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
