Background and design: Though the incidence of cutaneous tuberculosis is decreased in developed countries, it is still prevalent in Asian and African countries. Many cases with cutaneous tuberculosis were reported from various regions of Turkey in the second part of the 20th century. The clinical forms of cutaneous tuberculosis may show some differences depending on the geographic distribution. Materials and Methods: Sixty-four cases of cutaneous tuberculosis diagnosed from January 1988 to December 2000 in the Dermatology department of Istanbul Medical Faculty were studied retrospectively. The epidemiologic and some clinical features of the disease were investigated. Results: The number of cutaneous tuberculosis cases showed tendency to decrease during this period. Lupus vulgaris was the most common clinical form (79.8 %) of the disease and this was followed by scrofuloderma (15.6 %) and tuberculosis verrucosa cutis (4.6 %). Lupus vulgaris lesions had a predilection for the cheek and scrofuloderma lesions had a predilection for the neck. Conclusions: Cutaneous tuberculosis still continues to be encountered in the Dermatology clinics in Turkey but with a decreasing frequency. Lupus vulgaris seems to be the most commmon form of the disease in Istanbul.