History
The military school founded in 1845 moved to this waterfront setting in 1872. The building’s twin towers became a familiar feature of the Bosphorus skyline.
The foundation of the school and its arrival at Kuleli are separate dates. Keeping them apart avoids treating 1845 as the date of the visible waterfront building. The institution’s history and the architecture of its later home should be read together.
Behind the landmark
The school’s surviving registers preserve the names and lives of generations of students. Its historical archive was transferred to the National Defence University library in 2020.
Student registers offer a different kind of memory from the exterior: individual names behind an institutional silhouette. Seen this way, the façade is a starting point for an educational history, rather than the whole story.
Important events
- 1845
The military preparatory school is founded.
- 1872
The school moves into its waterfront home.
What to look for from the water
Look for the two towers framing a long row of windows. From the water, their balance and the building’s position against the hillside are easier to read than individual interior details.
Questions about this landmark
Where is Kuleli?
It stands on the Asian shore near Çengelköy, in Istanbul’s Üsküdar district.
Does 1845 date the building seen today?
1845 refers to the school’s foundation. The school moved into its Kuleli waterfront home in 1872.
