Yildiz Palace is a vast complex of former imperial Ottoman pavilions and villas in Istanbul, Turkey, built in the XIX. and early XX. C. It's used as a residence by the Sultan and his court in the late XIX. C.
Yildiz Palace, meaning "Star Palace", was built in 1880 and was used by the Ottoman Sultan Abdülhamid II. The area of the palace was originally made of natural woodlands and became an imperial estate during the reign of Sultan Ahmed I. (1603/1617). Various sultans after Ahmed I enjoyed vacationing on these lands and Sultans Abdülmecid I and Abdülaziz built mansions here.
In the late XIX. C., Sultan Abdülhamid II. left Dolmabahce Palace because he feared a seaside attack on the palace, which's located at the shore of the Bosporus strait. He expanded the Yildiz Palace and ordered the renowned Italian architect Raimondo D'Aronco to build new buildings to the palace complex. When he moved there, the palace became the fourth seat of Ottoman government (the previous ones were the Eski Saray (Old Palace) in Edirne, and the Topkapı and Dolmabahce Palaces in Istanbul.)
Yildiz Palace is a complex of buildings including the; State Apartments, Şale Pavilion, the Malta Pavilion, the Çadır Pavilion, the Yildiz Theater and Opera House, the Yildiz Palace Museum, and the Imperial Porcelain Factory. The Yildiz Palace Gardens are also a popular public site among the residents of Istanbul. A bridge connects the Yildiz Palace with the Çırağan Palace on the Bosporus through this garden.
Malta Kiosk
The Malta Kiosk is a pavilion located in Yildiz Park to the north side of the wall separating Yildiz Palace. There are also two watching and resting pavilions in the grove being the rear garden of Çırağan Palace from the Abdül Aziz I period. The origin of the name is not certain: that during the Ottoman era certain parts of palaces were called after the names of conquered places or important battles, so this name is given after the siege of Malta.
The trial of Midhat Pasha took place in a tent behind the pavilion.
Yildiz Theater and Opera House
Built by Sultan Abdülhamid II. in 1889, it's stars on its domed ceiling, a reference to the name of the Yildiz Palace, which means Star Palace. Because noone was allowed to have his back to the sultan, the positioning of the sultan's balcony box meant that the first row seats were never used.
Yildiz Palace Museum
This used to be Abdülhamid II.'s carpentry workshop and is now used to display art and objects from the palace.
Telephone : +90 212 258 30 80
Fax : +90 212 258 30 85
Address : Barbaros Boulevard / Yildiz Park / Besiktas / Istanbul