Esenler removals

We work on the steep, densely built streets on both sides of TEM in Esenler. According to the District Governorate's history, the villages of Litros and Avas took the names Esenler and Atışalanı in 1937–40; Esenler became part of Güngören in 1992 and separated in 1993. The District Governorate lists 17 neighbourhoods, while İBB's 2022 planning note uses 16 and the name Havaalanı. We found no official explanation, so when taking an address we confirm both names (sources: History, Muhtarlık offices, İBB planning-note amendment, accessed 30.09.2026). We could not find area or elevation data, and the municipality's website was unavailable on the research date.

The car route from Sancaktepe to Esenler is approximately 39–44 km and takes an estimated 33–35 minutes in free-flowing traffic: Davutpaşa–YTÜ is 38.6 km, the district centre is 43.8 km away, and Oruçreis is 43.5 km away (source: OSRM / OpenStreetMap, September 2026). Our lorry uses Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, so it travels farther than this car estimate; we do not give a separate lorry journey time.

Crossing the Bosphorus: which bridge takes the lorry

According to the General Directorate of Highways (KGM), lorries cannot use 15 Temmuz Şehitler or Fatih Sultan Mehmet bridges; Yavuz Sultan Selim is the only Bosphorus bridge open to all vehicle classes. The Eurasia Tunnel toll table has no lorry class (sources: KGM restrictions and prohibitions, Eurasia Tunnel tolls, accessed 30.09.2026). The lorry travels around the north. As TEM divides the district, we choose the exit according to the address and loading time; for a smaller vehicle, we confirm the crossing according to its vehicle class.

Esenler map: neighbourhoods, muhtarlık offices, stations

The map shows the boundaries of 17 neighbourhoods, muhtarlık offices, M1A and M1B stops that fall within the district, M7 and T4 stops shown inside the district by the layer, and taxi ranks. In satellite view, the broad green plot of the Davutpaşa campus in the south, the dense apartment blocks on both sides of TEM in the centre, and the large plots within the broad Oruçreis polygon in the north stand apart.

Access profile, neighbourhood by neighbourhood

The categories are relative to Esenler's own 17 neighbourhoods. The mapped neighbourhood polygons cover approximately 18.4 km² in total; Oruçreis alone accounts for 8.8 km², while each of the other 16 neighbourhoods is under 2 km². Floor data is sparse or absent on the map for most neighbourhoods. We comment on building height only for 15 Temmuz and Çifte Havuzlar; elsewhere, we count the floors during the site visit.

Here is what the figures mean on moving day:

• Four neighbourhoods with narrow or one-way streets — Yavuz Selim, Mimar Sinan, Fevzi Çakmak and Çifte Havuzlar: 84%, 66%, 63% and 59% of streets respectively are one-way or narrow; the share does not exceed 29% elsewhere in the district. Yavuz Selim has the smallest street network, with 1.8 km of local streets and 235 buildings in 0.24 km², but also has eight parking areas and the M1B Esenler stop. Mimar Sinan has 686 buildings in 0.17 km², no parking areas and an average gradient of 8.1%. Fevzi Çakmak has 1,159 buildings and four parking areas. Çifte Havuzlar is different: 267 buildings, an average of 2.4 storeys where known, and the district's largest mapped parking inventory with 29 areas; Davutpaşa–YTÜ station falls within this polygon. We direct the lorry according to the one-way street entrance and check a day ahead if reversing into a street may be necessary.
• Wide streets, but steep and densely built — Turgut Reis, Tuna, Fatih, Kemer and Birlik: only 0–5% of streets are narrow or one-way, so the lorry can enter most from either direction; the main concerns are gradients and density. Average gradients are 6.6–8.1%, and 42–54% of streets are steep. Turgut Reis has the district's most buildings, 2,449 in 0.58 km², no parking areas and 19.1 km of local streets. Fatih has 1,951 buildings and four parking areas; Tuna has 1,894 buildings, 18.5 km of streets and five parking areas. Birlik has 1,575 buildings and eight parking areas; Kemer has 1,279 buildings and seven. During the site visit, we choose a level place where the lorry can wait on a slope.
• Steep and constrained — Namık Kemal, Menderes and Atışalanı: average gradients are 8.9%, 7.6% and 7.5%; 63%, 52% and 52% of streets are steep. Namık Kemal is the district's steepest neighbourhood at 8.9%, with 837 buildings in 0.23 km², no parking areas and 22% of streets narrow or one-way. The layer places the M1A Terazidere stop in this polygon. Menderes has 1,228 buildings, five parking areas and a deep metro station; the District Governorate building is also here. Atışalanı has 1,704 buildings, 15 km of local streets and five parking areas. An exterior lift needs level ground on a steep street; if it cannot be installed, we adjust the team size to the floor.
• Neighbourhoods with gentler gradients — 15 Temmuz, Oruçreis, Davutpaşa and Kazım Karabekir: average gradients are 4.2–5.7%, and 27–34% of streets are steep. 15 Temmuz has 204 buildings in 1.88 km², an average of 4.7 storeys where known, three parking areas and the M7 Tekstilkent–Giyimkent stop. Oruçreis is the largest neighbourhood at 8.8 km², with 28.1 km of local streets, 2,187 buildings and nine parking areas; the layer places T4 Cumhuriyet Mahallesi and M7 Oruç Reis stops within its polygon. Davutpaşa has 966 buildings in 0.21 km² and no parking areas; Kazım Karabekir has 1,390 buildings and three. We choose the loading point and arrival time for each address.
• Nine Hatun: 1,697 buildings in 0.5 km²; 26% of streets are narrow or one-way, and there are two parking areas. We confirm the lorry's entry and waiting place for the address in advance.

Coach terminal, campus and renewal described in Tuna

We could not confirm that the Büyük İstanbul Coach Terminal lies within the district boundary. Its Metro İstanbul stop does not fall within the neighbourhood polygons, and residents say the terminal is on the Bayrampaşa side. We confirm the address and approach direction and allow for coach-bay and service traffic. The District Governorate records the restoration of Otağ-ı Hümayun at Davutpaşa Campus in 2010, along with the Davutpaşa Barracks building; for campus deliveries, we ask about the distance from the gate to the building and vehicle permission (source: History, accessed 30.09.2026). The District Governorate describes sports and cultural facilities, a walking route and a library at the 240,000 m² Millet Bahçesi, but gives no location or opening date (source: Our Millet Garden, accessed 30.09.2026).

For urban renewal (kentsel dönüşüm, the renewal of earthquake-risk buildings), the only official document we have is İBB's 2022 risk-building planning note for the Esenler area south of TEM, based on the development plan approved on 04.12.2002. We found no İBB project, reserve area or field office in the district (source: İBB planning-note amendment, accessed 30.09.2026). We know about the renewal clearances in Tuna, demolitions that began in Oruçreis in 2023 and blocks in the former Havaalanı neighbourhood only from residents' accounts. We cannot give phases or dates because the municipality's website was unavailable. For families with a confirmed clearance date, we can pack and store their belongings, then deliver everything in one move when the new flat is ready.

What residents say

The moves we see most in Esenler

• Urban-renewal clearances and storage: residents describe clearances in Tuna and Oruçreis; belongings may be stored while a new flat is being completed, with storage planned as part of the move.
• Family homes (2+1, 3+1): in Turgut Reis, Fatih, Nine Hatun and Kemer, the plan includes packing, dismantling and finding a place for the lorry on a slope. A 2+1 means two bedrooms and a living room; a 3+1 has three bedrooms and a living room.
• Moves between İstanbul's two sides: between the Asian side and Esenler; we choose the Yavuz Sultan Selim crossing and TEM exit according to the address.
• Student and single-person homes (1+1, studios): around Davutpaşa Campus and M1 stops, we plan a smaller vehicle and an early start. A 1+1 means one bedroom and a living room.
• Shops, workshops and offices: residents describe textile workshops and businesses around the coach terminal; shelving and machinery moves are scheduled outside business hours.

You can check the volume of your belongings and a suitable vehicle size on our moving calculator.

After you move: registration, muhtarlık, municipality

You can register your residence through e-Devlet or at your neighbourhood muhtarlık — the local headman's office, where residence registration is also available. District Governorate addresses often use numbered streets, so we confirm the address by neighbourhood and street number. Addresses for Esenler's 17 muhtarlık offices:

Esenler District Governorate is at No. 151 Çinçindere Avenue, Menderes neighbourhood; its switchboard is (0212) 647 38 10, and Üçyüzlü stop is 400 metres away (sources: Contact, Getting here, accessed 30.09.2026). The municipality's website was unavailable on the research date, so we could not verify its service building or contact channels (access attempt 30.09.2026). Atışalanı Muhtarlık is listed as being beneath the Municipal Police building, but we could not confirm that the Municipal Police operates there.

Permits for lorries and exterior lifts: as the municipality's website was unavailable, we could not find a published rule or fee for temporary road use (accessed 30.09.2026). We ask Municipal Police about narrow streets before the move.

Old furniture, rubble and waste collection days: we could not find a municipal page for household or packaging-waste collection days, rubble or an old-furniture collection line (accessed 30.09.2026). Residents say refuse vehicles enter the streets and collect rubbish by hand. We collect boxes and packing materials on moving day and plan for old furniture during the site visit.

Public transport

The M1B Yenikapı–Kirazlı line has an above-ground Esenler station and an underground Menderes station; the latter has 18 escalators and five lifts. The map layer does not place Üçyüzlü within Esenler's polygons; the District Governorate says its building is 400 metres from the station. The line runs from 06.00 to 24.00, with trains every four minutes at peak times (source: Metro İstanbul M1B, accessed 30.09.2026). The M1A Davutpaşa–YTÜ stop is on a viaduct; the layer places Terazidere within the Namık Kemal polygon. Peak service is every six minutes; the Metrobus connection is at Merter, further along the line (source: Metro İstanbul M1A, accessed 30.09.2026). The M3 does not enter the district; the nearest interchange is Kirazlı–Bağcılar. In the layer, T4 Cumhuriyet Mahallesi stop falls within the Oruçreis polygon, while M7 stops appear in Oruçreis and 15 Temmuz (sources: M3, T4, accessed 30.09.2026). We choose a loading point that does not block station entrances.

Neighbouring districts

To the south are Güngören and Zeytinburnu; to the east, Bayrampaşa; to the north-east, Gaziosmanpaşa; to the west, Bağcılar; and to the north, Sultangazi and Başakşehir. We plan around the street, floor, parking and timing at both addresses. For the whole city, see our İstanbul removals page.

Sources

Boundaries, stations, muhtarlık offices and the access profile were calculated from the open datasets below. District Governorate, İBB, Metro İstanbul, KGM and ATAŞ information is summarised in our own words and linked to its source. Esenler Municipality's website was unavailable on the research date, so no information from that source has been used.

• Esenler District Governorate, History (village names, 1992–93 administrative history and historic campus buildings), Muhtarlık offices (17 offices and numbered streets), Getting here, Contact, Our Millet Garden — accessed 30.09.2026.
• İBB Urban Renewal Directorate, Esenler planning-note amendment (list of 16 neighbourhoods and the plan approved in 2002) — accessed 30.09.2026.
• General Directorate of Highways, Restrictions and prohibitions (bridge vehicle classes); ATAŞ, Eurasia Tunnel tolls (vehicle classes) — accessed 30.09.2026.
• Metro İstanbul, M1B, M1A, M3 and T4 line pages — accessed 30.09.2026.
• Distance: OpenStreetMap road network via OSRM, September 2026; free-flow time is approximate and uses a car profile, not a lorry profile.