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