Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu Open-Air Theatre
Open-air amphitheatre of 1947 in Harbiye, used for plays, dance and a long summer concert season.
The Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu Open-Air Theatre was laid out in 1947 on a wooded slope between Harbiye and Maçka, and is named after Cemil Topuzlu, the surgeon and mayor of Istanbul who first pressed for an open-air stage in the city. Tiered seating in the manner of a classical amphitheatre faces a deep stage, with the trees of the valley and the towers of Şişli behind. Its capacity is in the region of four thousand, which makes it the largest outdoor auditorium in central Istanbul.
For decades it has been the city's principal summer stage. Istanbul City Theatres have used it for drama and for the İstanbul Festival, and it has hosted opera, ballet, jazz and rock. Since renovation work in the 2000s it operates under the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality's cultural arm, with a dense programme of concerts by Turkish and international performers running from spring into late October, alongside theatre and dance nights.
Highlights
- Tiered amphitheatre seating for roughly four thousand people
- Wooded setting in the valley between Harbiye and Maçka
- Summer season of theatre, dance, jazz, classical and popular music
- One of the main stages of the Istanbul Festival since the 1970s
