Cıra?an Palace
Cıra?an Sarayı
A view of Cıra?an Palace from the Bosporus
Alternative names	Cıra?an Palace Kempinski
General information
Type	Hotel (former palace)
Location	Be?ikta?
Address	Cıra?an Caddesi 32
Town or city	Istanbul
Country	Turkey
Coordinates	41°02′40″N 29°01′00″E  /  41.04444°N 29.01667°E  / 41.04444; 29.01667
Current tenants	Kempinski Hotels
Construction started	1863
Completed	1867
Renovated	1991
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Nigo?ayos Balyan
Structural engineer	Sarkis Balyan and Hagop Balyan

Cıra?an Palace ( Turkish : Cıra?an Sarayı ), a former Ottoman palace , is now a five-star hotel in the Kempinski Hotels chain. It is located on the European shore of the Bosporus , between Be?ikta? and Ortakoy in Istanbul , Turkey .

The Sultan's Suite, billed at US$ 35,419.68 per night, is ranked number 14 on World's 15 most expensive hotel suites compiled by CNN Go in 2012. ^[1]

History [ edit ]

The palace, built by Sultan Abdulaziz to replace the old Cıra?an Palace which was at the same location, was designed by the Armenian palace architect Nigo?ayos Balyan and constructed by his sons Sarkis and Hagop Balyan between 1863 and 1867, during a period in which all Ottoman sultans built their own palaces rather than using those of their ancestors; Cıra?an Palace is the last example of this tradition. The inner walls and the roof were made of wood, the outer walls of colorful marble. A beautiful marble bridge connects the palace to the Yıldız Palace on the hill behind. A very high garden wall protects the palace from the outer world.

The construction and the interior decoration of the palace continued until 1872. Sultan Abdulaziz did not live long in his magnificent palace - he was found dead inside on 30 May 1876, shortly after he was dethroned. His successor, his nephew Sultan Murad V , moved into Cıra?an Palace, but reigned for only 93 days. He was deposed by his brother Abdul Hamid II due to alleged mental illness and lived there under house arrest until his death on 29 August 1904.

On November 14, 1909, during the Second Constitutional Monarchy , Sultan Mehmed V allowed the Ottoman Parliament to hold their meetings in this building. Only two months later, on January 19, 1910, a great fire destroyed the palace, leaving only the outer walls intact. Called "?eref Stadı", for many years its garden served as a football field for the club Be?ikta? J.K.

In 1987, the ruined palace was bought by a Japanese corporation, which restored the palace and added a modern hotel complex next to it in its garden. The modern hotel building was opened in 1990 and the restored palace building was opened in 1992. Today, it serves as luxury suites for the five-star Kempinski hotel along with two restaurants that cater to guests.

The Palace was renovated again during the first quarter of 2007, now resembling the authentic palace with the baroque style and soft colors.

• 
  The old Cıra?an Palace in 1840, which was replaced by the current one in 1863?1867
• 
  Cıra?an Palace was damaged by fire in 1910
• 
  View of the gate from Bosphorus
• 
  Side view from Bosphorus
• 
  Atrium with staircase inside Cıra?an Palace
• 
  Atrium Hall inside Cıra?an Palace

See also [ edit ]

• Hotels in Istanbul
• Ottoman architecture

References [ edit ]

• History of the palace

Literature [ edit ]

• Celik Gulersoy. The Cera?an palaces. Istanbul Kitaplı?ı, Istanbul (1992). ISBN   975-7687-08-1

External links [ edit ]

Media related to Cıra?an Palace at Wikimedia Commons

• Cıra?an Palace
• Cıra?an Palace Suites