The Most Beautiful Buildings That Are Built in İstanbul During the Ottoman Period
İstanbul, which has a strong cultural heritage and a deep-rooted past, has a wide architectural diversity in its historical structures. The city, which hosts many different cultures, has structures with different styles. In İstanbul, which was the capital of the Ottoman Empire for many years, it is possible to see historical structures that reflect both Western style and classical Ottoman architecture. Let’s have a look at the historical structures that Istanbulites and tourists who visit the city admire.
Dolmabahçe Palace
Dolmabahçe Palace, built upon the request of Sultan Abdülmecid Han, is among the important historical structures that have survived from the Ottoman Period to the present day with its magnificent architecture. Dolmabahçe Palace, whose construction began in 1856, reveals the magnificent unity of different styles.
The architecture of Dolmabahçe Palace, designed by Hacı Emin Paşa and Sarkis Baylan, combines French Baroque, German Rococo, Italian Renaissance and British neoclassical styles. The Ottoman Empire was governed from here for 70 years after Topkapı Palace. It is also of great importance as it is the building where the great leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk spent his last years and passed away.
Casa Botter
Built in the 19th century by the famous Italian architect Raimondo D’Aronco, the apartment is the first fashion house of the Ottoman Period and Türkiye. Built in Beyoğlu upon the request of Levantine tailor Jean Botter, the building is one of the most distinguished examples of the Art Nouveau style in İstanbul.
The use of natural light, rose-motif-stained glass windows and ivy patterns of the Art Nouveau style are decorated gracefully in the front of the building. One of the most fascinating details in the facade decorations is the relief of Demeter with its smiling face and wavy hair. The building, which continues to be used as a museum today, also hosts special exhibitions.
Suleymaniye Mosque
The Suleymaniye Mosque, which is called Mimar Sinan’s apprenticeship, was built upon the request of the sultan of the period, Suleiman the Magnificent. Suleymaniye Mosque, which is one of the structures where Mimar Sinan once again demonstrated his talent in this field, has an admirable grandeur.
The ten balconies in the mosque show that Sultan Suleiman was the tenth Ottoman sultan and the four minarets show that he was the fourth ruler after the conquest of İstanbul. Suleymaniye Mosque, one of the symbols of İstanbul, is among the historical structures that are visited most by local and foreign tourists each year.
Beylerbeyi Palace
Beylerbeyi Palace was built between 1861 and 1865 upon the request of Sultan Abdulaziz. Designed as a guesthouse and hosting many important figures, especially the Shah Pahlavi, the structure integrates with the unique view of the Bosphorus.
Special motifs and embroidery reflecting the enthusiasm that Sultan Abdulaziz had for the sea were used on the exterior of this important structure that is inherited from the Ottoman Period. Baroque and Renaissance styles coexist in Beylerbeyi Palace, which is a synthesis of Eastern and Western styles.
Pera Palace Hotel
Built-in 1895 by Levantine architect Alexandre Vallaury, Pera Palace Hotel is one of the unique structures that has survived to the present day with its magnificent architecture. Built to meet the accommodation needs of Orient Express passengers on the Paris-İstanbul voyage, Pera Palace Hotel has a neoclassical architectural style.
Among the countless important names that have stayed at Pera Palace Hotel is the famous English detective writer Agatha Christie. It is said that the author wrote her famous novel Murder on the Orient Express in room number 411, known as the “Agatha Christie Room”. Alfred Hitchcock and Ernest Hemingway were among the other important guests of the hotel.
Room number 101, which Mustafa Kemal Atatürk accommodated when he came to İstanbul, still hosts its visitors as a museum today. With a history of over a hundred years, Pera Palace Hotel continues to host its guests today. You can choose Pera Palace Hotel to accommodate this historical atmosphere during your visit to İstanbul.
