Çırağan Palace ( tr, Çırağan Sarayı), a former Ottoman

palace A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

, is now a

five-star hotel Hotel ratings are often used to classify hotels according to their quality. From the initial purpose of informing travellers on basic facilities that can be expected, the objectives of hotel rating have expanded into a focus on the hotel experie ...

in the

Kempinski Hotels Kempinski Hotels S.A., commonly known as Kempinski, is a luxury hotel management company headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. Founded in Berlin in 1897 as the ''Hotelbetriebs-Aktiengesellschaft'', the group currently operates 78 five-star ho ...

chain. It is located on the

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

an shore of the

Bosporus 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 T ...

, between

Beşiktaş Beşiktaş () is a district and municipality of Istanbul, Turkey, located on the European shore of the Bosphorus strait. It is bordered on the north by Sarıyer and Şişli, on the west by Kağıthane and Şişli, on the south by Beyoğlu, and ...

and

Ortaköy Ortaköy ( ''Middle Village)'' is a neighbourhood within the Beşiktaş district of Istanbul, Turkey, on the European shore of the Bosphorus. it was originally a small fishing village, known in Greek as Agios Fokas (Άγιος Φωκάς) in t ...

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

. The Sultan's Suite, billed at per night, is ranked number 14 on ''World's 15 most expensive hotel suites'' compiled by CNN Go in 2012.Arnold, Hele

''CNN Go''. 25 March 2012. Retrieved 2014-10-09

History

The palace, built by Sultan

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 ...

, was designed by the

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

palace architect

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 dyna ...

and constructed by his sons Sarkis and

Hagop 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 ...

between 1863 and 1867, during a period in which all Ottoman sultans built their own palaces rather than using those of their ancestors; Çırağan Palace is the last example of this tradition. The inner walls and the roof were made of wood, the outer walls of colorful marble. A beautiful marble bridge connects the palace to the

Yıldız Palace Yıldız Palace ( tr, Yıldız Sarayı, ) is a vast complex of former imperial Ottoman pavilions and villas in Istanbul, Turkey, built in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was used as a residence by the sultan and his court in the late 19th ...

on the hill behind. A very high garden wall protects the palace from the outer world. The construction and the interior decoration of the palace continued until 1872. Sultan Abdulaziz did not live long in his magnificent palace - he was found dead inside on 30 May 1876, shortly after he was dethroned. His successor, his nephew Sultan

Murad V Murad V ( ota, مراد خامس, translit=Murâd-ı ḫâmis; tr, V. Murad; 21 September 1840 – 29 August 1904) was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire who reigned from 30 May to 31 August 1876. The son of Abdulmejid I, he supported the ...

, moved into Çırağan Palace, but reigned for only 93 days. He was deposed by his brother

Abdul Hamid II Abdülhamid or Abdul Hamid II ( ota, عبد الحميد ثانی, Abd ül-Hamid-i Sani; tr, II. Abdülhamid; 21 September 1842 10 February 1918) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 31 August 1876 to 27 April 1909, and the last sultan to ...

due to alleged mental illness and lived there under house arrest until his death on 29 August 1904 On November 14, 1909, during the Second Constitutional Monarchy, Sultan

Mehmed V Mehmed V Reşâd ( ota, محمد خامس, Meḥmed-i ḫâmis; tr, V. Mehmed or ; 2 November 1844 – 3 July 1918) reigned as the 35th and penultimate Ottoman Sultan (). He was the son of Sultan Abdulmejid I. He succeeded his half-brother ...

allowed the

Ottoman Parliament The General Assembly ( tr, Meclis-i Umumî (French romanization: "Medjliss Oumoumi" ) or ''Genel Parlamento''; french: Assemblée Générale) was the first attempt at representative democracy by the imperial government of the Ottoman Empire. Als ...

to hold their meetings in this building. Only two months later, on January 19, 1910, a great fire destroyed the palace, leaving only the outer walls intact. Called "Şeref Stadı", for many years its garden served as a

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

field for the club Beşiktaş J.K. In 1987, the ruined palace was bought by a

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese corporation, which restored the palace and added a modern hotel complex next to it in its garden. The modern hotel building was opened in 1990 and the restored palace building was opened in 1992. Today, it serves as luxury suites for the five-star

Kempinski Kempinski Hotels S.A., commonly known as Kempinski, is a luxury hotel management company headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. Founded in Berlin in 1897 as the ''Hotelbetriebs-Aktiengesellschaft'', the group currently operates 78 five-star ho ...

hotel along with two restaurants that cater to guests. The Palace was renovated again during the first quarter of 2007, now resembling the authentic palace with the baroque style and soft colors. Ciragan Palace 1840.JPG, The palace in 1840 Ciragan Palace fire 1909.JPG, Çırağan Palace was damaged by fire in 1910 Yıldız_Mh.,_Çırağan_Cd._No-32,_34349_Beşiktaş-İstanbul,_Turkey_-_panoramio.jpg, View of the gate from Bosphorus Ciragan Palace 2014.JPG, Side view from Bosphorus Istanbul asv2020-02 img66 Çırağan Palace.jpg, Atrium with staircase inside Çırağan Palace Istanbul asv2020-02 img65 Çırağan Palace.jpg, Atrium Hall inside Çırağan Palace

References

History of the palace

Literature

* Çelik Gülersoy. ''The Çerâğan palaces.'' Istanbul Kitaplığı, Istanbul (1992).

External links

Çırağan Palace

Çırağan Palace Suites
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ciragan Palace Garabet Amira Balyan buildings Sarkis Balyan buildings Ottoman palaces in Istanbul Houses completed in 1867 Redevelopment projects in Istanbul Hotels established in 1991 Bosphorus Hotels in Istanbul Kempinski Hotels Beşiktaş Tourism in Istanbul 1991 establishments in Turkey

History

See also

References

Literature

External links