Otağ-ı Hümayun (Davutpaşa Kasrı)

Otağ-ı Hümayun is a two storey Ottoman pavilion of cut stone standing inside the Davutpaşa Campus of Yıldız Technical University in Esenler. Sources also call it the Davutpaşa Pavilion, the Davutpaşa Palace, the Taşköşk or Stone Pavilion and the Hünkar Pavilion. The building stands on the Davutpaşa plain, beside the old caravan road that ran outside the city walls from Topkapı towards Edirne. According to the TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, it sits at a commanding point on the east facing slope of the hill between the Çırpıcı and Haznedar streams. The area takes its name from Koca Davud Pasha, grand vizier under Bayezid II; he is known to have built the first pavilion here. The Davutpaşa plain was the first gathering and camping place when the army set out on campaign to the west. If the sultan was not going on campaign himself, he saw the army off from the pavilion here and welcomed it back at the same place. According to the history page of the Esenler Municipality, if the sultan was at the head of the army, the night was spent here and the march began the next day. Over time the palace grew into a large complex of pavilions, pools, bathhouses, service buildings and stables, but of all these only this stone pavilion still stands. Sources give different views on the date of the present building. According to the article in the TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, an archive document shows that the pavilion was built under Mehmed III, between 1595 and 1603, and that its architect was the chief court architect Dalgıç Ahmed Ağa. This document of 1603 asks for tiles from İznik for the newly built pavilion, which means its interior decoration was not yet finished. The pavilion was completed under Ahmed I; the verse inscription on the room fountain on the lower floor carries his pen name. The pavilion saw its finest days under Mehmed IV, known for his passion for hunting, and in these years it became a palace where the court stayed for long periods. According to the TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, Mehmed III spent the night in this pavilion in 1596 on his way back from the Eger campaign, and a great ceremony was held on the plain in front of it the next day. Two range stones on the plain, dated 1603-1604 and 1606-1607, record that Mehmed III and Ahmed I shot arrows here. After 1687 the palace's fortunes began to fade and its buildings gradually fell down. The Davutpaşa Barracks, begun under Mahmud II in 1826-1827, were completed in 1831-1832 and changed the look of the plain. In 1843 it was decided to turn the pavilion into a store, and later, with its windows walled up, it was used as the barracks' ammunition depot. A restoration was carried out on the pavilion in 1957. In 1938 the architect Sedat Çetintaş had the rubble inside cleared, the later walls removed and the walled up windows opened. In 1999 the barracks site was handed over to Yıldız Technical University. After a nine month restoration carried out jointly by the university and the agency of the Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture programme, the building opened as a cultural centre in December 2010. In the pavilion, the main room of the lower floor is a square with sides of 10.50 metres, covered by a ribbed cross vault. Above the great hall on the upper floor rises a dome about 10 metres across, set on an octagonal drum. Both floors are arranged with two rows of windows so that they receive plenty of light. The two entrance porches on the west facade are sheltered by pointed arches resting on single columns with lozenge capitals, and their tops are terraces facing east. On a visit, first look at the western entrance facade from the front; the two storey window pattern and the projecting balcony in the middle read best from this direction. Then walk around the building to see the projection with a pointed arch on the east side. Near the building there is also a fountain dated 1849, which was moved here later and restored in 2019. Inside, look for remains of painted decoration on the vaults of the lower floor and traces of relief ornament on the pendentives of the upper floor. Because it is inside the campus, access to the pavilion depends on the university's security rules and events calendar; ask the university about visiting conditions before you go. The campus can be reached by İETT buses, and current routes should be checked with İETT. The historic Davutpaşa Barracks inside the campus are a natural part of the visit and, together with the pavilion, tell the military history of the area.