Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Ottomans conquered Egypt in 1517. After surviving a challenge to their rule by
the French from 1798 to 1801, they again lost control in 1805, this time to an
Albanian-born military commander of the Ottoman army in Egypt called
Muhammed Ali, who was given quasi-independence and the title of
hıdiv
(khedive
or viceroy) by the sultan.
The Egyptian khedives maintained close ties with the Ottoman Empire and often
spent summers in İstanbul. In 1906, Khedive Abbas Hilmi II built himself this pala-
tial art nouveau villa on the most dramatic promontory on the Bosphorus. It became
the property of the municipality in the 1930s.
Restored after decades of neglect, the villa now functions as a restaurant and cafe.
The building is an architectural gem and the garden is superb, especially during the
İstanbul International Tulip Festival in April.
The villa is a 20-minute walk from the ferry dock. Head left (north) up Halide Edip
Adivar Caddesi and turn right into the second street (Kafadar Sokak). Turn left into
Hacı Muhittin Sokağı and walk up the hill until you come to a fork in the road. Take
the left fork and follow the 'Hadiv Kasrı' signs to the villa's car park and garden.
DON'T MISS...
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The garden
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The entrance lobby
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Main dining room
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Çubuklu Yolu 32, Çubuklu
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admission free
»
9am-10pm
If the weather was good, the sultan joined the picnic, and did so in style. Sultan Abdül
3303; Küçüksu Caddesi, Beykoz; admission 5; 9.30am-4pm Tue, Wed & Fri-Sun; Küçüksu)
, an
ornate hunting lodge built in 1856-7. Earlier sultans had wooden kiosks here, but architect
