Beylerbeyi Palace: Sultan’s Summer Home

An amazing palace from Ottoman Empire

The settlement of Beylerbeyi and its surroundings as a residential area dates back to ancient times, reaching as far as the Byzantine period. Over different historical periods, various structures were built in the area. After a wooden palace, constructed during the reign of Sultan Mahmud II (1808-1839), was destroyed by fire, Sultan Abdulaziz had the palace and its annexes rebuilt between 1863 and 1865.

Sultan Abdülaziz had a passion for the sea and for the Ottoman navy, which in his reign grew to become the third largest in the world. He also added to the Empire’s debts by investing in palace building in stone and marble, notably this summer residence and guesthouse overlooking the sea on the Anatolian shore. Designed by Sarkis Balyan and his brother, Agop, Beylerbeyi was ready in 1864 after just three years (musicians kept up the builders’ flagging spirits). The brothers also built the two small octagonal seaside pavilions with curved roofs imitating tents.

The palace’s interior architecture combines various Western and Eastern styles, yet its functional layout is reminiscent of a traditional Turkish house. The three-story structure, including its basement, contains 24 rooms and 6 grand halls. Some of its most distinctive decorative elements include floors covered with mats imported from Egypt, Turkish Hereke carpets, French Baccarat crystal chandeliers, clocks crafted in England, France, and the Istanbul-Haliç Shipyard, and porcelain vases from China, Japan, France, Germany, and the Turkish Yıldız Factory.

The palace’s exterior, graced with numerous columns, has carved garlands of fig and quince. Inside, allusions to the sea abound: ships in the ceiling frescoes, knots in the gilt plaster, and a dolphin fountain in the Havuzlu (Pool) Room.

Beylerbeyi Palace was designed as a summer palace, primarily used to host foreign dignitaries. Some of its most notable guests included Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria-Hungary (1869), Empress Eugénie of France (1869), Prince Nikola of Montenegro (1874), and Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany. Additionally, Sultan Abdulhamid II spent the final six years of his life in exile here after being deposed, passing away in the palace in 1918.

How to go to Beylerbeyi Palace – Museum ?

From the European shore, take a taxi over the First Bosphorus Bridge, or a boat from Beşiktaş to Üsküdar, then a taxi, bus or minibus. The palace is just upstream from the bridge.

Opening Hours 09.00- 17.00,

Closed on mondays.