Bağdat Avenue

Bağdat Avenue is a roughly 14-kilometre-long boulevard running east–west through the Asian districts of Kadıköy and Maltepe in Istanbul, widely regarded as the Asian counterpart to the European side's İstiklal Caddesi. Tree-lined and flanked by villas from the late Ottoman and early Republican periods, it is best known for its upscale fashion boutiques, cafés, and restaurants. The six-kilometre stretch between Bostancı and Kızıltoprak — three lanes running in a single direction — is the most commercial section and draws a largely affluent Istanbul crowd. In the evenings the avenue comes alive as a promenade, with pavement cafés and bars spilling onto the broad sidewalks.