The last surviving example of a Turkish Ottoman palace is located on the Yildiz hill in the Besiktas neighbourhood and is known as Yildiz Palace. Ottoman Sultan Abdülhamid II oversaw the building of the Yldz Palace, also referred to as the “Star Palace,” in 1880.
The palace complex includes the State Apartments (Büyük Mabeyn), Ale Pavilion, Malta Pavilion, Adr Pavilion, Yldz Theater and Opera House, Yldz Palace Museum, and Imperial Porcelain Factory. Another popular tourist spot in Istanbul is the Yldz Palace Gardens.
The Yldz Palace and the Raan Palace are connected by a bridge that crosses the Bosphorus through the palace gardens. The sultan’s residence was the ale Kiosk or pavilion. The building has two floors, a basement, and is constructed of wood and stone. It was constructed in three phases. The Malta Kiosk, a pavilion in Yldz Park, was built by Sultan Abdülaziz and used as a jail by his ancestor.
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Yildiz Palace Museum
The building, which opened as a museum on April 8th, 1994, features a spacious gallery with a length of 90 metres. Images from Sultan Abdulhamid II’s (1876–1909) reign suggest that the building housed a museum with rare objects on exhibit. The artwork on display in the museum belonged to the palace; some of it was taken out of Topkapi Palace. The works of art included Sultan Abdulhamid II’s property, his carpentry tools, gifts given to him, and items created at the Yildiz Porcelain Factory at the time.
The entire palace was recently restored and painted. By opening up more of the palace’s interior, they hope to elevate it to the status of one of Istanbul’s great palaces. The lawn has a gorgeous summer house, and the rooms are filled with a lot of expensive furniture. Remember that the museum is accessible through the palace entrance and is covered by the same admission fee. The palace is a little bit away from other sights (after Dolmabahche.) The museum is far away; you might need to take a taxi or walk a long way up a hill to get there.