ÇiÇek Passage, one of the first places that comes to mind when Istiklal Street is mentioned, has a very long story. Before the present building, there was another passage, Hristaki Passage, also known as Cite de Pera, in the place of Çiçek Passage, and this passage was named after the wealthy banker Hristaki Zogfaros, who had the passage built.
Çiçek Passage was built on the site of the Naum Theatre, which was in service between 1844 and 1870 but was destroyed by the fire in 1870. In addition to plays, important works from Italian opera were often staged at the Naum Theater, the second theater building of Istanbul, run by Mihail Naum.