Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
TOP SIGHTS
BEYLERBEYI PALACE
Every sultan needs a place to escape to, and this 26-room palace was the place for
Abdül Aziz I (r 1861-76). The baroque-style building was designed by Sarkis
Balyan, brother of Nikoğos (architect of Dolmabahçe), and it delighted both Abdül
Aziz and the foreign dignitaries who visited. The palace's last imperial 'guest' was
the former sultan Abdül Hamit II, who spent the last years of his life (1913-18) un-
der house arrest here.
The compulsory guided tour whips you past rooms decorated with frescos of mari-
time scenes, Bohemian crystal chandeliers, Ming vases and sumptuous Hereke car-
pets. It has a grand Selamlik (ceremonial quarters) and a small but opulent harem.
Highlights include the music room with inlaid walnut walls, a sitting room with par-
quet floors and walls inlaid with ebony and wood, and a dining room with chairs
covered in gazelle skin. After the tour, enjoy a glass of tea in the pretty garden cafe.
Unfortunately, the Uzun Boğaz Turu (Long Bosphorus Tour) doesn't stop at Beyler-
beyi. You can either visit at another time or alight at the ferry's last stop in Anadolu
Kavağı and make your way back here by bus along the Asian shore.
DON'T MISS...
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Interior
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Bathing Pavilions
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Garden Cafe
PRACTICALITIES
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Beylerbeyi Sarayı
»
Abdullah Ağa Caddesi, Beylerbeyi
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admission 20
