Historic Ottoman pavilion set for reconstruction in Istanbul
The historic Yalı Köşkü, an Ottoman-era waterfront pavilion where sultans bid farewell to naval expeditions, received admirals and presided over ceremonial fleet departures, is set to be reconstructed in accordance with its original architectural design under a project led by the Istanbul Governor’s Office.
Located on the Sarayburnu shoreline beside the Sepetçiler Pavilion near Topkapı Palace, the structure — also referred to in historical sources as the Cebeciler Pavilion — will be rebuilt as part of a project which aims to restore long-lost landmarks to the city’s historic skyline.
Fatih Sarımeşe, a lecturer in Turkish and Islamic Art History at Istanbul University, said the pavilion was constructed between 1591 and 1592 during the reign of Sultan Murad III by chief imperial architect Davut Ağa, a successor to the renowned Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan.
According to Sarımeşe, the site had previously housed an earlier pavilion dating to the reign of Sultan Bayezid II. Historical accounts indicate that the famed Ottoman admiral Barbaros Hayreddin Pasha met Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent there before entering imperial service.
