BEYLERBEYI PALACE
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This small palace, which was built between 1861 and 1865 under Sultan Abdülaziz (1861-1876), will certainly surprise by its relatively controlled elegance. Admittedly, a guided tour in a small group is required but, due to its small size (65 m long), its approach remains more personal. The site had already attracted the attention of the sultans, who did not fail to have pavilions built there where they would withdraw from time to time. We find the Balyan family at the origin of its architecture. It was conceived as a kind of understudy to Dolmabahçe, in a way a second home. It has also become above all the residence of statesmen. Many crowned heads, such as Tsar Nicholas II or King Edward VIII, have tasted the pleasures of the waters of the Bosphorus, but above all we like to mention a famous beauty, Empress Eugenie, daughter of the Count of Teba and wife of Napoleon III. In the company of the orientalist painter Charles-Theodore Frère, who was appreciated by the Court and the aristocrats in his time, the Empress visited Istanbul (1869) before travelling to Egypt as a guest of the Khedive Ismail Paşa for the inauguration of the canal. The aubergine purée owes its name to it: hünkar beğendi means "Her Majesty has appreciated". The internal decoration combines the Western and Eastern styles. The carpets in the six lounges and 24 rooms are admirable. The garden and the two pavilions, Mermer Köşk and Sarı Köşk, are the perfect complement to the whole.
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