Khedive Palace

The Khedive's Palace (Turkish: Hıdiv Kasrı, "Khedive Palace"), also known as Çubuklu Palace (Çubuklu Sarayı), is located on the Asian side of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey, and was once the residence of Khedive Abbas II of Egypt and Sudan. In English it is also known as the Khedive's Pavilion or the Khedive's Mansion.

The 1,000 m2 (11,000 sq ft) palace stands on a hiltop within a large grove of some 270 acres (110 ha) above the Çubuklu neighborhood in the Beykoz district, overlooking the Istanbul Strait.

Completed in 1907, the three-storey palace was designed in Art Nouveau style, taking its inspiration from Italian villas of the Renaissance. However, it also incorporated elements of neo-classical Ottoman architecture. The east side is square, while the south and northwest sides feature crescent-shaped porticoes. The high, square tower is a unique feature visible from the opposite shore of the Bosphorus.

Several ground-floor rooms encircle a central hall, with one large hall featuring a fine fireplace. There are two bedrooms on the upper floor. Many of the walls, ceilings and marble capitals are carved with fruit, flowers and hunting animals reflecting European tastes. Stained glass is featured throughout. A monumental fountain inside the main entrance rises all the way to the roof. The rooftop terrace is accessible via a historic steam-operated elevator. The gate is decorated with gilded flowers.

There are other fine fountains and pools in the grounds. The rose garden is one of the largest in Istanbul.

A copy of the palace was built on the shore of the Nile in Egypt.

Text adapted from “Khedive's Palace” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Khedive Palace ranks #1,153 of 8,133 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #27 of the 129 mapped in Turkey. Founded 1984 — one of 169 atlas entries founded in the 20th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 6,546 times in the last 60 days, more than 88% of the atlas. 27 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Istanbul, 14 km away. See how Turkey compares in the castle statistics.

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