James Bond Locations In Istanbul

FROM RUSSIA (AND ISTANBUL) WITH LOVE

ISTANBUL LOCATIONS FEATURED JAMES BOND FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE

A tour through Istanbul’s landmarks is always exciting, but it can feel like an epic pilgrimage of sorts for James Bond fans. Two of the films in the Ian Fleming spy series have been filmed here, including “The World is Not Enough” and “From Russia with Love.”

1. The Russian Consulate in Istanbul

In From Russia With Love 1963, Bond is sent to Istanbul to meet with Tatiana Romanova in order to try to obtain the Lector decoder from the Russians. He does not know that Romanova is working under orders of Colonel Klebb. Romanova is working at the Russian Consulate in Istanbul where she, unknowingly, is recruited to SPECTRE by Klebb.

The entrance gates to the garden of the Russian Consulate is seen very early in the film when Romanova and her colleagues leave for the day and later when Grant parks the Citroën with the dead Bulgar outside the entrance gate, observed by the Russian guard.

From Russia With Love was filmed during the spring and summer of 1963, mainly on location in Istanbul. Here, in the Şişli district, you can find the entrance gate and the building used as the consulate in the film.

The "Russian consulate" can be found along Halaskargazi Caddesi, and the entrance gate has the number 161. The building is located at a very large property surrounded by big garden. This is the only villa along Halaskargazi Caddesi.

If you walk to the back of the house (to street that runs along the back of the property) and you take the first small street to the right of the building, you are walking down the street 'T.M. Ali Bey'. A funny fact coincidence considering the name of Bond's ally in the film, Ali Kerim Bey.

The entrance gate and fence surround a large building, also briefly seen later in the film. The villa and the neighborhood will be covered in more detail later. This is definitely one of the best Bond locations in Istanbul and well worth a visit.

The fact that the location has not changed notably since 1963 and the fact that you can walk around this location undisturbed, since this location is unknown and of no interest to the common tourist, makes it even more memorable. A taxi from the city centre (for instance Hagia Sophia) should cost less than 25-30 Lira.

2. The Russian Consulate / Şişli Mosque

Quite a few scenes in From Russia With Love takes place in and around the Russian consulate in Istanbul. After killing the Bulgar who works for the Russians tailing Bond in Istanbul, Donald Grant parks the Citroën with the dead man outside of the Russian consulate on Klebb's orders, to cast suspicions on the British. The Russian entrance guard gets suspicious of Grant and walks up to the car, only to find the Bulgar dead.

The consulate is located along Halaskargazi Caddesi in the Şişli disctrict of Istanbul and in a few scenes you see a mosque visible in the far background. This mosque is called Şişli Merkez Cami and is located located in Şişli Square between the Büyükdere Avenue and the streets Halaskargazi and Abide-i Hürriyet. As seen from the above picture, a BP petrol station was located right opposite the consulate in 1963. This petrol station is gone.

The mosque is also visible when Bond arrives at the consulate in a taxi, and when Romanova leaves the consulate with her colleagues earlier in the film. Needless to say, the city has changed around the mosque, but the location is still recognizable and well-wort visiting. The fact that all the scenes outside the consulate and the actual consulate building are situated in the same place, and that they are still recognizable, makes it an exquisite location.

The Şişli mosque was the first mosque built Şişli Square during the Republican era in Turkey, after 1923. It was constructed between 1945 and 1950, due to the fact that the Şişli district was lacking a mosque at the time. It had thus only been open for about ten years at the time of filming of From Russia With Love. It is designed in the classical Ottoman architectural style.

After Grant parks the Citroën, he jumps into a taxi where Klebb is waiting, and they drive off along Halaskargazi Caddesi. During their taxi ride, another mosque is very briefly seen, here.
















This mosque is, however, located in another part of Istanbul, in the Beşiktaş disctrict by the Bosporus. Despite the vast change in the city of Istanbul, a few houses seen when Grant gets into the taxi can still be recognized on location today, for instance the beige building in the second picture below.

3. Sean Connery in Istanbul - Dolmabahçe Mosque




After picking up Donald Grant outside the Russian Consulate Klebb and Grant drive off in a taxi. During the ride through Istanbul one particular building is briefly visible.

The mosque is visible behind Grant and Klebb in the taxi is the Dolmabahçe Mosque, located just by the Bosporus along the road 'Meclis-i Mebusan Caddesi'. The mosque can be found in the Beşiktaş district, approximately 15 minutes by taxi from the Galata bridge. Immediately after passing the mosque, the taxi with Grant and Klebb takes off to the left on what appears to be the street 'İnebolu Sokak'.

However, it would probably not be worth the trouble to find this location if it wasn't for the picture below, namely the photograph with Sean Connery, taken during filming. In this picture Connery is standing on the street 'Dolmabahçe Gazhane Caddesi' with the mosque visible in the background. The reason for Connery's visit to this location was for the shooting of a scene that, sadly, was deleted from the finished film.

The mosque is located right next to the Dolmabahçe Palace, which was the main administrative center of the Ottoman Empire from 1856 to 1922, and which certainly is a much more visited tourist attraction in Istanbul than the Dolmabahçe mosque. The easiest way to get here is probably to take a taxi to the Dolmabahçe Palace, but it is also possible to take one of the Bosporus ferries to the Kabataş station. From there it is just a short walk to the south.

The deleted scene that was shot here on location features Bond, Kerim and the Bulgar who is tailing Bond earlier in the film. Apparently, Bond is on his way to meet with Romanova and is trying to loose the mysterious Bulgarian pursuer. Bond hops into a taxi and takes control of the taxi's brakes, causing the Bulgar to run into the back of the taxi. A third car joins the pile-up and the driver of the third car turns out to be Kerim. As Bond makes good his escape in the Rolls Royce, Kerim simply says to the Bulgar: "My friend, this is life". This was supposedly a brilliant scene that Terence Young shot several times in order to get the long ash on Kerim's cigarette that Pedro Armendáriz insisted on. However, during a screening it was discovered that the Bulgar in this scene had actually been killed by Grant in the St Sophia earlier. Therefore, this scene was cut and to my knowledge only a few stills survived, such as the picture below. The fact that the Bulgar's Citroën appears to have crashed into Kerim's Ford in front of it, contradicts the story that Bond was in a taxi.

4. Istanbul Garı - Sirkeci Train Station




After escaping from the Russian consulate through Kerim's secret tunnel, Bond and his entourage come up very close to the Orient Express railway station in Istanbul, "İstanbul Garı".

As Bond, Tania and Kerim cross the street and run into the railway station, a fire truck is passing to give the impression that this place is located very close to the Russian consulate, where the fire is still going on. However, this location is on the other side of town from where the Russian consulate was located, namely in Sirkeci, a quarter located in the Eminönü neighborhood of the Fatih district.

The Terminal is located on the tip of Istanbul's historic peninsula right next to the Golden Horn and just northwest of Gülhane Park and the famous Topkapı Palace. The beautiful station, one of the most beautiful Bond locations in Istanbul, was built in 1890 by the Oriental Railway. Bond and Tania run across the street Ankara Caddesi and enter the station from the west entrance, and thus not the main entrance with faces the north. The kiosk where Kerim's men are waiting was located somewhere along Ankara Caddesi but the area has changed notably since 1963.

5. Orient Express from Istanbul - Sirkeci station

When Bond and Tania escapes from the Russian consulate with the Lector decoder, they follow Kerim through the secret tunnels beneath the consulate where he is waiting for them. Kerim has planned the escape route and they all come up through a hatch in the floor in a small shop, which supposedly is located just opposite the Istanbul train station. They are escaping Istanbul on the Orient Express train and arrive at the platform just as the train is about to depart.

The Istanbul train station is definitely one of the more interesting Bond locations in Istanbul, and the place is filled with history. It is from this very station that the renowned Orient Express departed for Paris, for almost a hundred years. The Orient Express began service in 1883 by the company 'Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits'. In 1889 it started operations between Paris and Istanbul, the two cities that were the original endpoints of the service and that have most prominently become associated with the Orient Express.

When Bond and Romanova is running out on the platform in the station they are spotted by Commissar Benz from the Russian consulate. Benz is the Soviet security officer in Istanbul, also stationed at the consulate, who apparently watches the airports and train stations for defectors.

Commissar Benz is having tea with another man from the Russian consulate. He recognises Romanova and immediately understands that she is defecting to Bond. Before jumping on the train he orders his man to telephone the consulate and tell them that corporal Romanova has defected to England.

The cafe or restaurant where Benz is sitting is located on the platform and is part of the original station building. There is still a restaurant located in building today although the metal fence that screened off the cafe and the platform in the film has been removed. The facade of the building and the notable round windows are however still very recognisable.

Even though the facade and exterior are very recognisable, the round windows are not seen in this first scene when Bond and Tania board the train, but later when the train makes the first stop in "Belgrade". Istanbul train station namely doubled for all the train stations in the film. The scenes both in Belgade, where Bond meets with one of Kerim's sons, and Zagreb, where Bond encounters Donald Grant for the first time (supposedly meeting with Captain Nash), were all filmed at this location. The different parts of the Sirkeci station that were used for the different train stations will be covered later.

"Now I'm sure Commissar Benz will have a much safer journey!"

Bond and Tania are entering the train station from the western entrance, which is located along the road Ankara Caddesi. Tania stops as she sees Benz at the cafe before Bond is pulling her away to the train.

The original Orient Express ceased already in 1977 but Belmond, a new private company still offers the original route from Paris to Istanbul today, with the original 1920's Orient Express carriages lovingly restored to its former glory. This Orient Express departs from Istanbul to Venice only once a year on the 2 September and a single ticket costs approximately €8500. This is probably the finest luxury experience the world has ever known.

6. Daniela Bianchi in Istanbul - Dolmabahçe clocktower

While filming From Russia With Love in Istanbul, the film team took the opportunity to photograph the main cast around famous locations around town. Connery and Bianchi were for instance photographed at the Attaürk Bridge and a promotional still of Connery were taken during the filming of the deleted scene at the Dolmabahçe Mosque, covered earlier. Were close to the Dolmabahçe Mosque is the Dolmabahçe Palace, one of the main tourist attractions in Istanbul. It is therefore not surprising that the cast visited the palace as well, probably while shooting the scene with Kerim and Bond in front of the mosque, covered here. Daniela Bianchi is seen in front of the clock tower located in the garden of the palace.

The clock tower was constructed and added to the Dolmabahçe Palace in the mid 1890's. It stands in front of its Treasury Gate on a square along the European waterfront of Bosporus, very close to the Dolmabahçe Mosque. It is designed in Ottoman neo-baroque style. Its clock was manufactured by the renowned French clock maker house of Jean-Paul Garnier.

7. Firuz Aga Camii - Stalking Tatiana

When Tatiana Romanova is on her way to drop off the architects plans of the Russian consulate, for Bond, she walks past various locations in Istanbul. Romanova is followed by one of the Bulgarians who later will face his demise in the Aya Sofia church. After walking across the Galata bridge, Romanova is passing a 15th century mosque in the historical centre of Istanbul, the Firuz Ağa Camii. At the time of filming From Russia With Love 1963, there was no trace of the surrounding city and it looks like the mosque was located in a field.

When the stalking Bulgar stops by the corner of the mosque to watch Romanova, Istanbul's famous Blue Mosque is visble. Istanbul has changed vastly since 1963 and the sandy patch of ground seen behind the Bulgar in the film has been transformed into a park.

The Firuz Ağa Camii was completed in 1491 by the man Firuz Ağa, who was the head treasurer of Sultan Beyazıt II. It is located right next to the Sultanahmet tram station, along the Divan Yolu Caddesi, which is only a few minutes from the Basilica Cistern. Surrounding the mosque is Mehmet Akif Ersoy park. The small mosque looks cramped in today's urban landscape of Istanbul.

to be continued...

50 Years Of 007. From Russia With Love. Photoset

From Russia With Love - Sean Connery wearing sunglasses in Istanbul. The film was shot on location in Istanbul in 1963 and includes lots of sweeping scenes of the City.

From Russia With Love - Tatiana Romanova (Daniela Bianchi) standing in front of the Dolmabahce clocktower. From Russia With Love, 1963. Photo-set. all images subject to copyright.

From Russia With Love - James Bond (Sean Connery) and Tatiana Romanova (Daniela Bianchi) stand on the ferry while he records her description of the Lektor encoding device.

From Russia With Love - In Istanbul, Tatiana Romanova goes to the appointment she has with Rosa Klebb (Lotte Lenya). The pretty cipher clerk doesn't know that the officer she is a about to meet is actually defected from the Russian Secret Service to SPECTRE, the criminal organisation.

From Russia With Love - Daniela Bianchi and Sean Connery relax on an Istanbul hilltop overlooking the Bosphorus. James Bond visits the airport, the railway station, the Grand Bazaar, Hagia Sophia and sails down the Bosphorus.

From Russia With Love - James Bond (Sean Connery) and Tatiana Romanova (Daniela Bianchi) stand together in front of a scenic background including the Suleymaniye Mosque.

From Russia With Love - Ian Fleming poses in front of the Orient Express on location in Turkey. During production in 1963 Ian Fleming took Dana Broccoli sightseeing on a boat on the Bosphorus. Ian Fleming had a great knowledge of the city as he had been on an assignment as a journalist the year before. He based the character Kerim Bey on his friend, Oxford-educated, Nazim Kalkaren. In Cubby Broccoli’s autobiography (The Man Who Brought James Bond 007 to the Screen), he says that in Istanbul, Ian was in his element. “He loved the sounds, the spicy smells, the bazaars, the street merchants and the belly dancers…”

From Russia With Love - Author Ian Fleming poses in front of one of the Moslem minarets in downtown Istanbul, while visiting the location of 'From Russia with Love' in Turkey.

From Russia With Love - James Bond (Sean Connery) and Tatiana Romanova (Daniela Bianchi) posing in front of the Blue Mosque. The crew were shooting in Turkey for 22 days 22nd April - 13th May 1963. On the 29th and 30th April the crew were shooting the exterior of a narrow alley and outside the Sehzade Mosque, at night.

From Russia With Love - Tatiana Romanova (Daniela Bianchi) poses in front of the Blue Mosque. Other Turkish locations include halkali region in Istanbul, kabatas ferry, pendik (Istanbul province), Adriatic Coast. In Cubby’s autobiography he writes that From Russia With Love gave him the opportunity to shoot in one of the world's most exotic places, Istanbul.

From Russia with Love Theme Song - James Bond

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