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A Painter's Shore at Eskihisar and a Caravan Complex in Gebze
Cultural

A Painter's Shore at Eskihisar and a Caravan Complex in Gebze

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On the northern shore of the Gulf of İzmit, just south of Gebze, lies a small cove called Eskihisar. Osman Hamdi Bey spent twenty-six summers here, painted most of his pictures here and, at his own request, was buried here.

Gebze, Kocaeli
Cultural
Radar Editör
September 24, 2026

About Trip

On the northern shore of the Gulf of İzmit, just south of Gebze, lies a small cove called Eskihisar. Osman Hamdi Bey spent twenty-six summers here, painted most of his pictures here and, at his own request, was buried here. Above the cove stands a Byzantine castle, and a few kilometres north, on a hill in Gebze, stands a sixteenth-century complex counted among the finest Ottoman caravan-route foundations. Starting from the last Marmaray station, this trip follows the painter, the caravan traveller and the castle guard in a single day.

One thing to know first. According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Osman Hamdi Bey House and Museum was transferred to the Ministry in 2021 and will stay closed until restoration and a new display are finished. The official pages give no reopening date, so check muze.gov.tr before you go. Even with the museum shut, the castle, the view of the house from the shore and the complex in Gebze fill the day.

Getting There from Istanbul

By public transport, Marmaray is the easiest option. The commuter line runs between Halkalı and Gebze, and Gebze is its eastern terminus. Eskihisar is about 6 kilometres from Gebze; continue by taxi or local public transport.

By car, the Culture Portal's directions work well. Eskihisar is about 50 kilometres from Istanbul: leave the TEM motorway at the Bayramoğlu-Darıca exit and follow the Eskihisar-Feribot signs. From the old D-100, turn south at the Gebze-Eskihisar junction. Ferries leave from the same pier, so the signs are easy to follow.

The Çoban Mustafa Pasha Complex

Begin in Gebze. According to the TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, the complex was built by Çoban Mustafa Pasha, who was married to Selim I's daughter Hanım Hatun and died in 1529. The marble inscription gives 1523-24 and the wooden door leaves 1522-23. The complex appears in the lists of Mimar Sinan's works, but this is debated because Sinan was on the Belgrade and Rhodes campaigns in 1521-22 and 1523 seems early in his career for a project of this size. The encyclopedia says it is now widely accepted that Sinan either completed a building already under way or worked on it as an assistant architect.

The complex stands on a hill north-west of Gebze and covers about 117 by 106 metres. It was built on this scale because caravans to Anatolia and Persia, pilgrims from the west and armies marching east all passed this way. Mosque, tomb, college, soup kitchen, library, hospital, guest rooms for dignitaries and caravanserai wrap around the mosque on three sides of a rectangular courtyard; the double bathhouse is in the market.

As you approach, look at the coloured stone decoration on both sides of the portico. The pasha brought the materials for this Mamluk-style work from Egypt, where he had been governor. Inside, coloured marble panels cover the walls to a third of their height, and the marble minbar has very fine geometric inlay. The wooden entrance doors, made in the kündekari technique and inlaid with ivory, tortoiseshell and mother-of-pearl, carry the signature of a craftsman named Ahmed. Çoban Mustafa Pasha lies in the octagonal tomb on the qibla side of the mosque, its walls lined with turquoise tiles to a third of their height.

The complex has another link to Eskihisar: among Osman Hamdi Bey's paintings of the 1880s is one titled The Çoban Mustafa Pasha Complex in Gebze. Visit outside prayer times, wear clothes that cover shoulders and knees, women should cover their hair, take off your shoes at the door and keep quiet inside.

Eskihisar Castle

As you come down to Eskihisar, the walls appear on the steep hill north-east of the cove. According to the Gebze District Governorate, the castle was built to control the crossing to the south of the gulf and to guard the harbour; the Byzantine historian George Akropolites mentions it in 1241. Research summarised on Wikipedia dates the inner walls to Manuel I Komnenos in the twelfth century and the outer walls to the Palaiologan period, around 1300.

Look closely at the masonry. Two or three courses of brick alternate with a course of stone, the typical Palaiologan technique also seen in Istanbul's walls at Edirnekapı. The rectangular castle has ten towers. The Ministry of Culture restored it between 1995 and 2000, and excavations by the Kocaeli Museum found Byzantine ceramics, jars and inscriptions. According to the Culture Portal, it holds an eight-column Byzantine cistern with fifteen domes and a stage seating 1,025 people, and concerts are held here from time to time. The Ministry of National Education's outdoor-learning guide lists the castle as open every day.

Osman Hamdi Bey's House

Down by the shore, on a slope above the pier, a white house sits in a grove. According to the Culture Portal, the two-storey house, designed by Osman Hamdi Bey himself, was built in 1884 together with a studio, a boathouse and outbuildings. He spent his summers here for 26 years and painted his finest works in it. During the First World War the house was assigned to a military headquarters, and in 1945 the studio's wooden upper floor burned. The grove and buildings were listed in 1966 and opened as a museum in 1987. The flowers painted on the wooden doors of the ground floor are by Osman Hamdi Bey himself and are valued as highly as his canvases.

Osman Hamdi Bey (1842-1910) was an archaeologist, painter and museum director. He founded the School of Fine Arts that continues today as Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University and directed the Imperial Museum in Istanbul. The Alexander Sarcophagus he excavated at Sidon is now in the Istanbul Archaeology Museums; if you have seen it, Eskihisar means twice as much. According to the TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, he was buried at his own request on the wooded slope behind the house, beneath a Seljuk-era sarcophagus and headstones brought from Anatolia. Ask beforehand whether the grove is accessible while restoration continues.

A Note on the Hannibal Monument

Gebze is also linked with Libyssa, the Bithynian town where the Carthaginian general Hannibal spent his last days and died. The Culture Portal notes that sources agree on Libyssa but that modern scholars debate whether it was today's Gebze. The grave itself has never been found. Following Atatürk's wish expressed in 1934, a symbolic monument was built on Hannibal Hill on TÜBİTAK land and opened on 24 July 1981. Made of puddingstone from Hereke, it carries a portrait of Hannibal and marble panels in five languages. According to the Ministry of National Education's guide, it can only be visited on weekday daytimes; call the TÜBİTAK Gebze Campus before going. On a weekend trip you may have to skip it.

A Suggested Day

  • Take Marmaray to Gebze in the morning and allow an hour for the Çoban Mustafa Pasha Complex: courtyard, tomb and college.
  • Towards midday, go down to Eskihisar and climb to the castle.
  • Walk the seafront promenade and break for lunch near the pier.
  • In the afternoon, view Osman Hamdi Bey's house from the shore, or go inside if the museum has reopened.
  • End the day on the waterfront in the late light and return via Gebze.

Season and Timing

The castle is outdoors on a slope, so spring and autumn are the most comfortable seasons for the climb and for looking out over the gulf from the castle. The midday climb can be tiring in summer, so visit the castle in the morning or late afternoon. Check the municipality's programme for concerts and events at the castle.

Practical Notes

  • Check the museum's status on muze.gov.tr and with the Kocaeli Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism.
  • Wear comfortable shoes for the castle slope.
  • Follow dress and quiet rules at the mosque and tomb; shoes come off in the tomb as well.
  • The Hannibal Monument is on government land, so carry ID and ask about access in advance.
  • Check Marmaray and bus times before setting off.

Sources

Location - A Painter's Shore at Eskihisar and a Caravan Complex in Gebze

Trip Info
CityGebze, Kocaeli
TypeCultural
DateSeptember 24, 2026
SourceRadar Editör
Radar TürkiyeAuthorRadar TürkiyeVisit SourceGet Directions