Category: Residential / Public
Type: Cafe & Restaurant
Location: Ortaköy, Çırağan Ave. Yıldız Park, Beşiktaş
Date: 1871
Period: Ottoman Empire
Designer: Sarkis Balyan
Photo: Beltur
The Malta Kiosk, located within the lush grounds of Yıldız Park in Istanbul, was commissioned by Sultan Abdülaziz and completed in 1871 by the prominent Ottoman court architect Sarkis Balyan. Reflecting the eclectic tastes of the late nineteenth-century Ottoman court, the two-story pavilion seamlessly blends Neo-Classical, Baroque, and Empire architectural styles. Its exterior features elegant facades oriented toward panoramic views of the Bosphorus, while the interior is celebrated for its opulent decoration, featuring richly painted ceilings, grand mirrors, and a central marble hall adorned with a tiered fountain that cooled the space during summer retreats. Beyond its architectural merit, the kiosk holds significant historical weight as a site of critical political events during the late Ottoman Empire, including the trial of the reformist statesman Midhat Pasha and the temporary confinement of deposed Sultan Murad V.
Beylerbeyi Palace was used as a summer residence and as the State Guest House. Many guests stayed here like Franz Joseph, Emperor of Austria-Hungary (1869); Eugénie, Empress of France (1869); Nikola, King of Montenegro (1874) and German Emperor Wilhelm II. Sultan Abdülhamid II, after he was dethroned, spent his last six years in Beylerbeyi Palace and died here in 1918.
