Pierre Loti Hill is the spot where the magnificent Golden Horn scenery unfolds in the most beautiful manner… The hill, which bears the name of famous French writer Pierre Loti, is accessed via steps sloping upwards from behind of the cemeteries next to the Eyüp Sultan Mosque, or via aerial ropeway. 

Pierre Loti Café, at the end of the road, welcomes its guests, as the most well-known place of the hill. The Café was known as Rabia Kadın (Woman Rabia) Coffeehouse until the end of the 19th Century. Pierre Loti, which saw Turkey as his second nation, was a frequent visitor of the coffeehouse during the era. It is told the coffeehouse is where Loti wrote his novel Aziyade, which Is about his love to the girl of the same name, whom he met in İstanbul. The place has been referred as Pierre Loti since then. The hill where the coffeehouse was located was also later named the Pierre Loti Hill, in memory of Loti.

Many historical buildings are located at the Pierre Loti Hill, which was visited by virtually all foreigners and travelers coming to İstanbul during the 19th century. The wooden Kaşgari Lodge, with its two epigraphs, Çolak Hasan Lodge, Ottoman Elementary School “Sıbyan Mektebi”, the famous Wishing Well, are among those structures. 

Concerning the latter well, Evliya Çelebi wrote the following in his Seyahatname (Book of Travels): “Those looking to the well, see their wishes, their heart’s desire inside the well”. There is also a historical cistern in the area, probably constructed during the Byzantine era, and which was also used during the Ottoman era.

At the Pierre Loti Hill, which offers a visual feast, accompanied by a cup of strong tea, in every hour of the day, also located are Ayvansaray, Sütlüce, Eyüp, Balat, Hasköy and Fener mansions. The wooden mansions, which were constructed in conformity with the Ottoman-Turkish architecture within the scope of the project initiated by the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality in the year 1997, hosts domestic and foreign tourists. Pierre Loti Hill, which virtually takes its visitors into a journey in time with its unique scenery, continues since many years to be the stop of lovers, those wishing to meet it, and those wanting to watch the Golden Horn.