Çırağan Palace (), a former Ottoman

palace A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...

, is now a five-star hotel in the Kempinski Hotels chain. It is located on the

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

an shore of the

Bosporus The Bosporus or Bosphorus Strait ( ; , colloquially ) is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul, Turkey. The Bosporus connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and forms one of the continental bo ...

, between Beşiktaş and Ortaköy in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. The Sultan 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 to replace the old Çırağan Palace which was at the same location, 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 around the ...

palace architect Nigoğayos Balyan and constructed by his sons Sarkis and Hagop Balyan 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 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, moved into Çırağan Palace, but reigned for only 93 days. He was deposed by his brother Abdul Hamid II 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 allowed the Ottoman Parliament 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, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

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

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

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 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 old Çırağan Palace in 1840, which was replaced by the current one in 1863–1867 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 Yıldız Kemeri.jpg, Yıldız Arc at Çırağan Avenue

References

History of the palace

Literature

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

External links

Official hotel website
{{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 19th-century architecture in Turkey

History

See also

References

Literature

External links