5/5 Ramona R. 2 years ago on Google • 130 reviews
Alay
Köşkü
or
Alay
Pavillion.
It
is
a
tower
building
not
as
old
as
the
walls
of
the
Ottoman
palace,
but
worth
at
least
an
exterior
visit.
It
was
constructed
above
the
outer
wall
of
Topkapı
Saray,
for
the
sultans,
to
watch
the
ceremonies.
In
16th
century
there
was
a
timber
pavilion.
The
pavilion
that
you
see
it
today
was
built
by
Sultan
Mahmud
II,
in
Western
European
style
and
can
be
reached
by
a
wide
ramp
passing
from
Gülhane
Park.
It
has
a
round
sultan
room
and
the
top
was
covered
by
a
so
called
'canopied
bulbed'
in
lead.
From
inside
looks
like
a
dome-shape.
Moving
their
court
from
Topkapı
to
Dolmabahçe
Saray/Palace
(the
palace
on
the
shores
of
the
Bosphorus),
the
sultans
lost
interest
in
the
old
Topkapı,
that
was
the
residence
of
the
Ottoman
dynasty
for
centuries
and
actually
their
first
palace.
Due
to
the
construction
of
a
new
pavilion
Alay,
at
one
side
of
Dolmabahçe
Palace,
by
the
Swiss
architects
Fossati
Brothers,
the
original
Alay
Pavillion
lost
its
function.
It
was
a
telegraph
office
for
a
while,
then
out
of
use
for
so
long...
In
the
beginning
of
the
Republican
Era
belonged
to
the
Association
of
Fine
Arts
and
after
that
to
the
Topkapı
Directorate.
It
was
restored
few
times.
In
1960
sections
added
later
on
were
removed,
so
that
the
original
Alay
pavilion
preserved
its
original
appearances.
In
2011
became
a
Literature
Museum
(Ahmet
Hamdi
Tampınar).
Worth
a
photo
!
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