Fenerbahçe Lighthouse

The first lighthouses around Fenerbahçe on the Anatolian side of Istanbul were built during the Byzantine period. There is an important lighthouse on the cliff in the temple estimated to be dedicated to Hera. The district where the lighthouse is located was also named after it. This lighthouse is exactly located on the Point of Fenerbahçe. The Fenerbahçe Lighthouse was built in 1857. The Administration of Lighthouses put a great effort in its construction. It still stands still with all its beauty and glory. 

The symbol of the district, the lighthouse is about 20 meters above the sea level. The tower of the lighthouse is 20 meter high. The range of this historical lighthouse is 15 miles. In initial times, an oil lamp was used as the light source. In following periods, jacketed lamps started to be used. The light source was strengthened with a certain momentum in time. Finally, with the use of cylindrical lenses, the efficiency of the lighthouse was maximized. The lighthouse has a rectangular courtyard and there is a single story guardian building. It is possible to directly access the lighthouse tower through this courtyard. Both the lighthouse and the guardian building are under the preservation of the General Directorate of Coastal Safety.

During the Ottoman Period, this place was called Bağçe-i Fener. It was even praised in an imperial order of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent. In the famous book “The History of İstanbul”, it is described as a unique structure, bright as a start, which saves sea crafts from crushing into the rocks. Raşid, one of the important chroniclers of the 1800s, showed it as a reference for lighthouses to be built after that. The Fenerbahçe Lighthouse was a home to exiles for a certain period of time. It was comprehensively renovated in 1837 and has gone through periodic repairs until today.