Abdülhamid II's World on Yıldız Hill

The Ihlamur valley between Beşiktaş and Nişantaşı was, from the 18th century to the early 20th, a pleasure ground shaded by linden and plane trees with the Fulya stream running through it. Under Ahmed III it became a royal garden. On the slope, target stones still record the archery contests of Selim III and Mahmud II, inscribed with the distances and dates of their shots. The French poet Lamartine was Abdülmecid's guest here in 1846 and wrote that this small vineyard pavilion was the sultan's favourite. Between 1849 and 1855 Abdülmecid replaced it with two pavilions and named the place Nüzhetiye, meaning freshness and joy.

Stand in front of the Ceremonial Pavilion, built for ceremonies and diplomatic receptions, and look at its staircase with Baroque lines and its lively reliefs; inside are furniture in European styles and a Western-influenced decorative scheme. The Retinue Pavilion, reserved for the sultan's retinue and harem, is plainer: a traditional plan of corner rooms opening onto a central hall, with walls finished in marble-effect stucco. The pavilions were arranged as the Tanzimat Museum in 1951, passed to the National Palaces in 1966 and opened as a palace museum in 1985. Come between February and June and you will find the magnolias around the lion fountain in flower; according to the National Palaces, magnolias entered the palace gardens under Abdülaziz and more species were added under Abdülhamid II. Closed on Mondays; there is also a separate garden-only ticket.

Source: Milli Saraylar Başkanlığı; Wikipedia.

At the top of Barbaros Boulevard, at the entrance to Yıldız Palace, stands the Friday mosque that Abdülhamid II built beside his palace. Its official name is Hamidiye, but it is better known as the Yıldız Mosque. The TDV Encyclopedia of Islam dates its construction to 1881-1885 and says its architect was a builder in the palace works administration known in Ottoman sources as Nikolaki Kalfa; some sources name Sarkis Balyan instead. As the National Palaces describe it, the palace plan follows the Turkish-Islamic palace tradition of a palace in the east and a Friday mosque in the west, and this mosque holds the western end of that plan.

In keeping with the taste of its day, the building combines Orientalist and neo-Gothic elements. The small, high dome of its rectangular prayer hall sits near the entrance rather than above the mihrab, and the neo-Gothic windows of its sixteen-windowed drum let in plenty of light. Inside, look up at the dome: the stars on a deep blue ground echo the palace's name. Instead of the pair of minarets usual in sultans' mosques there is a single minaret with a fluted shaft. The cedar screens of the royal loge are recorded as Abdülhamid II's own handiwork; carpentry was the sultan's best-known pastime. The clock tower beside the mosque dates from 1890 and matches its style. In Abdülhamid's time the Friday procession ceremonies were held here. Visit outside prayer times and avoid Friday noon; wear clothing that covers shoulders and knees, women should cover their hair, take off your shoes at the entrance and keep your voice low inside.

Source: TDV İslam Ansiklopedisi; Milli Saraylar Başkanlığı; Wikipedia.

The groves where Yıldız Palace stands were a royal hunting ground from the reign of Süleyman the Magnificent and a place of hunting and rest in the 17th and 18th centuries; the first pavilion here was built under Selim III for his mother Mihrişah Sultan, and Abdülmecid and Abdülaziz added pavilions of their own. But the palace became identified with Abdülhamid II: he named it the Imperial Palace of Yıldız, made it his main residence and spent 33 years of his reign here. According to the National Palaces it had three parts: the main palace with the buildings of state administration, the private quarters of the sultan and his harem, and the outer garden that is today's Yıldız Park. Used by military schools after 1924, the buildings passed to the National Palaces in 2018 and, after restoration, the palace opened as a museum in 2024.

On your visit, give extra time to the harem buildings, the Small Mabeyn and the Hasbahçe garden; the National Palaces note that the Museum Pass is not valid in these three sections, so buy your ticket accordingly. The Hasbahçe pool is laid out like a natural stream, with small resting pavilions around it. The Şale Pavilion, one of three buildings that survive from the outer garden, grew in stages added by Sarkis Balyan in 1877-1879 and 1889 and by Raimondo D'Aronco in 1898; it is known for the mother-of-pearl hall built for Emperor Wilhelm II's visits and a reception hall with a single carpet of over 400 square metres. Check with the National Palaces whether its interiors are open on the day of your visit. The palace is closed on Wednesdays.

Source: Milli Saraylar Başkanlığı; Kültür Portalı; Wikipedia.

On the upper edge of Yıldız Park, on Palanga Avenue, this building is both a museum and a working factory. To revive the traditional arts of tiles and porcelain, Abdülhamid II had the Imperial Yıldız Tile Factory set up in the palace garden in the early 1890s, modelled on the porcelain works attached to European courts. Badly damaged in 1894, the building was rebuilt the same year by the Italian architect Raimondo D'Aronco. The aim was to supply the porcelain of the palaces and pavilions and to present the Ottoman state to the world through its products; some special pieces were given as gifts to foreign royal houses.

Every piece made here carries the crescent-and-star mark, with the factory's founding year and the year of production just below it. Plates and vases painting the pavilions, gardens and architecture of the period in a realistic style are also valuable as records of buildings that have since disappeared. Production stopped in 1909 when Abdülhamid was deposed; after the factory was attached to the Imperial Museum in 1910 it restarted on the initiative of Osman Hamdi Bey and continued until 1920. Transferred to Sümerbank in 1959, it has been part of the National Palaces since 1995. Today it makes wall plates, vases, sweet dishes and coffee and tea sets inspired by traditional motifs. The visit covers the factory's hand-decoration section, for which tickets are sold. The factory is closed on public and religious holidays; check current visiting arrangements with the National Palaces.

Source: Milli Saraylar Başkanlığı; Wikipedia.

Yıldız Park is the palace's outer garden. Once the rear grove of Çırağan Palace, it became the outer woodland of Yıldız Palace as the palace was enlarged after 1877; reserved for the palace in the days of the sultanate, it is now open to everyone as a city park of more than 36 hectares. According to the National Palaces, of the many pavilions in the outer garden only the Çadır, Malta and Şale pavilions survive. Entering the park beside the porcelain factory and walking downhill, you first reach the Malta Pavilion. It takes its name from the stone brought from Malta in Abdülaziz's reign, and English Wikipedia names Sarkis Balyan as its architect. You can step inside to see the ceiling decoration, marble details and gilded mirror; the pavilion now serves food and drink.

Further down, in front of one of the park's two large ponds, the Çadır Pavilion was built in 1871 at Abdülaziz's request. With its cut-stone facade dominated by white and red, its curving double staircase and its symmetrical plan, it is a plain but graceful building. The park has ponds, waterfalls, wooden bridges and walking paths, and a suspension footbridge crosses the artificial channel that starts at the Çırağan Avenue gate. Take a break at one of the viewpoints over the Bosphorus and picture the palace garden that once ran down to the sea. The route ends at the Çırağan Avenue gate, from where you can walk along the shore to Beşiktaş or Ortaköy.

Source: Milli Saraylar Başkanlığı; Wikipedia.