If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
x0x Beylerbeyi Palace
[See more on the Palace at :
http://www.kultur.gov.tr/portal/defa...sp?belgeno=736 http://english.istanbul.com/PhotoGal...lar-Beylerbeyi http://archnet.org/library/images/th...cation_id=9466 ] x0x Beylerbeyi Palace By Muge Iplikci The beautiful terraced gardens behind Beylerbeyi Palace used to be known as the Gardens of the Cross because of a cross erected here by Constantine the Great. I stood beside the large pool that belonged to the earlier palace on the same site. From Byzantine times onwards numerous magnificent buildings were constructed here, enhancing the beauty of nature with that of architecture. The sun shone brightly and a gentle breeze was blowing, carrying the salty tang of the Bosphorus waves. A group of Turkish and foreign tourists arrived. They had just finished a guided tour of the two parts of the palace - the private harem and the state apartments - and seen the three halls, six reception rooms and some at least of the 26 smaller rooms on the three storeys. They had walked over the rush matting from Egypt that covers the floors of this summer palace, and seen the enormous carpets made in Hereke, kilims, Bohemian crystal chandeliers, French clocks, Yildiz porcelain vases, Chinese and Japanese porcelain, furniture carved with kufi inscriptions, sweeping staircases, richly decorated columns, tall windows giving a glimpse of the sunny day outside, the mingled sounds of past and present and unidentifiable shadows. History is concealed in details. I know they visited the Yellow Pavilion beside the large pool, the magnificent Palace Stables befitting the imperial horses, and the enchanting Marble Pavilion with its pool and fountain. Here the guide had touched one of the columns and explained that these were real marble whereas those in the palace proper were marezzo marble. It is not hard to imagine one of the visitors asking what the difference was, and the guide replying, perhaps, that real marble is a petrified substance that when touched conveys its penetrating coldness, a property which is infectious because marble is real and alive. Beylerbeyi Palace took its name from Mehmed Pasa, who was Beylerbeyi of Rumelia during the reign of Murad III (1574-1595). The former wooden summer palace built in the first half of the 19th century by Mahmud II (1808-1839) burned down in the summer of 1851, leaving only the Marble Pavilion with its delicately carved decoration of shells, seaweed and other marine motifs on the ceiling and walls, and the large pool where swans used to glide. In its place the present palace designed by Sultan Abdulaziz's architect Sarkis Balyan was built by five thousand labourers and artisans. The new stone palace, completed in 1864, is ornately decorated on both the exterior and interior. The painted decoration on the interior walls was the work of palace artists, that in the rooms of Sultan Abdulaziz himself consisting of naturalistic scenes with birds and animals, and richly gilded with gold leaf. No expense was spared in the creation of a modern palace of a splendour befitting the Ottoman ruler. A coalgas plant was specially constructed on Nakkas Street to provide the palace with gas-fired lighting. Many of the furnishings for both the main palace and its pavilions were imported from Europe. Although the interior has a strongly eastern flavour with many traditional Turkish and Islamic motifs, and the layout is typically Turkish, the exterior is westernised in concept, its ornamentation in keeping with western tastes of the time combining eclectic elements from Greek, Roman, Renaissance and baroque styles. Over the years several foreign statesmen stayed here when they visited Istanbul, the most famous foreign visitor probably being the Empress Eugenié, who stayed in the palace as the guest of Sultan Abdulaziz in the third quarter of the 19th century. The bedroom she used was number 24 in the harem, and a bathroom was constructed especially for her use. It was also here that Sultan Abdulhamid II spent the last six years of his life, after being deposed in 1909. The photograph I took that day shows the stately and ornate Beylerbeyi Palace against the background of the Bosphorus. Beneath the place where I stood lies the tunnel through which the old road used to pass, and in the centre of the tunnel is a fountain inscribed with the name of Sultan Mahmud II. The tranquil and evocative atmosphere is what I remember best about Beylerbeyi Palace, through whose rooms and gardens sultans once strolled. * Muge Iplikci is a short story writer |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
China - The Internet Travel Guide (FAQ) (part 1/3) | http://www.pmgeiser.ch, Peter M. Geiser | Asia | 1 | April 2nd, 2005 05:37 PM |
Correction - Mya Nan San Kyaw Shwe Nan Daw Palace and Sceneries in Mandalay (Video) | utunlin | Asia | 0 | May 20th, 2004 04:15 PM |
Correction - Mya Nan San Kyaw Shwe Nan Daw Palace and Sceneries in Mandalay (Video) | utunlin | Travel - anything else not covered | 0 | May 20th, 2004 04:15 PM |
Mya Nan San Kyaw Royal Palace and Scenery (Video) | utunlin | Asia | 0 | May 20th, 2004 04:05 PM |
Mya Nan San Kyaw Royal Palace and Scenery (Video) | utunlin | Travel - anything else not covered | 0 | May 20th, 2004 04:05 PM |