Description
Built between 1863 and 1965, Beylerbeyi is a palace overlooking the vast blue of the Bosphorus. A glorious 19th-century monument that impresses with its set gardens and fascinates with its mansions, Beylerbeyi is a unique place where history and historical characters merge with the present.
Beylerbeyi Palace and its location has been home to different structures since the Byzantine Period. The region was known as the “Garden of the Cross” from the Byzantine era until the beginning of the 19th century, with the first palatial building was constructed under orders from Mahmud II. Following a fire, Sultan Abdülaziz had the building demolished and rebuilt in order to strengthen the structure. The palace acquired its present appearance, along with its additional buildings covering an area of 3000 square meters, between the years 1863 and 1965.
Today, the main structure of the Mabeyn and Harem sections is open to visitors, as well as its additional structures serving different purposes: the sea pavilions, the historical tunnel connecting Üsküdar and Beylerbeyi, Yellow Pavilion, Marble Pavilion and the Barn Stables are also noteworthy.
Beylerbeyi Palace, which shows the effects of western style on its exterior and features of the classical Ottoman palace structure inside, has been mostly used as a summer palace since its construction. The notion that Beylerbeyi is also a guest house allocated to high-level state guests, hosting Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph, French Emperor Napoleon III’s wife, Empress Eugénie, the German Emperor Wilhelm II, and Prince Nikola of Montenegro among others.
