YILDIZ PALACE
Yildiz
Palace and park covered an area of 500.000 square meters on the hillside
overlooking the Bosphorus between Besiktas,
Ortaköy and Balmumcu. This area of natural woodland became known as
Kazancioglu 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 kösk known as Yildiz built here for his mother Mihrisah Valide Sultan. It is after this kösk that the park came to be named.
Selim’s successor Sultan Mahmud II (1808-1839), Sultan Abdülmecid
(1839-1861) and Sultan Abdülaziz (1861-1876) had new mansions and
pavilions constructed in the park, and in the late l9th century Sultan
Abdülhamid (1876-1909) abandoned Dolmabahçe to make this
complex his home. He greatly expanded the palace with many new buildings
during his reign.
Yildiz Palace became the fourth seat of Ottoman government in Istanbul, after Eski Saray (the Old Palace) which stood where Istanbul University is today, Topkapi Palace and Dolmabahçe Palace.
The
section of Yildiz 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 Kösk (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 metres, 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 sumptious 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 Hüseyin
of Jordan, President Sukarno of Indonesia, King Haile Selassie
of Ethiopia, and Preiesident De Gaulle of France.
Today the Sale at Yildiz Palace is open to the public as a museum-palace,
and private receptions are held in its gardens.