EUR
enThe Yıldız Palace and Park Complex in Istanbul opens its doors to visitors. Entrance until the end of August - free.
Built on a hill overlooking the Bosphorus and the Sea of Marble, the Jyldız Palace is the last major palace built by the Ottoman Empire in Istanbul. It continues the tradition of Turkish-Islamic palace architecture with its layout "Palace in the east (State administration and harem) and Friday Mosque in the west (Yildiz Hamidiye Mosque)" in the context of the overall site plan. The Yildiz Palace, whose area is 500,000 m2, consists of 3 large parts. The first is the main palace, where the structures related to the administration of the state are located, the second is the private part belonging to the sultan and his harem, and the third part consists of the external garden and its surrounding structures. The so-called outdoor garden is today’s Yildiz Park. This large park, which was designed for the palace during the Sultan’s reign, is now open to the public. In this part, which at that time housed many mansions and buildings, only the mansions of Ceadir, Malta and Chalet survived to this day.
The first pavilion in the Jyldiz Palace was built during the reign of Sultan Selim III (1789-1807). Although subsequent sultans showed interest in the groves and gardens in the area, the name Yildiz Palace became synonymous with Sultan Abdulhamid II (1876-1909). The Sultan named the area the "Jyldiz Palace", designating it as his main residence, and ruled the country from this palace for 33 years. The Yildiz Palace, which lies between Besiktash and Ortakey, is a collection of pavilions with gardens, ponds, trees, greenhouses and mansions whose functions differ from those of other palaces in Istanbul. Sultan Abdulhamid II, who had such workshops as the theatre, museum, library, pharmacy, zoo, animal hospital, carpentry, iron factory, and industrial buildings such as the tile factory, He also placed near the palace the famous II Division of the First Army (barracks Orhanie and Ertugrul). It is believed that up to 12,000 people lived in the palace during this period, including those who directly or indirectly serviced the palace.
Yildiz Palace is the last administrative center of the Ottoman Empire and the last residence of the Sultan. Until the end of August, the palace and park complex can be visited for free.
Yıldız Mah. Palanga Cad. No:57 Beşiktaş/İstanbul
