Besiktas: Eagle Eyes — Terrace Edition

Words: Federico Farcomeni

Images: Federico Farcomeni

It’s difficult to find a better placed football turf than Besiktas’ Tüpras stadium – it sits on the banks of the Bosphorus just behind Dolmabahçe Palace, one of the shining pearls of the country dripping with gold and crystal, and surrounded as it is by crape myrtles, pines and cedars.

It’s arguably easier to reach than Fenerbahçe’s Sükrü Saraçoglu in Kadiköy or Galatasaray’s Ali Sami Yen in Sisli – you either get tram number T1 from Sirkeci (central station) and get off at Katabas (only five stops), or take the 15-minute walk from Taksim Square, enjoying the sea view as you go down the slope leading to the “away fam (sic) entrance”.

And yet, one of Besiktas’ main claims is that the Eagles know both sides of the Bosphorus as they play in Europe but train in Asia, as Nevzat Demir training ground lies in the Eastern part of the city.

A sticker really expresses this idea even better as it says “Besiktas is all in” as the 15th July Martyrs bridge connects both continents.

This fact alone would be enough to define Besiktas’ unique identity but if you’re looking for more, the club museum serves just that purpose.

©Federico Farcomeni/ Terrace Edition. Tüpraş Stadyumu.

For 1300 Turkish Lira (£ 21) you can access to all sorts of memorabilia, including historical scarves, banners, flags, books (also about Çarsi, the “anarchic” ultra leading group), shirts (the Ali Gultiken one diagonally divided into two with a red number 10 is from another world), boots and pennants.

Videos remind of big Euro nights like the victories against Barcelona (3-0 in 2000) and Chelsea (2-0 at Stamford Bridge in 2003 with current manager Sergen Yalçin scoring a brace).

A dedicated shirt was printed in memory of a historical win at Fenerbahçe in April 2005 when Colombian goalkeeper Oscar Cordoba was sent off, striker Daniel Pancu went in goal and the Black Eagles still scored the winner with three minutes to go in a truly epic match (4-3).

In parallel with the eagle’s shriek, Besiktas boast the loudest fanbase – in the club museum there’s a room showing level of decibels reached on 11 May 2013 when bidding farewell to the old Inönü (which once rose exactly on the same site) as the volume levels reached 142 decibels, slightly higher than a jet taking off (141!).

The opening match played at the newly built Vodafone Arena in 2016, and games against Liverpool (2007) and Fenerbahçe (2005) all recorded higher volume levels than a rock concert (105), breaking the sound barrier.

©Federico Farcomeni/ Terrace Edition. Besiktas museum.

But it’s when it comes to geographical barriers that stakes are higher. The Eagles’ hopes to play in the Europa League final on 17 May on their own turf were soon shattered when they were knocked out in July by Shakhtar Donetsk (2-6 on aggregate).

Lausanne in the Conference League then was the nail in the coffin for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at the end of August.

Weirdly enough, as they have just clinched fourth spot, the Black Eagles will get another chance as the Conference League final next season will be again played in their own nest.

And despite their absence from the big stage, linking up two Continents, Besiktas international vocation still came in handy when Aston Villa and Freiburg supporters filled up the stands for their Europa League final.

We only wish we were there.

©Federico Farcomeni/ Terrace Edition. Besiktas fans stickers and street art.

©Federico Farcomeni/ Terrace Edition. Carsi book.

©Federico Farcomeni/ Terrace Edition. Besiktas decibels.

©Federico Farcomeni/ Terrace Edition. Besiktas ultras sticker.

©Federico Farcomeni/ Terrace Edition. Besiktas stickers.

©Federico Farcomeni/ Terrace Edition. Tüpraş Stadyumu away entrance.

©Federico Farcomeni/ Terrace Edition. Tüpraş Stadyumu view towards Bosphorus.

Federico is on X: @fedefarco and Instagram: @fede.farco.

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