Ali Sami Yen, the former home ground of Galatasaray SK

Istanbul - Ali Sami Yen 05.02.2017: Ali Sami Yen Stadium was built in 1964 in the shape of an oval, which was typical of most Turkish stadiums at that time. Floodlights were installed a year later and Galatasaray fans were finally able to enjoy home matches of their team in the evenings too. The red and yellow stands were full of fans, dressed in the same colours and using drums, smoke bombs and flares to cheer their team on. All this contributed to the legendary and literally hellish atmosphere at the Ali Sami Yen, which earned the stadium its nickname, Cehennem, or Hell.

The stadium was built in 1964 and named after the club founder. However, the stadium would have been built much earlier, were it not for the Second World War which led to the postponement of the construction for twenty years. It is interesting to note that during those twenty years Galatasaray played their home matches at İnönü Stadium, originally the municipal stadium and the home ground of Besiktas Istanbul.

The original capacity of the stadium was 35,000 but during the last few years it was significantly reduced to 23,477. From 1972 to 1980 the Ali Sami Yen was closed due to unsatisfactory condition of the pitch. The entire stadium was in poor condition and it was eight long years before Galatasaray could return to their home ground. In 1993 the stadium was turned into an all-seater and the capacity was thus decreased further, to 22,800 seats.

Photo: QWL

Due to renovation works, which had to be done after the 1999 earthquake, Galatasaray played their home matches also at Atatürk Olympiat Stadi, the national stadium. In January 2011 the club moved to the new stadium, Türk Telekom Arena and soon after that the legendary Ali Sami Yen was demolished.