Beylerbeyi Palace

Beylerbeyi Palace is a palace in Istanbul, Turkey, on the Asian side of the Bosphorus Strait. It was the main residence of the Ottoman Sultans from 1856 to 1866. The palace was commissioned by Sultan Abdülmecid I in 1853, on the site of the palace of his father, Abdülaziz. Designed by Ottoman architect Nikoğos Balyan, it is a mixture of Ottoman and Baroque styles. The palace was used as a residence by the sultans and their families until 1866, when Abdülaziz was overthrown and succeeded by his nephew, Mehmed V. After that, it was used as the Imperial Museum (Müzes-i Hümayun) until 1924, when it was turned into a military barracks. In 1945, it was returned to the Republic of Turkey and used as the Presidential Palace. It remained the official residence of the President of Turkey until the 1980s, when a new presidential palace was built. Beylerbeyi Palace is now open to the public as a museum.