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 third floor. The tower, narrowing towards the top has a decorative roof.
As Sultan Abdülhamid II appreciated new technology, he was particularly interested in clocks. Clock towers, therefore, became widespread during his reign. Towers were also a symbol of modernization and westernization.
