A yalı (Turkish: yalı, from Greek yiáli γιαλή (mod. γιαλός), literally "seashore, beach") is a house or mansion constructed at immediate waterside (almost exclusively seaside, particularly on the Bosphorus strait in Istanbul) and usually built with an architectural concept that takes into account the characteristics of the coastal location. A family who owned a waterside residence would spend some time in this usually secondary residence located at the sea shore, as opposed to the "konak" (mansion, aside from the term's use to refer to buildings with administrative functions) or the "köşk" (pavilion, often serving a determined practical purpose, such as hunting, or implying a temporary nature). Thus, going to the "yalı" acquired the sense of both going to the seaside and to the house situated there. In its contemporary sense, the term "yalı" is used primarily to denote the total amount of 620 waterside residences, mostly dating from the 19th century (some of them date from the 18th century, and some from the early 20th century), sprinkled along the Bosphorus in Istanbul. As such, they constitute one of the city's landmarks.
YAL or Yal can mean:
Yal (from Dutch: jol to Russian: ял) – Russian and Soviet Naval transom stern light weight rowing-boat with one removable mast and sailing gear. A small yal is sometimes called a yalik, the diminutive form of yal. Yals have been used as life-boats, mooring boats, supply boats, and small fishing boats since the 19th century.
Yals can be used for communication with the shore, working alongside a larger boat (as for mooring operations, kedge operations, etc.), for light cargo or personnel transportation, or for supply operations. They are also popular for sport and tourism purposes.
The six-oar, four-oar and two-oar yals have one mast used to support two quadlilateral standing split-lug sails. Wooden yals are constructed of oak keels, stem and stern posts, ash thwarts and gratings, and pine or laminated glued spruce strakes.
Types of yals according to the materials used for the manufacture of distinguished: