|
Beylerbeyi Palace |
|
 The Asian counterpart to the palaces that were built one after the other on the European side, is
Beylerbeyi Sarayi (Beylerbeyi Palace). The beauty of Beylerbeyi Set Bahçeleri (Beylerbeyi Terrace Gardens), which used to be called istavroz Bahçeleri (The Gardens of the Cross) because of a crucifix erected by the Byzantine Emperor Constantine the Great, influenced the building of more impressive structures around the district since the Byzantine period. The district was named after the waterside mansion of Rumeli Beylerbeyi Mehmet Pasha, during the reign of Sultan Murat III (1574-1595).
|
|
|
 |
|
|
The original wooden palace built during the
reign of Sultan Mahmud II burned down and, finally, Sultan
Abdülaziz had the present palace built between 1861 and 1865.
Five thousand workers were required for the construction and the
architect was Sarkis Balyan. The interior decoration of the
palace resembles the traditional Turkish house plan where corner
rooms open to a hall in the middle that divides the two sections,
the harem and the selamlık. The decoration and
structure of the Selamlık is much richer than that of the Harem.
The palace has three levels in each pan and a total of 3
entrances. 6 lounges, and 26 rooms. To counter the damp and hot
weather the flor was covered with rush marting.
originally brought from Egypt.
Its terraced gardens rising up the slopes are what make
Beylerbeyi Palace significantly different from other late
Ottoman palaces. The mansions in the gardens and the large pool
remain from the old palace.
|
 Among
these, the most architecturally interesting of the period are
San Kosk (Yellow Mansion), located around the pool in the upper
garden, and Ahır Kosku (Mansion Stable) that housed the horses
of the sultan. These two an the Mermer Kosk (Marble Villa), to
the left of the old palace, remain as the most important
buildings of
Ottoman palatial architecture.
An intriguing feature of this palace is the tunnel that runs
under the gardens. The inscription on the historical fountain,
which is situated in the middle of the tunnel, is the name of
Sultan Mahmud II, which provides an important hint regarding the
date of the palace.
Used as summer palace, Beylerbeyi undertook a significant
function as a place to receive and host foreign guests. Some of
these guests were the Prince of Serbia, the King of Montenegro,
the Shah of Iran and Empress Eugenie of France. Besides the
architectural characteristics, the palace can be regarded as a
gallery of fine arts with large carpets and kilim (woven rugs),
chandeliers of
Bohemian crystal, French clocks, Chinese, Japanese, and French
vases, and garden statues.
|
|
Anatolian Kavak and Lighthouse