About Çırağan Palace

Ciragan Palace, Istanbul in Turkey's Besiktas district of the province, located on the historical Ciragan Caddesi palace.

The place of Çırağan, located between Beşiktaş and Ortaköy today, was known as “Kazancıoğlu Gardens” in the 17th century. In the 18th century, the seaside palaces and gardens adorning the Beşiktaş shores were considered one of the most important symbols of the "Flower and Music Love" era known as the Tulip Age. This period was a period of cultural brilliance as well as entertainment. III, the ruler of the period. Ahmed gave his property to the favorite Vizier-i Azam İbrahim Pasha and the first mansion was built by Nevşehirli Damat İbrahim Pasha for his wife Fatma Sultan (daughter of Ahmed III). He organized the festivals of the torch called the Çırağan Festivals here. Because of these events, this area started to be known as "Çırağan", which means light in Persian.

Sultan II. Mahmud decided to restructure this area in 1834. It demolishes the existing mansion first. The school and the mosque around the building are eliminated and the Mevlevihane is transferred to a nearby mansion. Although it seems that wood was mostly used for the new palace, completely stone was used in the foundation of the main section. 40 columns were erected and a classic appearance was given.

Abdulmecid II, Sultan II. He demolished the first palace built by Mahmud, planned to build a palace in the style of western architecture, but the construction of the palace was incomplete because he died in 1857 and due to financial difficulties.

Abdülaziz completed the construction of the new palace in 1871, but not the west, but the eastern architecture was chosen and North African Islamic Architecture was applied. Sarkis Balyan and his partner Kirkor Narsisyan were the contractors of the palace. The wooden building of the old Çırağan Palace was demolished and replaced with stone foundations of the new one. One of the invaluable embroidered gates of the palace, worth a thousand gold, came from Vortik Kemhaciyan's hands. Sultan II. Abdulhamid is one of these doors, his friend Germany Emperor Kayzer II, who liked them very much. He gave it to Wilhelm. Items such as rare marble, porphyry, and mother-of-pearl were brought from all over the world and were used for the construction of the palace. 400.000 Ottoman liras were spent alone in the construction of the coast. Çırağan Palace, the construction of which started in 1863, was completed in 1871 and 2,5 million gold was spent.

Sultan Abdülaziz, who came here and rested for a while for the last time in March of 1876, left the Çırağan Palace and settled in Dolmabahçe Palace after rumors that the Beşiktaş Mevlevihane was demolished and joined the palace plot.

V. Murad, the nephew of Sultan Albdülaziz, became a sultan on 30 May 1876, was taken down from the throne on 31 August 1876, and was transferred to the Harem building, which is used as Beşiktaş High School today. He died on 29 August 1904 at this residence.

On 14 November 1909, Çırağan Palace was used as the Meclis-i Mebusan Building. During this period, II. The works of Rembrandt and Ayvazovski from Abdulhamid's great art collection are included.

On January 19, 1910, the palace burned within 5 hours with a fire in the upper part of the Meclis-i Mebusan Hall and from the rooftop chimney. Very valuable antiques, II. Abdülhamid's private collection and V. Murad's library were also burnt down.

During the period when Istanbul was occupied at the end of the First World War, Çırağan Palace ruins were used by a French fortification continent under the name of 'Bizo Barracks'.

In 1930, the garden of the Palace was cut into a football field by the Beşiktaş Football Club under the name of Şeref Stadium by cutting large trees.

Later, Prof. Bonatz and famous Turkish architect Prof. Investigations were carried out by Sedat Hakkı Eldem to make a tourist hotel here. In 1946, the graves of Mevlevi dervishes in the basement of the Palace were destroyed during excavations by a fortress captain in search of gold, and the Palace was left to Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality in the same year.

In 1987, the restoration was started by Japanese Kumagai Gumi and Türk Yüksel İnşaat in order to be used as a hotel. In 1990, the hotel was opened to service in 1992. “Çırağan Palace Hotel” was opened in 1990 after long design and construction works. The Historical Palace opened its doors in 1992.

The subsequent renovation in Saray was completed on April 20, 2006 and the Palace suites were completely renovated.

The most beautiful places of the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus were allocated to sultans and important people for their palaces, mansions and works. Many of them have disappeared over time. Çırağan, a large palace, also burned in 1910. It was built by Sultan Abdülaziz in 1871 at the site of a previous wooden palace by Palace Architect Sarkis Balyan. The intermediate partition and ceiling of the building, which cost 4 million gold in 4 years, were covered with wood and marble on the walls. Borrowed from European states for its construction.

The superior examples of stonemasonry were decorated with rich columns and spaces. The rooms were decorated with rare carpets, furniture with gilding and mother of pearl pen works. Çırağan, like other palaces of Boğaziçi, was the venue for many important meetings. They had facades decorated with colored marble and monumental gates and were connected by a bridge to Yıldız Palace on the back ridges. Street side was surrounded by high walls.

The ruin, which has remained in ruins for years, was revitalized at the end of major repairs and turned into a seaside hotel with add-ons added to it.

Today it hosts many social activities. It also hosts another press conference almost daily by many press and public relations agencies.