KHEDIVE  PAVILLION

     Khedive  Pavillion which is a precious work of art which reminds us that Istanbul is the centre of an empire has got an interesting story. Ottoman Empire had on Egypt governor who is called Khedive . The word Khedive is a Persion word and it means privileged governor . In French the word by being ‘VICE ROI’ means a half king.Onn the 8th of june 1867 the title Khedive was accepted .In 1903 Ottoman Empire’s last Khedive young Abbas Hilmi Pasha bought two wooden residences in Çubuklu.He bought the garden which contains the slopes and the flat ground at the back of the residences.In the year of 1907 he got Italian architect Delfo Seminati to make the palace which is fashionable for that time and is in the style of ‘ART NOUVEAU’ Khedive Pavillion which was built on a land which is 1000 m2 is on exceptional work of art with its tower which sees the forests and blue waterway which connects two continents from the hills of Boshporus.

      The Building of the pavillion is shaped like a chateau. On the top of the door there is the crow of Khedive with its moon and star and also there’s a flag of it which  was changed into a heraldry. The entrance of the gate was carved with the figures of golden gilding flowers. Round marble pillars, terraces, the bedroom, of Khedive, its tower, marble, wooden and crystal livingrooms have got important peculiarity. It was adorned with the elements which can be valved of Neo-Classic, Neo-Ottoman, Neo-Islam. The development in the European architecture, flower, fruit and animalpictures were made onto walls, ceilings and pillars. (Ceiling decorates)   (The door of the Khedive Pavillion)

   (The heraldry of the Khedive Pavillion)

(The balcony)

                                    ABBAS HILMI PASHA

         After Tevfik Pasha died of fewer in 1892, when he was very young, his son Abbas the 2nd ascended the throne. But , he was not even 18 at this time.

         As the Khedive was so young, the English goverment didn’t take him seriously and this caused him to react sometimes. Abbas Hilmi Pasha visited Europe, which was not very friendly to England worse. He also visited Istanbul very often, too. He didn’t want to live in Egypt anmore. He was looking for someone to take shelter and as a shelter, he mostly nelied on the Ottoman Government.

               Because of this need to take shelter, he visited Istanbul the second times in 1894 ,when he was 20. His mother wanted him to many one of  the girls of the Sultan. Sultan Abdulhamid accepted his mother’s proposal but, this time, the young governor refused. Because he was in love with one of the king’s slaves. During this time , the famous 1894 earthquake happened . As this was the first time Abbas Hilmi Pasha and his mother saw anearthquake, the were afraid too much. After this event, Sultan gave them a place to live for short time. Then, Hilmi Pasha come to thank Sultan and he returned to Egypt. He was trying to get accustomed to manage the govermental things.

           In summers , Abbas Hilmi Pasha use to stay in Belek in his mother’s wooden palace. In the following years, he started to stay in Sahib Molla Farm, in Cubuklu. But then ,he wanted to have a much more splendid palace .so in 1903 or in 1907, he had a neatly splendid palace built on the hills. He  wanted  to see Bosphorus better from his palace and for this reason,a tall tower was constructed in front of his palace some of the Sultan’s men thought this tall tower was built to communicate with Russia and told it to Sultan. At first Sultan didn’t believe it but then he sent some soldiers to Khedive to tell him the tallest builings in Istanbul should be two minarets. So, the tower was not made any taller.

           This building ,which could see nearly whole of  Boshporus, was just in the way Khedive had wanted. It was possible to use this palace every season. With the Sultan’s permission, which was very rare normally, electric generator and central heating system were added to the palace, too. The palace was built in different styles but it was mostly in the style of ART NOUVEAU.

         With a command in 1914 , Abbas Hilmi was discharged from his duty and his uncle Princes Huseyin ascended tge throne instead of him. At that time , he was in Çubuklu. Now , being moneyless, he had to look after too many people, his soldiers, his servants etc. In 1922, with a command of King Fuat , he was forbidden to return Egypt and al what he had there was seized. He lost all his thing in Egypt in this way.

      

        He donated one of his yachts to Redcross and to stay in Switzerland , he decided to sell Cubuklu Place (Khedive Pavillion). But as Istanbul was not good, there were not many people to buy this palace.At that time, Boshporus was so that companies were bringing people lore free of change.So, Khedive had to sell hiss palace for a very cheap price.

        

       In the time of governor Vali Ustundag, this palace was bought for 60.000 T.Ls in 1937 and after this time, this splendid building, with its lrge garden, its stables, its magnificient interesting door, this started  to belong to Istanbul municipal.As fot the Khedive, he left Istanbul and started to live in Switzerland. In 1944he died of a hearth attack in Genevre.