Egypt History Pictures Farouk and Family Palaces in Istanbul ,Turkey

HIDIVA SARAYI

EGYPTIAN CONSULATE-GENERAL IN ISTANBUL
Researched by Samir Raafat March 2008


Restoration of Hidiva Saray at Bebek, Jawdat Pasha Street - May 2009

a touch of kitsch--swans added to the twin roofs in May 2010
June 1894 al-Ahram announces the arrival of the Khediva-Mother and two of her daughters to Istanbul
"for the first time they shall reside in Bebek Saray recently gifted by the Sultan to the Khedive"
Below: Khedive Abbas offers Bebek Saray to his mother who requests architect Antonio Lasiac to restore it. Architect travels to Istanbul to inspect saray; Khediva-Mother resides in her son in law's (Prince Mohammed-Abbas Halim) nearby yali for duration of restoration works


asked to follow suit with the Egyptian Embassy setting up office on the hills of Tchankaya.

For a while the Saray stood empty until the day the Egyptian government decided to use it as an official residence. The consulate meanwhile would remain for the next three decades in the district of Beyoglou, first on the prestigious Pera Avenue (today Istiklal) at No. 303, then at No. 69 Siraseliver Street off Taksim Square. Perhaps for budgetary considerations it was only in the 1960s that Bebek Saray started to serve its dual function as residence and consulate-general, one of the first to relocate outside the confines of historic Istanbul; Bebek was then considered a distant suburb beyond the limits of Beshiktash. Succumbing to temptations some of the new residents took to fleecing the priceless objets d'arts that festooned the saray. Two diplomats in particular made it their mission to replace authentic pieces with fakes. Aside from the wanton pilfering of the saray, someone at Foreign Affairs came up with the 'brilliant' idea to turn part of it into an hotel for Egyptian diplomats, a branch so to speak of "Nadi al-Tahrir" on Cairo's Soliman Pasha Street. The process of accelerated depreciation had gone into fourth gear. Today Bebek Saray is currently undergoing massive restoration under the guidance of architect Sureyya Saruhan and is expected to last a couple of years.

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Notes: Other palaces on the Bosphorous that once belonged to members of the Egyptian royal family include:

The yali (Bosphorus villa) of Saiid Halim Pasha nicknamed the "Pink Yali With Lions" because of two Egyptian stone lions standing guard on the quay. The yali's architecture was western in style with empire overtones . The reception-room had Egyptian motifs. Considered one of the finest and best preserved buildings on the Bosphorus, the yali was partially destroyed by fire in 1995 and is now being restored.

Just before he was arrested (by order of the British in March) and subsequently deported from Istanbul to Malta in May 1919, Saiid Halim Pasha, a pan-Islamist, offered his estate on the Bosphorus containing woods and a number of fine buildings for the purpose of founding an Islamic University. The offer was not taken.

South of Yenikoy, on the European shores of the Bosphorus at Emirgan, stood the kiosk, yali and park constructed by Khedive Ismail in 1865, the same place where he died in March 1895. Emirgan Parki today consists of three pavilions: the Pink Kiosk, the Yellow Chalet and the White Pavilion, a legacy from Egypt's khedives.

Also in Emirgan stands a seashore residence occupied successively by several members of the Mohammed Ali family. One of the last Egyptian residents was Princess Iffet Hassan (1876-1962), a granddaughter of Khedive Ismail. Purchased in 1944 by her brother Mohammed-Ali Hassan who died the following year, Princess Iffet herself a widow having lost her husband Ali Galal in 1922, moved in with her children Meluket and Ahmet. In the early 1950s the Sabanci family purchased the house from the heirs of Mohammed-Ali Hassan (Izzedine and Ismail) and eventually restored it turning it into a grand museum. The house is known today as Alti Kosk (Horse Mansion) after a wonderful bronze horse standing at its entrance.

Almost diagonally opposite Emirgan, on the Asian side of the Bosphorus, stands Cubuklada Misir--Villa Cubuklu a.k.a Hidiv Kasri and its dependencies designed by Antonio Lasciac. These belonged to Khedive Abbas Hilmi before he sold them in March 1937 to the municipality (Beledeyesi) of Istanbul. The villa was restored in 1983-84 by the Touring Club of Turkey and turned into a 14-room hotel "Hidiv Kasri". Although hidden by the surrounding woods, the villa's tower can still be seen from the Bosphorous.

Not to be forgotten is the circa 1910 art nouveau Misir Apartment building No: 163 on what used to be Grand Pera Street better known today as the pedestrian Istiklal Caddesi (street). It was designed by Hovsep Aznavuryan for account of Khedive Abbas Hilmi. Ever since it has been home to celebrities among them Mehmet Akif Ersoy, author of the Turkish national anthem. Sold to sugar baron Mehmet Khairy Ipar in 1940, this landmark building remains a prestigeous address in Istanbul and is home to high-end galleries, eateries and the panoramic "360" roof-top restaurant.

Al Ahram daily details arrival of Khedive Abbas II in Istanbul on June 7
mentioning Cibukli (Hidiv Kasri), Bebek Saray (Hidiva Saray) and the Dolma-Bahce Palace
As was customary then Istanbul is referred to either as Asitane or as Dar al-Saada.
Note: The Persian word 'Asitane' was used by Ottomans to denote Imperial complex in Istanbul (Topkapi, the Imperial Diwan and all its annexes). Dar al-Saada in above context means city of happiness
Bebek in the 1900s

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ISTANBUL EXHIBITION ON FORMER SARAYS OF VICEROY MOHAMMED ALI'S DESCENDANTS

"Nil Kiyisindan Bogaziçi'ne Kavalali Mehmed Ali Pasa Hanedani'nin Istanbul'daki Izleri"

From the Stores of the Nile to the Bosphorus Traces of the Kavalali Mehmed Ali Pasha Dynasty in Istanbul
Turkish/English
Catalogue
Istanbul Research Institute
Catalogues 9
December 2011
380 Pages
ISBN: 978 975 9123-95-6

@ exhibition in Beyoglu; 24 December 2011: standing in front of Mohammed Ali portrait; L-R: Prince Abbas Hilmi, Princess Ikbal Hilmi
Princess Medihe Hilmi, IRCICA scholar Mohammed Aboul Amayem, Samir W Raafat and exhibition curator Professor Bahaa Tanman below: Professor Bahaa Tanman discusses exhibition on CNN Turk

http://www.egy.com/landmarks/hidivasaray.php