Golden Age of Istanbul’s Nightlife: The 90s!
The rapid transformation the world has undergone in recent years has made it even more evident how special the era we—Generation X—lived through truly was. In fact, we can say those last ten years, from the 90s into the early 2000s, were the final stretch before everything started to go wrong.
These days, whenever we connect with people from our generation or gather, the conversation always begins the same way:
So… what did we really live through back then?
Who were what and we with on earth were we doing?
Do you remember those nights?
Do you remember those mornings when we left the clubs at dawn and the people heading to work looked at us as if we were aliens?
The girls’ mascara would be smudged, their hair chaotic, their clothes marked by the speed of the night. We would walk home with our heads bowed, dizzy with exhaustion—but the best kind of exhaustion in the world.
Who could have guessed that all of this would one day become the history of an era?
Alternatively, that we would be remembered as the heroes of urban legends?
Art Modern Miami’s sensitive spirits!
I can tell you about the free, extraordinary, enviable Istanbul nightlife that took place in Turkey 30–35 years ago—what our generation calls its “Golden Age.” In addition, not only can I tell you about it, I can prove it.
Because I lived it.
I saw it.
In addition, those who witnessed it with me carry memories just as vivid.
That strange, thrilling anticipation would begin before night even fell. As the sun dipped toward the horizon, 90s Istanbul felt the breath of the night early; it was as if the approaching darkness wanted to whisper to the city beforehand. In those moments, the intoxicating friction between old and new, East and West, restriction and freedom created invisible sparks that danced through the narrow streets.
Globalization had polished the city’s surface, but in the backstreets, you could still hear that local breath, that neighborhood sincerity. Istanbul was a grand mosaic; the more varied its pieces, the more captivating the whole. Moreover, within this mosaic, when night arrived, everything—absolutely everything—became possible for a moment.
Moreover, there we were, right at the heart of where those possibilities glowed the brightest: young, passionate, holding the city’s invisible pulse in our palms.
The Transition from Discos to Club Culture: The Dawn of a New Era
Nightlife culture was genuinely being reborn during that time.
Electronic music, house, and dance rhythms were only just being discovered.
Bars and restaurants were no longer simply places where you waited for a table—they were becoming full-fledged identities of their own. They had practically declared independence.
Discos, music halls, casinos, pavilions… they were becoming relics of another age, unable to match the energy of the new generation.
In the 90s, when you stepped into a venue, time dissolved. A world emerged where no one judged anyone, where boundaries melted until morning.
Unlike today, not everyone had a “club culture,” nor was nightlife as crowded. Door culture wasn’t just about security—it was an aesthetic and philosophical filter.
It was a unique time when high society, the masses, models, students, DJs, and bankers all sweated on the same dance floor, where class distinctions dissolved. A businessperson by day could transform into someone else entirely in the middle of the dance floor at night.
Dress Code Was Not a Requirement; It Was an Attitude
Each venue had its own expectations for appearance.
However, at Ceylan Çaplı’s legendary trio—14–19–20—the rules were different:
No suits.
No ties.
No dress pants.
White-collar workers were essentially out of the game.
This radical stance created a revolutionary impact on Istanbul’s nightlife.
Queues stretched for meters.
The press was not allowed inside; tabloid photographers’ flashes were useless at these doors. Other venues welcomed the attention, but this trio did not need it.
They became the city’s most whispered legend—passed secretly from ear to ear.
We Were Both Young and Chosen
Our luck was not only that we were young, but that we created our own luck.
We were handsome, beautiful, stylish, well educated—and so were our circles.
I was a fine arts student back then.
Our nights were as authentic as a performance, as passionate as an escape.
During the day, we were at the academy, rushing through the studio, preparing projects, surviving the week’s classes. By the weekend, we suddenly found ourselves dancing until morning.
The person beside me on the dance floor might be a runway model one day and a performance artist the next.
Invisible threads bound Art, music, nightlife, and fashion.
Back then, no one “went out at night”—everyone stepped onto his or her own stage.
Fashion was part of that same energy.
The 90s were fashion’s golden rise—
The birth of the supermodels: Cindy, Naomi, Linda, Christy…
Jean Paul Gaultier, Thierry Mugler, Rıfat Özbek, Marc Jacobs, Vivienne Westwood…
What we saw on the runways inspired us as we prepared for the night.
We interpreted those looks in our own way, with our own means.
Corsets, fishnets, jeans, leather jackets, metal accessories, shoulder pads, bold and avant-garde elements…
A little Madonna is Vogue, a little George Michael, a little Michael Jackson, a little R.E.M. on our playlists.
Turkish pop was building its empire: Sezen, Tarkan, Kenan, Ajda…
Every piece of music was a declaration of identity.
We were rebuilding a city—through music, clothing, and dance.
Routes, Rituals, Doors… Everything Had Its Own Language
Weekend plans began the moment the previous week ended.
Friday and Saturday routes were two entirely different universes.
Taksim–Beyoğlu carried its own spirit—nights ended in soup shops, buffets, or someone’s apartment.
Ortaköy–Kuruçeşme–Bebek was more elegant, more Bosporus-like, more luxurious.
The final stop was often Şayan, the legendary soup place.
The Venues of Istanbul’s Golden Age—Each a Character, Each a Story
– 14–19–20 / 2019 (Ceylan Çaplı): The nightclubs that rewrote the city’s rules.
– Yeşil Kabare (Ali Poyrazoğlu): With Seyfi Dursunoğlu (Huysuz Virgin), Uğur Yücel, Demet Akbağ… the first steps of the cabaret era.
– Roxy: The temple of alternative youth.
– Switch: A bohemian soul hidden on a dark street.
– Kemancı: The artery of rock.
– Hayal Kahvesi: The emotional memory of a generation.
– Çiçek Bar: Writers, actors, journalists, and the old leftist crowd.
– Taksim Night Park: One of Istanbul’s most charismatic clubs, designed by Nigel Coates.
– Pacha: The peak of Bosporus elegance.
Kuruçeşme She Bar, Garage Night Club, Cartoon Bar, Oba Bar, Memo’s, Zihni Bar, Andon, Papyon…
Each was a separate heart pumping blood into the veins of this culture.
What united them all was one thing:
The pursuit of experience.
We Had All Created Our Own Little Studio 54
Door culture was more than selectivity—it was an artistic filter.
Charisma came before money, attitude before status.
A touch of Andy Warhol, a touch of Grace Jones, a touch of Bianca Jagger…
We were a generation that knew how to be stars in our own little universe—
In addition, did it with style.
In addition, Istanbul was the grand stage where these stars shone.
This Was Only the Beginning…
From the 90s into the 2000s, Istanbul’s nightlife was a story of transformation.
However, the most striking chapter of this story has not yet begun.
Because the true heartbeat of those years—
The venue everyone in Europe talked about—
Etched into memory with its foreign dancers on the tower and its car-graveyard concept,
Was:
Artist / Designer
Maslak 2019.
In addition, the birth of 2019, its stage, its nights, the things that happened there…
I will tell all of that in the next chapter—
Once the lights are fully turned on.
Kamil Çakır
