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.
Sarımeşe described Yalı Köşkü as an important ceremonial extension of the Ottoman palace complex. Naval commanders, military leaders and sailors departing on campaigns were formally sent off from the pavilion with prayers, banquets and imperial ceremonies. Victorious commanders returning from expeditions were likewise welcomed there by the sultan and rewarded for their achievements.
Although the structure no longer survives, its appearance has been reconstructed through engravings, historic photographs and travelers’ accounts. Sarımeşe said the pavilion reflected the characteristics of Ottoman civil architecture, featuring a domed central hall with three iwans, marble porticoes and broad projecting eaves. Contemporary descriptions suggest that nearly 6,000 high-quality İznik tiles decorated the interior, produced during the peak of Ottoman ceramic craftsmanship. Curtains hung between the columns of the outer porticoes reportedly gave the building the appearance of a large ceremonial tent when viewed from a distance.
The pavilion remained in use until the late Ottoman period, gradually losing its function after the imperial court relocated from Topkapı Palace to Dolmabahçe Palace and as railway development transformed the area.
Officials say the reconstruction will rely on extensive restitution studies prepared by prominent Republican-era architect Sedad Hakkı Eldem, as well as archaeological findings and comparative architectural analysis. Archaeological excavations conducted under the supervision of the Istanbul Archaeology Museums uncovered foundation walls, brick channels and evidence of Ottoman ground-stabilization techniques using wooden piles beneath the structure.
Subject to final approvals from relevant authorities, officials aim to complete the reconstruction of Yalı Köşkü within two years.
