Graffiti in Istanbul has roots far deeper than the bold tags you see in Beyoğlu today. The tradition of leaving one’s mark goes back to Byzantine and Ottoman times, when sailors, travelers, and merchants carved symbols into stone walls around the city. Modern street art began taking shape in the 1990s as Istanbul opened culturally and politically, with young artists adopting global hip-hop influences while blending them with local identity, humor, and social commentary. By th