Pierre Loti is the pseudonym of French author Julien Viaud. On his first arrival in the Ottoman dominions as a naval officer (1876-1877), he fell in love with a young local girl called Aziyade. They met frequently in his house in Eyüp and he recorded his affair in a journal published under the title of Aziyade shortly after his departure from the country.

A Turcophile, Loti enjoyed going into Eyüp wearing the traditional fez and counting rosary beads like the natives. He frequently went to a coffeehouse on the upper parts of the Golden Horn and reminisced of days bygone as he watched the estuary and the quaint life of the boatsmen and fishermen.

The coffeehouse since then has been known by the name of the author and is a frequently visited site. It offers a bird’s eye view of the entire Golden Horn and was restored several years ago to include an indoor area and souvenir shops.