Küçüksu Pavilion ( tr, Küçüksu Kasrı), Littlewater Pavilion a.k.a. Göksu (Skywater) Pavilion, is a summer pavilion in Istanbul, Turkey, situated in the Küçüksu neighborhood of Beykoz district on the Asian shore of the

Bosphorus The Bosporus Strait (; grc, Βόσπορος ; tr, İstanbul Boğazı 'Istanbul strait', colloquially ''Boğaz'') or Bosphorus Strait is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul in northwestern Tu ...

between Anadoluhisarı and the

Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge The Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge ("Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror Bridge"), also known as the Second Bosphorus Bridge (in Turkish: ''Fatih Sultan Mehmet Köprüsü'', ''F.S.M. Köprüsü'' or ''2. Köprü''), is a bridge in Istanbul, Turkey spanni ...

. The pavilion was used by Ottoman

sultan Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...

s for short stays during country excursions and hunting.

History

The pavilion was commissioned by Sultan Abd-ul-Mejid I (1823–1861), and designed by the architects Garabet Amira Balyan and his son

Nigoğayos Balyan The Balyan family ( hy, Պալեաններ; tr, Balyan ailesi or ''Palyan ailesi'') was a prominent Armenian family in the Ottoman Empire consisting of court architects in the service of Ottoman sultans and other members of the Ottoman dynast ...

in the neo-baroque style. Completed in 1857, the structure took the place of a two-storey timber palace built during the reign of

Mahmud I Mahmud I ( ota, محمود اول, tr, I. Mahmud, 2 August 1696 13 December 1754), known as Mahmud the Hunchback, was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1730 to 1754. He took over the throne after the Patrona Halil rebellion and he kept goo ...

(1696–1754) by his

Grand Vizier Grand vizier ( fa, وزيرِ اعظم, vazîr-i aʾzam; ota, صدر اعظم, sadr-ı aʾzam; tr, sadrazam) was the title of the effective head of government of many sovereign states in the Islamic world. The office of Grand Vizier was first ...

Divittar Mehmed Pasha, then successively used by

Selim III Selim III ( ota, سليم ثالث, Selim-i sâlis; tr, III. Selim; was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1789 to 1807. Regarded as an enlightened ruler, the Janissaries eventually deposed and imprisoned him, and placed his cousin Mustafa ...

(1761–1808) and Mahmud II (1785–1839). Kucuksu Palace 2

The building consists of two main stories and a basement on a footprint of 15 x 27 m. Unlike other pavilion gardens with high walls, its garden is surrounded by cast iron railings with one gate at each of the four sides. The basement was appointed with kitchen, larder, and servant's quarters, with the floors above reflecting the design of a traditional Turkish house - four corner rooms surrounding a central hall. The rooms at the waterfront have two fireplaces while the others have one each, all fashioned from colorful Italian marble. The rooms boast crystal chandeliers from

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

, with curtains, furniture upholstery, and carpets woven in Hereke. The halls and the rooms exhibit paintings and arts objects;

Charles Séchan Charles Polycarpe Séchan (29 June 1803 – 14 September 1874) was a French painter and theatre designer. Life Born in Paris, son of the tailor merchant Jean-Fris Séchan, he lost his parents, who had no fortune, very early on. He learned the ...

, stage designer at Vienna State Opera, was charged with the decoration of the interior. During the reign of

Abdulaziz Abdulaziz ( ota, عبد العزيز, ʿAbdü'l-ʿAzîz; tr, Abdülaziz; 8 February 18304 June 1876) was the 32nd List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and reigned from 25 June 1861 to 30 May 1876, when he was 187 ...

(1830–1876), more elaborate decoration was added to the façade; some of the original garden outbuildings were demolished at that time. In the beginning of the Republican era, the site was used as a state guesthouse for some years. Since a thorough restoration in 1944, the palace has been open to the public as a museum. The pavilion appeared in the James Bond film ''" The World Is Not Enough"'' as the mansion of oil heiress Elektra King in

Baku Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world a ...

. It also appeared in popular Bollywood film '' Ek Tha Tiger''.

References

Küçüksu Pavilion at Turkish Parliament’s website

Literature

* Hakan Gülsün. ''Küçüksu Pavilion''. TBMM, Istanbul, 1995.

Gallery

File:Kucuksu Palace 8845.jpg, Kücüksü Pavilion South side File:Kucuksu Palace 8877.jpg, Kücüksü Pavilion South-west side File:Kucuksu Palace 8853.jpg, Kücüksü Pavilion North side File:Kucuksu Palace 8856.jpg, Kücüksü Pavilion North side stairs File:Kücüksü Palace 8875.jpg, Kucuksu Pavilion Interior

External links

Directorate of National Palaces , Küçüksu Pavilion
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kucuksu Palace Ottoman palaces in Istanbul Museums in Istanbul Nigoğayos Balyan buildings Houses completed in 1857 Bosphorus Baroque Revival architecture in Turkey Tourism in Istanbul Historic house museums in Turkey 1857 establishments in the Ottoman Empire Beykoz

History

See also

References

Literature

Gallery

External links