Küçüksu Pavilion
The settlement history of the region where Küçüksu Pavilion is located, located in the area between Küçüksu and Göksu streams on the Bosphorus, dates back to the Byzantine Period. Küçüksu and its surroundings, one of the private gardens of the sultan during the Ottoman Period, were visited by Sultan IV. It is known that Murad II (1623-1640) loved this place very much and named it "Silver Cypress". Starting from the 17th century, the region, which was named "Bağçe-i Göksu" in various sources, has seen intense construction, especially starting from the 18th century. During the reign of Sultan Mahmud I (1730-1754), Divitdâr Emin Mehmed Pasha had a two-storey wooden palace built on the seaside of this Hasbahçe for the sultan. This structure was built by Sultan Mahmud III. Selim (1789-1807) and Sultan II. It was also repaired and used during the reign of Mahmud (1808-1839).
The period of Sultan Abdülmecid (1839-1861) was the period when Western forms were preferred, especially in palace and mansion architecture. Sultan Abdülmecid demolished the old wooden structure in the area where the Küçüksu Pavilion was located, as in the Dolmabahçe and Ihlamur buildings, and replaced it with the present-day pavilion. Küçüksu Pavilion, which was completed in 1857, was built using masonry technique on an area of 15 x 27 meters. The basement of the pavilion, which has three floors including the basement, the pantry and the kitchen, is reserved for the servants, and the other floors are arranged in the form of four rooms opening to a middle space. With this feature, the building reflects the traditional Turkish House plan type and is a "Riding Pavilion" generally used for rest and hunting purposes. Unlike other palace buildings belonging to the state, it is not surrounded by high walls, but by elegant iron railings made with the casting technique, with doors in four directions.
During the reign of Sultan Abdülaziz (1861-1876), the facade decorations were overhauled and enriched. Western ornamental motifs were used on the lively sea façade decorated with reliefs, the small pool with a fountain leaning on this facade, and the stairs. The rooms and halls are furnished with valuable works of art and furniture ordered from Europe. Küçüksu Pavilion, which is a rich art museum with its ceilings decorated with plaster reliefs and hand-carved ornaments, fireplaces made of Italian marbles of different colors and shapes resembling a fireplace museum, individually decorated and finely crafted parquets in each room, furniture in European styles, carpets and paintings, is located in the Republic of Turkey. It is known that it was used as a state guesthouse for a while during the period. With a comprehensive restoration project initiated in 1992, Küçüksu Pavilion was prevented from sliding into the sea and was reopened to visitors as a museum-palace in 1996. In order to transform the pier, fountain square and original garden right next to the pavilion into a promenade where people can have fun and rest, as in the past, cafeteria services are provided to visitors around the fountain, and the expanded pier can be allocated to national or international receptions.
Source Türkiye Culture Portal History of Istanbul