Interior panorama of Istanbul Cevahir |
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| Location | Istanbul, Turkey |
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| Address | Büyükdere Cad. No. 22 Şişli- Istanbul |
| Opening date | 15 October 2005 |
| Developer | Cevahirler Group |
| Management | Jones Lang LaSalle |
| Owner | St Martins Property Group |
Istanbul Cevahir Shopping and Entertainment Centre, opened on 15 October 2005, is a modern shopping and entertainment centre located in the Şişli district of Istanbul, Turkey. Called also Şişli Kültür ve Ticaret Merkezi (Şişli Cultural and Trade Centre). Istanbul Cevahir is the largest shopping centre in Europe, and the sixth largest in the world.[1]
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The project, originally a trade complex including retail centers and three skyscrapers with 40 and 48 floors to replace one of the city's old bus depots, was designed in 1987 by American architects Yamasaki & Associates. The foundation stone was laid in 1997; however, it took eight years to complete only the shopping centre section due to numerous delays and suspensions of construction. One of the other major architects who took part in the creation of this mall was Can Yavuzarslan, a Turkish/British dual citizen.
Istanbul Cevahir was built on a 62,475 m2 (672,000 sq ft) plot[2] at a cost of US$250 million. It has a total construction area of 420,000 m2 (4,521,000 sq ft) and a gross leasable area of 110,000 m2 (1,184,000 sq ft).[3] Six retail floors house 343 shops, some of which are the first in Turkey to sell certain international brands; 34 fast food restaurants and 14 exclusive restaurants in the shopping centre. Other facilities include a large stage for shows and other events; 12 cinemas including a private theatre and a cinema for children; a bowling hall; a small roller coaster; and several other entertainment facilities. The building's 2,500 m2 (26,910 sq ft) glass roof carries the second biggest clock in the world, with three-metre (10 ft) high digits.
The car park has an area of 71,000 m2 (764,000 sq ft)[2] and a capacity of 2,500 cars, spread on four floors.[3] 5,000 service people are employed on the property. The shopping centre is situated in the business quarter on the European side of Istanbul between Şişli and Mecidiyeköy and also can be reached easily by Istanbul metro. Three floors of the shopping centre are connected directly to the metro line. There are also strong "airport security" type measures.
The shopping centre was opened by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and 450,000 people visited the complex on the opening day. Recently, 190,000 visitors come to the shopping centre daily. It is open seven days a week from 10:00 to 22:00 hours.
It was co-owned and operated by Cevahirler Group until 2007 when it was sold to St Martins Property Group and Jones Lang LaSalle are now managing agents.
Some of the international brands in the shopping centre are as follows: Adidas, Bata, Benetton, BSB, Converse, Debenhams, Divarese, Dockers, Dorothy Perkins, Esprit, Evans, Fornarina, Gloria Jean's, Guess World, Jack&Jones, Kappa, La Senza, Levi's, Lotto, Massimo Dutti, Miss Selfridge, Mothercare, Nine West, Peacocks, Reebok, River Island, Topshop, Top Man, Vero Moda, and Zara as well as food chains, Burger King, KFC, McDonalds, Pizza Hut and Starbucks. There are also many locally based stores and Turkish restaurants, offering local dishes such as milk-based desserts and kebabs.