Turkey's first modern stadium was extensively renovated in 2004, when the running track was removed and the capactity increased to 32,000. Even so, with two of the İnönü's former tenants, Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe, now attracting crowds of over fifty thousand at newly developed arenas, Beşiktaş have long been looking to upgrade their own facilties. At the end of the current season, the club will groundshare while a 42,000 capacity stadium, modelled in part on Hamburg's Imtech Arena, is constructed on the site of the İnönü. As part of the €120 million project, the pitch will be lowered another nine metres, while the Eski Açık tribune, a protected national monument, will be covered in glass and preserved.
The ground, which was built on the stables of Dolmabahçe Palace, is easily reached on foot from Taksim or by a short uphill climb from the ferry landing and tram stop at Kabataş. Alternatively, you can see its floodlights behind the minarets of Dolmabahçe from the deck of a tour boat:
Or the downhill, cross-continental view over the Bosphorus to Asia:
