The Beylerbeyi Palace meaning “Lord of Lords”) is located in the Beylerbeyi neighbourhood of Istanbul, Turkey at the Asian side of the Bosphorus. An Imperial Ottoman summer residence built in the 1860s, it is now situated immediately north of the 1973 Bosphorus Bridge.
During the second half of the 16th century, Rumeli Beylerbeyi Mehmet Paşa (a kind of General Governor of a larger region) of Sultan Murat III had a seaside mansion built. The name of Beylerbeyi stems from this. During later periods, the palace was adjoined to the Sultan’s lands. Sultan Mahmut II had a wooden palace constructed in its place during the first quarter of 19th century. This wooden palace was incinerated and another one built in its place for Abdülaziz by the famous architect of the period, Sarkis Balyan and his brother. It is this palace that we know now as Beylerbeyi Palace. Completed in 1865, the palace became the summer home of the Sultan’s family, and it was also used to host foreign guests.
The palace’s garden is decorated with trees, statues, and pools. A hall with an indoor-pool, selamlık, harem, and admiral’s room catch the attention of visitors in the inner part of the palace. Furthermore, the valide sultan room (used for Mother of the Sultan in power), dinning room, reception room, and blue hall are also worth seeing. There are a total of 26 rooms and 6 sitting rooms. It is said that the Marble Mansion and the Yellow Mansion were built by Sultan Mahmut II. The Yellow Mansion was restored during Sultan Abdülaziz’s period. The Ahir Mansion [Stable House], located on the side of the bridge, was built for the Sutan’s horses.
Abdülhamit was kept in custody in this palace until his death in 1918, after he was dethrowned. After the foundation of the Turkish Republic, Atatürk’s guests were hosted in this palace. It has since been transformed into a museum, and it is one of the important historical architectural buildings located on the Anatolian side of Istanbul.
Beylerbeyi Palace from the Bosphorus
Beylerbeyi Palace Interior.
The interior of the palace is beautiful, I admired the Blue Hall with its magnificent Bacarat chandeliers and gorgeous carpet. Beautiful place to visit.
the symmetry issue is interesting but this place is nothing comparing to Dolmabahçe.
It is a must visit place with beautiful well-reserved handicraft carpet, amazing decorations and rooms. It is a pity that photo is not allowed. It is suggested to have a tour guide so that u will know the interestng stories behind.
I had planned to visit Dohlmabahce Palace, but was told that daily visitors are very limited and it was late in the day. We had visited Topkapi on a previous visit, so we crossed the Bosphorus Bridge to the Asian side and toured Beylerbeyi Palace. My second choice turned out to be wonderful after all.
Beylerbeyi was the summer palace…
We visited this in March 2013.
It's impressive enough. After coming from Topkapi palace and the Hagia Sofia this was a bit of a letdown. Room upon room full of chairs and couches with the occasional baccarat crystal thrown in for good measure. It's in good shape as are all attractions in Istanbul. The Turkish people take great care of…
We visited this palace with our tour guide who informed us this palace is a great way to get an understanding of what the larger more touristy palaces have on a grander scale. We loved our experience here and felt it was a better option than fighting the crowds at the larger more city centric palaces. You get the same…
On the Asia side – quite lovely and beautiful. Guided Tours only and we got there late due to traffic so our tour was unfortunatley speedy – no photos is annoying should just be NO FLASH!
I found this a welcome break from the large crowds/queues in Sultanahmet. First you head down a cool tunnel then arrive at the Palace entrance. The Palace was used as the summer residence by the Sultan. No photos are allowed inside and they proivde covers for your shoes.The entire interior and exterior have been very carefully protected.
Rather expensive fee,but they provide you also a tour guide.No photos permitted.Very richly decorated, especially the sultan's private rooms with the marble pools.
I am still a fan of Dolmabace Palace but this one has very ornate walls and ceilings, chandeliers and furniture and well worth the visit. It doesn't have the crowds that Topkapi or Dolmabace has but on the other side- depending on what time you arrive- you may have to wait for a guided tour in English. On the morning…