| Beylerbeyi Palace |
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The area of Beylerbeyi on the Asian shore of the Bosphorus has been settled since Byzatine times. According to the famous 18th century traveller Inciciyan, Constantine the Great erected a cross here, after which the area was known as the Istavroz Gardens.
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| Cigragan Palace |
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The palace, built by Sultan Abdulaziz, was designed by the famous Armenian palace architect Nigogayos Balyan and constructed by his sons Sarkis and Hagop Balyan between 1863 and 1867.
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| Dolmabahce Palace |
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Dolmabahçe Palace was the first European-style palace in Istanbul and was built by Sultan Abdülmecid between 1842 and 1853, at a cost of five million Ottoman gold pounds, the equivalent of 35 tons of gold. 14 tons of gold was used only to adorn the interior ceiling of the palace. The world's largest Bohemian crystal chandelier, a gift from Queen Victoria, is at the center hall.
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| Topkapi Palace Museum |
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Not long after the conquest, Mehmet II began the construction of a new palace at Seraglio Point, wich became known as Topkapi Sarayi after a shore palace near the Cannon Gate (Topkapi) of the sea walls.
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| Yildiz Palace |
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Yildiz Palace, one of the four imperial centres where the Ottoman Empire was dominated, is worth to see not only for its history but also for its elegant architecture and unique garden.
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