The Bosphorus palaces

Whoever went to Istanbul and visited the Bosphorus strait must have seen the palaces that preserve their splendor and beauty along the strait despite the passage of years. History books have mentioned the existence of a large number of palaces previously, more than the number present now, but they did not survive accidents and natural and human disasters.

The first palace on the Bosphorus was built in the Ottoman era during the reign of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. The old palaces consisted of 3 floors, in addition to a small harbor for boats to move across the Bosphorus.

Here are some of the most famous and important palaces:

Shahzadeh Burhan al-Din Palace: The palace belonged to Burhan al-Din, the son of Sultan Abdul Hamid II.

The palace tops the list of the most expensive palaces overlooking the Bosphorus and is considered the most beautiful of them.

Afif Pasha Palace: It is now owned by a woman from the Sabanci family. The palace is distinguished by being the second most expensive palace overlooking the Bosphorus, and the series “Forbidden Love” was filmed in it.

Sultan Khadija’s Palace: Sultan Abdul Hamid II gave this palace to Sultan Khadija, his niece and the daughter of Murad V, on her wedding day. Sultan Abdul Hamid bought it from Ali Saeb Pasha.

Amina Najib Pasha Palace: The palace is considered one of the largest palaces on the Bosphorus, consisting of 48 rooms and a length of 76 meters. The palace was built during the reign of Sultan Mahmud II, and it was restored and renovated during the reign of Sultan Abdul Aziz. It was bought by Sultan Abdul Hamid II and gifted to Princess Amina Najib, mother of Egypt’s Khedive Abbas Hilmi Pasha, and it is now used as the headquarters of the Egyptian Consulate in Istanbul.

The Palace of Said Helmi Pasha (The Lions Palace): It was named by this name due to the presence of two lion structures in its garden, and it was rented for a period by King Faisal bin Abdulaziz to live in it.

Hakim Bashi Salih Effendi Palace: It is located near the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge.

It is considered one of the most important and most beautiful palaces overlooking the Bosphorus. Its first owner was Salih Effendi, one of the last chief physicians in the Ottoman Empire.

It’s possession is confined to this day within the members of the same family, and last April a cargo tanker collided with the palace, causing great damage to it.