You have just left the airport upon arrival and there is an emergency. You need to do some shopping! Tell your taxi driver to take the seaside road because the place to be is Galleria, the very first shopping center in Istanbul.
In the 80’s Turkey faced a lot of social changes. The mastermind was the innovative Prime Minister Turgut Özal who recommended building such a shopping center since he was inspired by the shopping mall Houston Galleria in Houston, Texas, USA. Located on the seaside of the Ataköy suburb, Galleriawas built on a covered area of 77.000 sq meters.
It has several elite stores, restaurants, movie halls, a bowling hall and an ice skating rink. Galleriawas recognized as the world’s most outstanding mall in 1990 by the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) for sophisticated blueprint design, rapid construction, and unique structural features.
Address: Bakırköy Ataköy arası sahilyolu, Istanbul
http://www.galleria-atakoy.com.tr/
