Feriye Palace: An Ottoman Imperial Family Residence in Istanbul
Site at a Glance
- Country
- Turkey
- Primary era
- Modern
- Eras represented
- Modern
- Civilizations
- Ottoman
- Site type
- Domestic
- Remains
- Palace
On this page4 sections
History
Feriye Palace is an Ottoman palace complex on the European shore of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey. Sultan Abdülaziz commissioned it in 1871 as a residence for members of the extended imperial family, complementing Dolmabahçe and Çırağan palaces. The Ottoman-style complex was designed by Sarkis Balyan, a member of a prominent family of Ottoman court architects and builders. The name Feriye means ‘secondary’ or ‘auxiliary’ in Ottoman Turkish.
Imperial residence
On May 30, 1876, Abdülaziz was deposed by his ministers and taken into custody with members of his family. After four days at Topkapı Palace, he moved to Feriye at his own request. Soon afterward, he was found there with his wrists cut; his death was recorded as a suicide. Members of his family continued to live at Feriye after his death and after a later sultan abdicated and they were released.
The palace remained a residence of the Ottoman imperial family until March 3, 1924, when the Turkish parliament abolished the caliphate. The sultanate had already ended in 1922. Abdülmecid II, the last caliph, claimed succession to Muhammad’s leadership of the Muslim community, an office traditionally understood to carry political as well as religious authority. After he and other members of the court were deported, the buildings stood vacant for a time.
Schools and university
The Maritime College began using some of the buildings in 1927, and Kabataş High School occupied other parts from the 1928–29 academic year. In 1967, after Galatasaray High School began coeducational instruction, part of Feriye was assigned to its girls’ section. The complex’s northeastern part remained neglected for years.
In 1981, the Maritime College became Istanbul Technical University’s School of Maritime and moved to Tuzla. Its former buildings were assigned to Ziya Kalkavan Maritime Vocational High School the following year. In 1992, the buildings used by Galatasaray High School’s girls’ section passed to Galatasaray University. The university used the principal building for its Law, Economics, and Communications faculties and administrative offices. In 1995, the Kabataş Education Foundation restored a neglected part of the complex and converted it into the Feriye Lokantası restaurant.
Remains
Feriye is an Ottoman-style palace complex comprising three principal buildings along the Bosphorus waterfront. A separate building was set aside for concubines, while a small, two-storey servants’ building stood in a courtyard. Service buildings occupied the area behind the principal buildings. The main building was originally called the İbrahim Tevfik Efendi Seaside Palace. A fire on January 22, 2013, severely damaged it. The Ministry of Culture stated that it would be restored to its former state for continued educational use.
