Yıldız Palace
and park covered an area of
500.000 square meters on the
hillside overlooking the Bosphorus between Besiktas,
Ortakoy
and Balmumcu. This area of
natural woodland became
known as Kazancıoglu
Park after the Turkish
conquest, and probably
became an imperial estate
during the reign of Sultan
Ahmed I (1603-1617).
Sultan Murad
IV. (1623-1640) is known to
have enjoyed excursions
here, and Selim III
(1789-1807) had a country
pavilion or kosk
known as Yıldız built here
for his mother Mihrisah
Valide Sultan. It is after
this kosk
that the park came to be
named.
 Selim’s
successor Sultan Mahmud II
(1808-1839), Sultan Abdulmecid
(1839-1861) and Sultan Abdulaziz
(1861-1876) had new mansions
and pavilions constructed in
the park, and in the late l9th century Sultan Abdulhamid
(1876-1909) abandoned Dolmabahce to make this complex his
home. He greatly expanded
the palace with many new
buildings during his reign.
Yıldız Palace
became the fourth seat of Ottoman government in Istanbul,
after Eski Saray (the Old
Palace) which stood where Istanbul University is today, Topkapı
Palace and Dolmabahce
Palace.
The section
of Yıldız Palace named Sale
(after the Swiss chalet
which it was designed to
resemble) is one of the most
interesting examples of l9th century Ottoman architecture. Set in its own
walled garden, Sale
consists of three adjoining
sections built at different
dates.
The original section dates
from 1880, the second
section designed by Sarkis
Balyan from 1889, and the
third section known as the
Merasim Kosk
(literally Ceremonial
Pavilion) was designed by
the Italian architect
Raimondo D’Aronco and
completed in 1898. Each of
the additional wings was
built for two separate state
visits by the German emperor
Wilhelm II, since
accommodating state guests
was one of the Sale’s
main functions.
The building
has two main storeys and a
basement, and is built of
both timber and masonry. In
keeping with traditional
Ottoman houses, the Sale
consists of two separate
sections which could be used
as Harem and Selamlik
when required. There are
seven entrances, and the
windows have wooden
shutters. Three elegant
staircases, one of marble
and the other two of wood,
connect the two main floors.
 The informal
air of a country house is
deceptive, as both the scale
of the building and the
opulence of the interior
show. Behind the façade we
find not a modest pavilion
but a small palace, whose
grandiose reception rooms
are decorated with mural
landscapes, geometric
moulding, and painted
designs in a mixture of
Baroque, Rococo and Islamic
style.
Most imposing
of all is the Ceremonial
Hall, with its single piece Hereke carpet, custom made
to fit the room and
measuring 406 square meters,
its gilded coffered ceiling
and large pier mirrors. The
Banqueting Room has a more
oriental atmosphere with
doors intricately inlaid
with mother-of-pearl, while
the focal point of the
Yellow Room is the
landscapes which adorn the
ceiling. The valuable
furnishings imported from
various European countries,
the elegant porcelain
stoves, magnificent vases,
and splendidly carved
bedroom suites bear witness
to the sumptuous tastes of
the period.
After the
fall of the monarchy the Sale
was for a time run as a high
class casino, before being
restored to its original
function as a guest house
for visiting heads of state
and royalty. Among the
famous names who have stayed
here are Sah
Riza
Pehlevi of Iran, King Faisal
of Saudi Arabia, King Huseyin
of Jordan, President Sukarno
of Indonesia, King Haile
Selassie of Ethiopia, and
Preiesident De Gaulle of
France.
Today the Sale
at Yıldız Palace is open to
the public as a
museum-palace, and private
receptions are held in its
gardens
Open daily between
8:30-5:00 p.m. except
Mondays & Thursdays |
