Sightseeing

Yıldız Park

Yıldız Park
The popular park with spectacular views of the Bosphorus, situated in the center of the city, offers relaxing moments for those who want to escape from the pressures of the city to enjoy nature. The park has a large variety of rare and exotic trees, shrubs and flowers from around the world including cedar, pine,…
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Yıldız Chalet Pavilion

Yıldız Chalet Pavilion
History, panoramic views, nature and calm, along with wonderful Ottoman cuisine and music from a variety of birds await you at the Chalet Pavilion. Located in the third court of the Yildiz Park at the top of the hill, the Yildiz Chalet Pavilion is one of the best examples of 19th century Ottoman architecture. Chalet…
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Malta Pavilion

Malta Pavilion
If you want to eat Ottoman-French food, you should dine in the Malta Pavilion. The dish recommended is Hünkar Beğendi, (meaning, "Sultan liked it"), lamb stew served on a bed of creamy roasted eggplant puree. Built for resting and hunting on the north end of the park, the pavilion with a pool was a perfect…
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Çadır Pavilion

Çadır Pavilion
The Çadır Pavilion complemented by a pool is situated in the third court, near the top of the hill. The Çadır and Malta Pavilions were built in 1871 by Sultan Abdülaziz (1861-1876). Both pavilions, built for resting and hunting, were then parts of the Çırağan Palace complex. The Çadır Pavilion is also called “Curtained Pavilion”,…
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Yıldız Imperial Porcelain Factory

Yıldız Imperial Porcelain Factory
Once, this factory represented high technology in the palace, as Abdülhamid II enjoyed having the most recent technologies around him. This factory produced high-end hand-made ceramics for imperial pavilions and palaces. Yildiz Porcelain Factory, built in 1893-1894 in the third court of the complex, was constructed 7 years after the sultan moved to Yıldız. It…
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Hamidiye Clock Tower

Hamidiye Clock Tower
Situated outside  the walled courtyard of the palace, the Hamidiye Clock Tower was built on the south-west corner of the Yıldız Hamidiye Mosque. The tower was constructed in 1890 by Sarkis Balyan in neo-Gothic style. The four-floor octagonal tower has both a barometer and a thermometer on the second floor and a clock on the…
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Yıldız Hamidiye Mosque

Yıldız Hamidiye Mosque
This is the last imperial (selâtin) mosque of the Ottoman Empire. Imperial mosques had to be built by sultans and were financed only by their personal funds. Abdülhamid II was the last sultan to build a mosque. The last two sultans of the Ottoman Empire did not commission any mosques. Hamidiye Mosque had a significant…
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