| ||||
| ||
Ciragan Palace
) Ciragan Palace is a former Ottoman palace which includes now a five-star hotel . It is located on the European shore of the Bosporus between Beşiktaş and Ortaköy . The former palace was originally built by Sultan Abdülâziz . The architect was the famous Armenian palace architect Nigoğayos Balyan . It was then constructed by the two sons of the architect , Sarkis and Hagop Balyan , between 1863 and 1867 . Wood was used in the inner walls and the roof of the palace , while the outer walls were made of colorful marble . There is a beautiful marble bridge connecting the palace to the Yıldız Palace on the hill behind . It was only in 1872 that the construction and the interior decoration of the palace were totally completed . Sultan Abdülâziz who commission the building did not live long in his magnificent palace and died in 1876 . During the reign of Sultan Mehmet V Reşat , during the Second Constitutional Monarchy , the parliament were allowed to hold their meetings in the palace . After two months only , on January 1910 , a great fire broke out and destroyed the whole palace leaving only the outer walls undamaged . After that event , the place of the palace served as a football stadium and was called ) The restoration of the Palace was a bit controversial because it was carried out by an independent company and not the government . The interior of the building was a very bright neon pink . The palace contained several stores and areas for events such as banquets which caused many to believe that the palace in its current design resembles an American shopping mall . The interior was redecorated again with a bright and colorful Mediterranean ambience by The German Artist Rainer Maria Latzke who also equipped the interior swimming pool with beautiful murals . In the first quarter of 2007 , the Palace was renovated again and is now resembling the authentic palace with the baroqe style and soft colors . |
)
Users Contributions
|
