Ciragan Palace
Ciragan Palace ("C" pronounced as "ch" in Turkish) was constructed by Armenian architect Serkis Balyan in 1871 in Istanbul, as appointed by Sultan Abdul Aziz, from the ruins of the old palace. This was a period (towards the end of the life of the Empire) where all the Sultans built their own palaces. The interior construction was rebuilt, at a cost of four million gold coins, beginning with covering the ceiling with wood and the walls with marble. The rooms were decorated with rare carpets, furniture, gold and silver. The sides of the building were decorated with coloured marble, and monumental gates connected it to Yildiz Palace, via a bridge, which is how the harem women went between the two palaces in total privacy. The Sultan was not able to live long at the Ciragan Palace. He was found dead in his bed in 1876.
Ciragan Palace briefly housed the Turkish Parliament from 1908 but part of the Ciragan Palace was burnt down by a great fire in 1910 which left the part only with outer walls. The area was used as a stadium afterwards (Seref Stadium, still used by Besiktas Football Club). In 1991, the ruined palace was rebuilt into a modern luxury hotel. The Ciragan Palace stands along the Bosphorus.