Yeşilköy Lighthouse | Istanbul, 2006

On the shores of the Sea of Marmara, at Yeşilköy Point in Istanbul, stands one of the city's historic navigational landmarks. Built in 1856 during the reign of Sultan Abdülmecid, Yeşilköy Lighthouse was originally known as Ayastefanos Lighthouse, after the former name of the district. For vessels approaching the Bosphorus from the Marmara Sea, it has long served as an important reference point in determining the approach route.

The lighthouse is distinguished by its white masonry tower and adjoining keeper's building. The tower rises approximately 16 metres above the ground, while its light stands 23 metres above sea level. Originally illuminated by an oil-wick lamp, the beacon was later adapted to LPG lighting and subsequently to electricity. The lighthouse and its keeper's building are preserved as part of Türkiye's maritime heritage.

Every lighthouse has a distinctive light characteristic, allowing mariners to identify it by the rhythm of its flashes and intervals of darkness. Like a visual code, the repeated pattern can be checked against nautical charts and light lists. Yeşilköy Lighthouse is listed with the characteristic Fl W (2) 10s: two white flashes in a repeating ten-second cycle. The published sequence consists of a half-second flash, two seconds of darkness, another half-second flash and seven seconds of darkness. Recognising this pattern helps mariners identify the landmark and establish a navigational reference; a single sighting does not by itself establish an exact position.

When I photographed Yeşilköy Lighthouse in 2006, I was struck by the modern glass-fronted high-rise building immediately behind the historic tower. Nearly a century and a half separated the two architectural expressions, yet they shared the same frame. The modest stone structure built to guide sailors stood against the changing skyline of Istanbul. This contrast allowed me to document not only the lighthouse itself but also the transformation of the coastal landscape around it.

These eight photographs, made in 2006, record a working navigational structure and its relationship with the city. The lighthouse remains a reminder that maritime landmarks are not merely monuments of the past: their purpose, architecture and changing surroundings continue to shape the visual memory of the coast.