches Saray in the neighbouring province of Tekirdağ. (updated Jul 2023)
** 41.524428.21929 Çilingoz Nature Park (Çilingoz Tabiat Parkı) ( Yalıköy 10.4 km; west from Yalıköy or north from Binkılıç). Camping Apr–Sep. It has a sandy beach backed by forest where a creek runs out. This is as far as you can go in a standard car. 155 TL/car daily use, 195 TL/car night stays. (updated Jul 2023)
** 41.571428.176110 Pirate Cove (Korsan Koyu) (From the nature park further west with a 4WD along the forest dirt roads.). A small and very isolated beach surrounded by rock cliffs. (updated Jul 2023)
** 41.587728.14411 Kastro (Further west from the cove). A relatively developed beach. (updated Jul 2023)
* 41.07388928.24638912 Silivri ( Eski Sanayi 900 m). A resort on the Marmara coast. It's the westernmost part of Istanbul, between Çatalca and the province of Tekirdağ. There are some remnants of the Anastasian wall here, the scrappy ruins of a castle, an ancient cistern, the Piri Paşa Mosque, and Uzunköprü the long aqueduct. (updated Jul 2023)
* 41.1317528.029713 Germiyan Church (Germiyan Kilisesi) ( Lütfü Vardar Caddesi 10.6 km). An early 19th century church built for the local Greek Orthodox 5 km (3.1 mi) north of Değirmenköy. After they left the area in the 1920s, it served as the village schoolhouse until a landslide in the 1960s forced the relocation of the village to its current location south. Since then, it stands derelict and lonely on an atmospheric hillside, together with the ruins of a 1940s mosque about 100 m (330 ft) to its south — the only remains of the former village. (updated Jul 2023)

## Do

* Swimming and beach – In the series of little beach resorts, and middle-of-the-forest beaches with no facilities, along the Black Sea coast west of the Bosphorus. Beware of strong currents when swimming anywhere along this coast. The Marmara coast also has resorts which are much more built up.
* Forest hikes and cycling – The best areas are in Çilingoz Nature Reserve.
** Between Two Seas (İki Deniz Arası). A 60-km, 4-day hiking trail between the coasts of the Marmara and Black Seas across the rapidly changing outskirts of the city, passing through various urban, natural, historic, and industrial sites. (updated Jul 2023)
** The Sultan's Trail. A 2,500-km hiking and cycling trail stretching all the way to Vienna, retracing the campaign of Suleiman the Magnificent onto the Habsburg capital. It is not marked on the ground, but the GPS tracks are available through its website. In the east, it kicks off at the mausoleum of Suleiman in Istanbul's Old City, while to the west the next major town is Saray. (updated Jul 2023)
* Paragliding – the beach north of Ormanlı is relatively popular, with flights launching from the cliffs just above. Mod Extrem offers tandem flights, where you are strapped to an instructor, so you don't need any prior training or experience.
* Golf - Klassis Golf & Country Club
* Horseriding - Karaca At Çiftliği
* Paintball - Paintball İstanbul Çatalca
* Birdwatching - Lake Terkos

## Buy

There are frequent bazaars are in district centres.
* 41.183128.73451 Avlu34, Arnavutköy Merkez, 23 Nisan Cd. No 1, Arnavutköy. A shopping center. (updated Feb 2025)

## Eat

* 41.16166728.9205561 Kemerburgaz ( Kemerburgaz, Kemerburgaz). A village (and nowadays a commuter suburb) at the edge of the forest, 15 km north of Eyüp and 10 km west of Bahçeköy. Several ancient aqueducts stand nearby, notably Kurt Kemeri ("Wolf's Aqueduct") and Uzun Kemer ("Long Aqueduct"). The oldest were Byzantine, but rebuilt, and others added, in the 16th century to boost the water supply to the city. The residents were Greek until the 1920s population exchange, when Turks from Thessaloniki were re-settled here. Several small eating places in town, but it lacks visitor accommodation. Bus 48 runs here from the city. (updated Jan 2019)
* 41.180228.8872 Göktürk. A upscale neighborhood with various cafes, pubs and restaurants scattered. (updated Feb 2025)

## Drink

* 41.072428.24351 Silivri Marina. There are cafes, pubs and restaurants along the pier. (updated Feb 2025)

## Sleep

There are dozens of hotels in the airport's vicinity, concentrated in Arnavutköy centrum, with varying budget options.
* 41.066128.11481 Ramada Plaza by Wyndham Silivri, Çanta Sancaktepe, Hacı Nurettin Akbulut Cd. No13, Silivri. (updated Feb 2025)
* 41.2218528.3673992 Haznedar Çifliği, Kabakça, Cemal Ongan Cd., Çatalca. (updated Feb 2025)
* 41.210528.71333 Hampton by Hilton, Mehmet Akif Ersoy, Görele Sk No 1, Arnavutköy. (updated Feb 2025)

## Go next

* There are bus and train terminals for long-distance destinations to the west in this district.
* Regional transport runs into Eastern Thrace, notably Saray, Vize, and Kıyıköy on the Black Sea coast.
* Tekirdağ – The provincial capital to the west, a large coastal town noted for its meatballs and rakı.
* Keşan – West of Tekirdağ. Either carry on west to the Greek border, or turn south down the Gallipoli peninsula.
* Edirne – A beautiful city and former Ottoman capital near the Bulgarian border.