Sirkeci Train Stations

In the late nineteenth century, Ottoman Istanbul was becoming increasingly connected to western Europe - culturally, stylistically, and physically.  The physical connection was enhanced by the Orient Express, a passenger train service that offered long distance rail travel from major cities of the west to those of the east.  Sirkeci Train Station opened as a permanent station in 1890, replacing a previous temporary structure, and was the eastern terminus of the Orient Express Line.  As was the trend in Istanbulian architecture of this period, Sirkeci Station was designed by a European architect (in this case, German), August Jachmund.  Jachmund incorporated visual elements of both European and Islamic architecture, emphasizing the notion of east and west as globally linked.  This is exemplified in the station’s facade, with European style rose windows and Islamic inspired niche shaped windows.  Though the Orient Express ended service in 1977, Sirkeci Station continued to service passengers in Istanbul until the early 2010s, when it was rendered defunct by the new Marmaray commuter line.  It has since been repurposed as the Istanbul Railway Museum.