| Esma Sultan, born in 1873 at Dolmabahçe Palace, is the daughter of the 32nd Ottoman Sultan, Abdulaziz I. At the age of three, Esma Sultan was admitted in the harem of Sultan Abdulhamid I, and was brought up in the harem following his father Abdulaziz’s dethronement and suicide in 1876. Esma Sultan was brought up as a loved lady sultan and when she was 16 years old she was married to Mehmed Pasha the Circassian who was one of the leading statesmen of his time. The 19th century Ottoman mansion located next to Ortaköy Mosque was presented to Esma Sultan as a wedding gift. The mansion was named after Esma Sultan who lived at the palace. Esma Sultan Mansion was given to her daughter Cemile Sultan in 1899 by Sultan Abdul Hamid II when Esma Sultan died. When Cemile Sultan died, the Mansion was given to Fatma Hanım Sultan, Cemile Sultan’s daughter. Esma Sultan Mansion, which seems to have gotten out of the possession of the Ottoman dynasty in 1915s became a Greek school in 1918, was used as a tobacco warehouse in 1922 and was used as carpenter house, furniture warehouse and coal warehouse respectively in 1950s, after being sold a few times. The building was burnt down in a large fire in 1975. Esma Sultan Mansion was provided with a new cultural identity when it was bought by The Marmara in early 1990s, remaining true to the original plan of the mansion. The interior of the building was reconstructed in 2001 using glass and steel within the direction of the avant project by Philip Robert and was opened to service during 12 months of the year. The garden still contains the remains of the cistern, the Turkish bath and the stable. Back |
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