Time stops at Istanbul kasir
These private retreats for sultans remain a snapshot of Ottoman life
Inside one of the elegant pavilions known in Istanbul as a kasir, the clamor and chaos of city life recedes. The noise of car horns and shouting vendors is replaced by silence. In these discreet structures built only for the sultans, time stands still. Ostensibly intended as private retreats away from the formality of the courts at Topkapi and Dolmabahce palaces, in reality kasir were places to scheme and plot. Each is a snapshot of history and an intimate slice of Ottoman life.
In these kasir, sultans could fantasize they were absolute masters of the Ottoman universe, shielded from upheaval and attempts to foment political discontent in their courts and territories. Today, these kasir exist as more than just historical monuments. They reflect the majesty and mystery of an empire that held the world in thrall for more than 600 years.
Hunkar Kasri
It’s easy to walk straight past Hunkar Kasri in Eminon. Austere exterior walls and an unassuming entry give nothing away. The kasir is part of the Yeni Camii (New Mosque) complex Sultan Murat III ordered built at the request of his favorite concubine, Safiye Sultan, in the 16th century. Eminonu was a neighborhood largely inhabited by non-Muslims. Safiye Sultan wanted to Islamicize the area by building a mosque. Building started in 1597, but work soon stopped.
It started again in 1661 by order of Valide Turhan Sultan, the mother of Sultan Mehmet IV, who had been brought into the palace as a slave and eventually became the chief consort of one sultan, and mother of the next.
She oversaw the completion of the complex, which contained not only a mosque, but also a school, public fountains, a market and a tomb.
It’s thought to be the first such complex ordered built by a woman. It opened in 1663 and was supposedly designed
as a place to rest for prayers, or on religious days.
One of the rooms is believed to have been the chamber of the Valide Sultan. The masonry windowsills are worn down on the left side.
Given that Turhan was the only Valide Sultan ever to have the legal right to help run the Ottoman Empire, it’s likely she wore down the frames planning her son’s next political move.
The building has an Escherlike quality in the way shapes, such as rectangular door frames repeated along a hallway, give the effect of a larger space.
The walls and the eyvan, the domed space off the central hall, are covered in rare Iznik tiles from the 17th
century. It’s worthwhile to examine each room because there’s more color and movement in the tile than can be absorbed in a casual glance.
Ihlamur Kasri
Nestled in a valley a short taxi ride from Besiktas wharf on the shores of the Bosporus, Ihlamur Kasri was built on land originally used as an imperial garden. It was part of a hunting ground established by Sultan Ahmed III in the 17th century. Stones carved with the archery records of various sultans lie half-hidden in the grounds.
One of these was Sultan Abdulmecid I. Between 1848 and 1855 he had Nigogos Balyan, the architect who designed the Dolmabahce Palace with his father, build the Merasim Kosku (Ceremonial Pavilion) and Harem Kosku (Retinue Pavilion) that form Ihlamur Kasri. The buildings and gardens were laid out according to Islamic principles, the most important being the placement of the pavilions in spots with the best view of their surroundings. At the same time, these structures had to blend in with the gardens. To achieve this, they were melded into the terrain with terraces and watercourses.
Although Ihlamur Kasri was mainly intended as a place for the sultan and his family to relax, the Merasim Kosku was used to entertain diplomats. The front doors open into a vestibule flanked by two reception rooms.
The decor is French in style, with hand-painted ceramic surrounds on the fireplaces, stucco walls embellished to look like marble, and gilt-covered pelmets hung with brocade curtains. The rooms are filled with original furniture, but unlike the mirror-image designs of Dolmabahce Palace, one room has a barrel ceiling ornamented with gilded moldings while the other has delicately painted floral designs dancing overhead.
Hidiv Kasri
By the end of the 19th century, the Ottoman Empire was on the wane, yet foreign dynasties still looked toward Turkey when they needed a powerful ally. Hidiv Kasri, on the Asian side of Istanbul, was built by the Egyptians with this in mind.
When Abbas Hilmi II became the Egyptian viceroy in 1892, he decided to work with the Ottomans. He hoped to undermine the British, who had occupied Egypt and Sudan since 1882, by fostering a spirit of cooperation with the Turks. His plan was to wine and dine the Ottomans and seduce them to do Egypt’s bidding.
He commissioned a famous architect to build Hidiv Kasri as an elegant summer residence in the Art Nouveau style. The Egyptian Princess Cavidan Hanim, originally the Hungarian Countess May Torok von Szendro, who was Abbas Hilmi II’s unofficial, secret second wife at the time, claims she drew up the layout of the rooms, the final interior design and the plantings of the palace gardens. The building was completed in 1907.
The building is a mix of on-trend European design and Arabic architectural characteristics reworked for Ottoman sensibilities.
Marble fountains grace courtyards and a dining room features Art Deco-inspired ceiling lights. The minimalist poolside terrace wouldn’t look out of place in a contemporary five-star hotel. The building now serves as a restaurant and cafe.