Ciragan Palace
Ciragan Palace |
The name Ciragan comes from the word "cerag"
which means torch in Persian. The area in which
the Palace is located was called Ceragan because
of the famous Ottoman parties which were held in
tulip gardens with torches. The palace was built
during the reign of Abdulmecit and was designed
by the Armenian architect Serkis Balyan. The
building was constructed using the financial
loans that were obtained for restructuring the
water system of Istanbul and the construction of
a new railway. The construction took 12 years.
This is the last palace built by the Ottoman
Empire for the royal family.
Ciragan Palace |
Unfortunately the main building was destroyed
by fire on 6 january 1910. Only the exterior
walls remained from the structure. The main
building has been renovated and with the
addition of a modern hotel building the site has
been converted to a hotel. The other surviving
buildings in the complex are being used as
schools.
The Palace is serving as a hotel today,
Ciragan Palace Kempkinski.
Tel: (212) 258 33 77
|
