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Showing posts with label ihlamur kasri. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ihlamur kasri. Show all posts

Sunday, 17 May 2015

Fulya: Formerly a Stream, Today's Health Center


Fulya means "daffodil" in Turkish. It took this name because it used to be full of daffodils and other flowers and trees. Today, its flora is unfortunately made up of skyscrapers. (But I will recommend you to visit there for following reasons.)

Fulya had formerly a stream. You'll notice the landscape as soon as you're there. There are slopes coming from Mecidiyekoy (Ortaklar Street), Nisantasi, Cevahir Mall, and Dikilitas (Ayazma Dere Street, meaning Ayazma Stream Street, obviously explanatory). Then they all unite and end up at Besiktas and Marmara Sea.

I worked at Fulya for more than two years. I walked to and from the office because there is no frequent public transportation and I couldn't afford taxi every day. You may ask "What the hell am I gonna do there?" My answer will be anything you want.

The streets to Fulya, though though, are actually nice to walk. Fulya is a prosperous neighbourhood and so are other neighbourhoods around. If you are planning to rent an apartment, beware of the high prices. There are also nice hotels especially on the street that connects Fulya with Nisantasi.

There are many private hospitals which has visitor even from abroad (for eye surgery, in vitro fertilisation, hair transportations, or cosmetic surgeries). Fulya is close to city center from different angels, offers good accomodation and health servises.

There isn't much to visit at Fulya, but if you walk for five to ten minutes, you'll reach the beautiful Ihlamur Pavilion. If you walk more towards Besiktas, you'll come to cosy Ihlamur neigbourhood where lots of university students reside.

Ihlamur Kasri (Pavilion) with its Well-Kept Garden and Peacocks

Ihlamur is near Fulya neighbourhood between Nisantasi and Besiktas. Ihlamur means "linden" in Turkish. Today, although the yard is very colourful, there is not much linden odour left. It is a perfect place to wander around for a couple hours or have a refreshing breakfast.

A view from the yard. Unfortunately it is interrupted by skyscrapers. The building is the cortege pavilion.

Sultan Abdulmecit ordered the famous Armenian architect Nigogos Balyan to build two pavilions, one for ceremony, the other for cortege. (By the way, Balyan brothers were very famous at late Ottoman times. Nigogos Balyan was also the architect of Small Mecidiye Mosque, Dolmabahce Mosque, Adile Sultan Pavilion, Ortakoy Mosque or Big Mecidiye Mosque, Kucuksu Pavilion.) The orijinal Ihlamur Pavilion is the ceremony pavilion. It is bigger and heavily decorated. The cortege pavilion is smaller and plain compared to the former.

The ceremony pavilion.
After the death of Abdulmecit, Sultan Abdulaziz took care of his brother's favourite buildings (somehow less than him). He organized cock fights and ram fights in the garden. Then Sultan Mehmet Resat V took regular rests here. In 1910, Bulgarian and Serbian kings were was hosted here. Before the pavilions were built, the land was remembered as a resort. It had three sections, including a pool, a garden and an orchard. Then after some regulations at the reigns of Ahmed III, Abdulhamid I and Selim III it became the private garden of the sultans. (The people out!) One of the famous guests of the garden at that time was the French poet Lamartine.

A peacock from the garden.
Today, the buildings are museums. You can visit the garden by paying 1 TL and see the buildings from outside. I remember entering the building once when I was a university student. I had a couple of breakfast. I love to visit the garden in spring. If I'm lucky, I see a peacock.

How to get to Ihlamur Pavilion


Fulya is a prosperous neighbourhood. I can explain the lack of public transportation only with this. If you can afford it, you can take a taxi. However, it is an easy and short walk to the pavilion from Mecidiyekoy, Nisantasi or Besiktas. If you have half an hour and if the weather is fine, don't bother to walk.


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