Ihlamur Pavilion Istanbul

The Ihlamur Pavilion is located at the intersection of Nüzhetiye Street between Ihlamur and Tesvikiye .  It sits in an area of 25,000sqm and sources state that in the mid 18th century it had been a kiosk belonging to Hüseyin Efendi whilst others state it was an imperial garden (Has Bahçe) that had many linden trees.  However, all previous buildings were demolished and the present structure was built from by the Armenian-Turkish Architect Nikogos Balyan. 

The Pavilion consists of two kiosks; The Maiyet Kiosk, the simpler of the two, was used by the Sultan’s entourage and family members and in the gardens here Sultan Abdülaziz () organised cock and ram fights as well as wrestling competitions in which he personally participated.  Sultan Abdülmecid I () welcomed Lamartine, a famous French writer, poet and politician to the kiosk and Sultan Mehmet Resat V accepted the king of Bulgaria and Serbia here.  This kiosk is now home of the “Historical Kiosks Museum” and has a beautiful cafeteria.  The Merasim Kiosk was for the sultan’s personal use and is decorated with Baroque style carvings with a ceiling covered in landscape pictures. The porcelain ornaments adorning the fireplace are products of Yıdız Oven and the kiosk is decorated with crystal chandeliers, European-style furniture,  Hereke carpets and painted vases and has been converted into the “Museum of Tanzimat”.  Both Kiosks were completely restored during the 1980s and the Pavilion and its gardens opened to the public in 1987.