YILDIZ PALACE

The first pavilion in the Yıldız Palace area was built during the reign of Sultan Selim III (1789-1807). Although subsequent sultans showed interest in the groves and gardens in the area, the name of Yıldız Palace became synonymous with Sultan Abdul Hamid II (1876-1909). The Sultan named the area "Yıldız Saray-ı Hümâyûnu" (Yıldız Imperial Palace), designating it as his primary residence and ruling the country from this palace for 33 years. Spread over a very large area between Beşiktaş and Ortaköy, Yıldız Palace is a complex of pavilions with gardens, pools, trees, greenhouses, and pavilions, possessing functions different from other palaces in Istanbul. Sultan Abdul Hamid II also had industrial structures built in Yıldız, such as a theater, museum, library, pharmacy, zoo, animal hospital, carpentry workshop, blacksmith shop, and a tile factory. Abdülhamid also stationed the famous 2nd Division of the 1st Army (Orhaniye and Ertuğrul barracks) near the palace. It is believed that during this period, the palace had a population of up to 12,000, including those directly or indirectly involved in its services. Yıldız Palace has gone down in history as the last administrative center of the Ottoman Empire and the last residence of the Sultan.