In many ways, visiting historic places, particularly museums, provide a unique interactive experience of getting up close to things one only see in books and the media. However, aside from being a significant factor in attracting tourists to an area, museums are instrumental in helping the local economy in terms of supplying a passing trade, as well as offering local people employment. Most importantly, they serve as strong connections between the past and present.

Unfortunately, in this part of the world, pulling down old structures for new ones has become a common practice; the thought is more of revenue than heritage. And with real estate fast becoming a booming economy in Nigeria, more historical edifices and architectural masterpieces of the past risk extinction. However, a recent visit to the Beylerbeyi Palace in Istanbul, Turkey, shows a good example of how to preserve rich history and heritage. Thanks to Turkish Airlines for the opportunity.

Located in the Beylerbeyi neighbourhood of Uskudar District, in the Asian side of the Bosphorus, the palace is one of the fascinating places to visit in Istanbul. Though, under the Ottomans, the area, which literarily means ‘Lord of Lords’, was first used as an imperial park Hasbahçe, history has it that different sultans built several country houses and pavilions in this region.
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For instance, in 1829, Sultan Mahmud II built a waterfront palace made solely from timber, which later was later gutted by fire. Then, in 1861-1865, Sultan Abdulaziz had the entire timber structure demolished and in its place, a marble-and-stone palace emerged, which is today the Beylerbeyi Palace.

Though open to the public daily from 09:30 – 16:00 (except Monday & Thursday), as a visitor to the Palace, you must subject yourself for proper security checks. Part of the procedure involves getting your bags searched and passing through screening machine manned by friendly but business minded security guards. If you are the type that loves books and souvenirs, this spot is your best bet.

Except for your mobile phones, cameras (both still and video) are not allowed into the palace. However, Palace Guides are always on hand to take tourist through the edifice in either English and Turkey. Outside these two languages, you may have to find a private interpreter. Even at that, mere seeing the architectural masterpiece in its majesty is more than enough for any tourist that appreciates quality and taste.

An architectural design of Sarkis Balyan, a member of the famous Balyan family, the Palace is much smaller than Dolmabahce Palace and was used in the past as the Sultan’s summer palace. For this reason, the floor under Turkish carpets and kilims covered with straw bought especially from Egypt. Unlike the other palaces, there is no heating here.
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Among Sultan’s guests, who stayed in this place include, the French Emperor Eugenie (1869), Nasruddin the Shah of Persia, the Grand Duke Nicholas of Russia, Austrian emperor Franz Joseph, British King Edward VIII, the Prince of Serbia, the King of Montenegro, and the wife of Napoleon III, who stayed here in 1869 and later duplicated windows in the guest room she stayed for her bedroom in the Tuilleries Palace in France. Sultan Abdülhamid II also spent the last six months of his life and died here in 1918.

The Palace, which consists of two main sections, Selamlik (men only) and Harem (women only) is surrounded by smaller structures such as the Sari Kosk (Yellow Pavilion), the Pasa’s Apartments, the Music Apartments, the Deer House, the Pigeon Sanctuary, the Greater Aviary, the Lion House, the Imperial Stables and the Mermer Kosk (Marble Pavilion), which was constructed to serve as a hunting pavilion. There’s also the Ahir Pavilion (Stable Pavilion), constructed to house sultanate’s horses which is one of the best examples of Ottoman palace stables, and of particular interest as the only such building to have survived in its original state.

In the past, only the Harem and the Selamlik sections of the Palace were open to visitors. But after the restoration works carried out in the Sari Kosk, Mermer Kosk, Ahir Kosk and the terraced gardens, visitors can now see these sections during their visit.

The main house itself is a two main storey building with a basement, which is set in terraced grounds planted with magnolia and other trees brought from all corners of the globe. The first floor was for service departments, while the upper two was for staterooms and imperial apartments. The kitchens of the palace are located in an adjacent building because of the smell of the food and the risk of fire.

There are a total of 26 elegantly designed chambers and six grand halls, with Turkish Hereke carpets and kilims on top of the rush matting from Egypt, which is good against damp in winter and heat in summer. Czech Bohemian crystal chandeliers, French clocks, chinese, Japanese, French and Turkish Yıldız porcelain vases, furniture from Damascus and France and paintings from Russian Aivazovsky, all give the palace the distinction of being a fully furnished museum.
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The entrance to the Harem hall is through a beautifully curved marble staircase and the largest chamber on the lower floor is known as the pool saloon, as it contains a large pool in the centre. Rooms on the lower floor are reached via a door on the shore facade. In one corner of the shore facade is the Captain Pasha room, and in the other two corners are reception rooms. 

Meanwhile, Abdülhamit II also used rooms allocated to the harem as dining halls on this floor as his privy apartments on his return from Salonika. But the most interesting chambers on the upper story are the inlay room and the magnificent Blue room, decorated with blue stucco columns, painted ceiling, inscriptions, chandeliers and vases. And with the number of dinning areas in the building, the Palace must have hosted many banquets.  

Record has it that the old coastal road passed under a long tunnel constructed during the reign of Mahmud II (1808-1839) so that the palace would not be separated from the terraced gardens behind. Today, this tunnel houses a cafeteria and sales points for visitors. Aside from books, postcards and posters published by the Culture and Information Centre, various gifts and souvenirs are on sale here as well, while the gardens are available for private receptions upon advance application.