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 (Pera) in Istanbul, and is known as Karaköy. There are several theories concerning the origin of the name "Galata". The Greeks believe that the name comes either from "Galatai" (meaning "Gauls"), as the Celtic tribe of Gauls (Galatians) were thought to have camped here during the Hellenistic period before settling into Galatia in central Anatolia; or from "galatas" (meaning "milkman"), as the area was used by shepherds for grazing in the Early Medieval (Byzantine) period. Italians believe the name comes from "calata" meaning slope or descent, because Galata, which is a former Genoese colony, is located on a hill that