Lonely Planet İstanbul Guide

MUSEUM İSTANBUL NAVAL MUSEUM ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; İstanbul Deniz Müzesi; % 0212-327 4345; www.denizmuzeleri.tsk.tr; Beşiktaş Caddesi 6, Beşiktaş; adult/student & child ₺ 6.50/free; h 9am-5pm Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm Sat & Sun mid-May–mid-Oct, 9am-5pm Tue-Sun mid-Oct–mid-May; g Bahçeşehir Ünv.) Established over a century ago to celebrate and commemorate Turkish naval history, this museum has been undergoing a prolonged and major renovation. Its architecturally noteworthy copper-clad exhibition hall opened in 2013 and showcases a spectacular collection of 19th-century imperial caïques, ornately decorated wooden rowboats used by the royal household. Temporary exhibitions take place in the downstairs gallery. The next stage of the renovation will see the museum’s original building reopened with exhibits including ‘The Navy in the Turkish Republic’ and ‘Cartography and Navigational Instruments’; the latter is likely to focus on the achievements of the 16th-century cartographer Piri Reis. In the square opposite the museum is the Sinan-designed tomb of the admiral of Süleyman the Magnificent’s fleet, Barbaros Heyrettin Paşa (1483–1546), better known as Barbarossa. The museum is located on the Bosphorus shore close to the Beşiktaş bus station and ferry dock. Across Beşiktaş Caddesi, dolmuşes (minibuses) run from outside Akbank up to ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Yıldız Chalet Museum; % 0212-327 2626; www.millisaraylar.gov.tr) Originally an imperial hunting lodge, this oft-extended Ottoman guesthouse has hosted royalty galore. Built for Sultan Abdül Hamit II in 1880, the şale (chalet) was closed to the public at the time of research, but is well worth a visit should it reopen. The building is at the top of the hill in Yıldız Park, enclosed by a wall. After being expanded and renovated for the use of Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany in 1889, it underwent a second extension in 1898 to accommodate a huge ceremonial hall. After his imperial guest departed, Abdül Hamit became quite attached to his ‘rustic’ creation and decided to live here himself, forsaking the palaces of Dolmabahçe and Çırağan on the Bosphorus shore.