Bosphorus Mansions from Turkish TV Series: Where They Are and Which You Can Visit
Turkish drama loves a yalı: a wooden waterside mansion with steps running down into the Bosphorus. From Aşk-ı Memnu's Ziyagil mansion to the Korhan family home in Yalı Çapkını, the TV Bosphorus is usually a real house. Almost all of them are private. Here is where each one is, where the sources disagree, and how you can actually see them.
A yalı in one paragraph
A yalı is a house built right on the shore. In Ottoman times they were summer homes for pashas, viziers and wealthy families, mostly built of wood. The oldest surviving one, the Amcazade Hüseyin Pasha Yalı, dates from 1699. Hundreds still line the strait. Series rent them because one shot of a yalı says everything: money, lineage, family and the sea.
Which can you visit?
| Place | Series / film | Area | Visit? | How to see it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vehbi Koç Büyükdere House | Aşk-ı Memnu | Büyükdere (Sarıyer) | Yes, exhibition space | Go inside |
| Korhan mansion | Yalı Çapkını | Beylerbeyi (Üsküdar) | No, private | From a Bosphorus boat |
| Tekin villa ("Lazın Köşkü") | Yaprak Dökümü | Beylerbeyi (Üsküdar) | No, offices | Outside only |
| Ünal villa | Kızılcık Şerbeti | Bebek or Sarıyer (unclear) | No, private | Location unconfirmed |
| Kemal's family house | Kara Sevda | Kuzguncuk (Üsküdar) | No, private | Walk the neighbourhood |
| Küçüksu Palace | The World Is Not Enough | Küçüksu (Beykoz) | Yes, museum | Go inside, or from the water |
| Maiden's Tower | The World Is Not Enough | off Salacak (Üsküdar) | Yes, museum | By boat |
Aşk-ı Memnu: Vehbi Koç Büyükdere House
Kanal D, 2008–2010. The Ziyagil mansion is the Büyükdere summer house of Vehbi Koç, founder of the Koç Group, now owned by the Vehbi Koç Foundation. It displays Josephine Powell's collection of Ottoman-era kilims on a permanent basis. Per a 2018 announcement it opens daily except Wednesdays, 10:00–17:00, free of charge. The foundation's current site gives no hours, so check before you go. Pair it with the Sadberk Hanım Museum on the same street (10:00–17:00, closed Wednesdays). Map
Where is the Yalı Çapkını mansion?
Kanal D, 2022–2025. Every source puts the Korhan family mansion in Beylerbeyi on the Asian shore. They disagree on which one. A September 2022 report named the Hasip Pasha Yalı, a late-18th-century vizier's house of which only the reception wing survives. Later reports (2023, 2024) named the Sakıp Sabancı Yalı, historically the Şevket Pasha Yalı, which was reportedly put up for sale in 2024. We couldn't confirm which is right. It is private either way. Sit on the right-hand side of a northbound Bosphorus ferry and watch the shore around Beylerbeyi Palace.
Yaprak Dökümü
Kanal D, 2006–2010. The Tekin family villa is also in Beylerbeyi, known locally as "Lazın Köşkü" after its owner. It has appeared in several other productions. Today it is used as offices and is closed to the public.
Kızılcık Şerbeti
Show TV, since 2022. The Ünal family's white villa is the show's most searched location, and reports conflict: a 2025 report places it in Bebek, a January 2026 report in Sarıyer. The production hasn't confirmed it. It is a private home, so we wouldn't publish the address anyway.
Kara Sevda
Star TV, 2015–2017. Kemal's family home is in Kuzguncuk, a neighbourhood house rather than a yalı. Nihan's family home is on the Yeniköy–İstinye road. Both are private, but Kuzguncuk's wooden-house streets are worth a walk. Map
James Bond on the Bosphorus
In The World Is Not Enough (1999), Küçüksu Palace stood in for the exterior of Elektra King's villa in Baku. Sultan Abdülmecid built it in 1856–1857, and it has been a museum since 1983. Per the National Palaces, the ticket office is open 09:00–17:00, closed Mondays; foreign visitors pay 300 TL. Map
Maiden's Tower was the villain Renard's hideout. It is now a museum reached by boat; see our Maiden's Tower page for hours and tickets.
Be respectful
These are homes and workplaces. Don't wait at gates, ring bells or climb garden walls for photos. Drones intrude on privacy and may need permits. The best view is from the water.
FAQ
Where is the Yalı Çapkını mansion? In Beylerbeyi, Üsküdar. Sources name either the Sakıp Sabancı (Şevket Pasha) Yalı or the Hasip Pasha Yalı. Private; visible from the water only.
Can you visit the Aşk-ı Memnu mansion? Yes. The Vehbi Koç Büyükdere House is an exhibition space; check current hours first.
Where was Yaprak Dökümü filmed? In a private villa in Beylerbeyi, now offices.
Where was Kara Sevda filmed? Kemal's house is in Kuzguncuk; Nihan's on the Yeniköy–İstinye road.
Where was James Bond filmed in Istanbul? In The World Is Not Enough: Maiden's Tower and Küçüksu Palace, both museums.
What's the best way to see the mansions? A Bosphorus ferry from Eminönü.