The Asian Side

Istanbul is divided into two main parts- the European side and the Asian side. The historical part of the city is on the European side, which itself is split by the Golden Horn.

The Asian side was a few fishing villages with mainly Greek and Armenian residents until the 19th century. There are still many churches and a monastary here. By the mid 20th century it became the residence of choice for middle class Turks. All the old wooden kushks (very large single family homes) were torn down with itnternationlist style 6-story apartment buildings put up instead. They are pretty ulgy, but the area has maintained the garden surroundings of the old homes, so it much more pleasant and residential than many parts of the European side. One other plus is that we never have power or water cuts here, while they are frequent on the European side. We also have the best markets and malls. There are constant ferries across to the European side and two bridges, but traffic is terrible.

Here's a bit I lifted from Time Out Istanbul:

Though lacking the European city's richness, the Asian shore does offer a pleasantly less hectic experience. The two main centres of Üsküdar and Kadıköy offer shopping with a regional slant and a sprinkling of historic sights. North of Üsküdar, the settlements along the Asian Bosphorus still resemble the quiet fishing villages they so recently were.

While most of what's interesting dates from the past 100 years or so, the area's history predates that of the European shore. The oldest settlement in the Istanbul metropolitan area, Chalcedon, was discovered near Kadıköy and dates from neolithic times, much earlier than anything on the European side. The first Greek city was also founded at Kadıköy in 675 BC -17 years before the founding of Byzantium. But, separated by water from their more powerful European neighbour, the Asian settlements suffered badly over subsequent millennia; the work of various invading armies explains the lack of substantial early remains.

Before the 19th century, only Üsküdar saw any significant development. That changed in 1852 when a steam ferry company, Sirket-i Hayriye (literally 'the good deeds company'), started plying its trade across the straits. Rich Levantines from Beyoğlu began constructing elaborate summer mansions along the shore to the south and east of Kadıköy. For the first 50 years of the service, the ferries were all products of British shipyards. In fact, trade between the Ottoman and British empires was at such a level that by the end of the 19th century the Kadıköy suburb of Moda was more or less an English colony. (Our apartment is in Moda.) Under the republic, most of the mansions were demolished and replaced by apartment blocks. These retained the mansion garden settings, though, something which gives the Asian shore, especially between Kadıköy and Bostancı, a more spacious feel than the European side.

Click on the link below to read the rest.
http://www.timeout.com.tr/show.php?isim=asian.htm