Beykoz Mecidiye Palace

Dating back to the Ottoman era and built before the Dolmabahçe and Beylerbeyi Palaces, the Beykoz Mecidiye Palace is one of Istanbul's oldest structures. Located on the Asian side of the Bosphorus in Beykoz, at the Hünkâr İskelesi (Sultan's Pier) location, the Beykoz Mecidiye Palace is the first stone built structure in the Bosphorus built in a new style. Construction of the Beykoz Mecidiye Palace was begun in 1845 by the Governor of Egypt, Muhammad Ali Pasha, for Sultan Abdülmecid, and after Pasha's death, it was completed in 1854 by his son, Said Pasha, and presented to the Sultan. Also known as the Mecidiye Palace in honor of Sultan Abdülmecid, the structure sits on the highest point of a landscaped park with terraces rising in tiers from the sea. In its early years, it was used by the Sultan as a riding palace for daily stays, and in later periods, it was used to host foreign dignitaries and ambassadors.