İstiklal Avenue Art Nouveau and styles; as well as a few Art Deco style buildings from the early years of the Turkish Republic, and a number of more recent examples of modern architecture; starts from the medieval Genoese neighbourhood around Galata Tower and ultimately leads up to Taksim Square. Galatasaray Square is located at approximately the center of the avenue and is home to the oldest secondary school in Turkey: the Galatasaray High School (Galatasaray Lisesi), originally known as the "Galata Sarayı Enderun-u Hümayunu" ("Galata Palace Imperial School"). In the historic Karaköy (Galata) district towards the southern end of the avenue, it
Galata Bridge It is a bascule bridge, which is long with a main span of . The deck of the bridge is wide and has three vehicular lanes and one walkway in each direction. Tram tracks were recently re-added to it, allowing the Istanbul Tram to run from Zeytinburnu, in the suburbs near Atatürk International Airport, to Kabataş, a few blocks before Dolmabahçe Palace. The rest of the bridge, including the market area on the first floor, opened to common use in 2003. The Galata Bridge was a symbolic link between the traditional city of Istanbul proper, site of the imperial palace