The Marmara Esma Sultan Yalisi

The Marmara Esma Sultan <br />Istanbul’s rich cultural heritage has left a legacy of outstanding historical sites that provide an exciting backdrop for meetings, special events and theme parties. <br />One of these sites is a mansion located on The Bosphorus the strait that separates Europe and Asia. This mansion reflecting the Golden Age of Istanbul is named after its original owner, Esma Sultan, the daughter of Sultan Abdülaziz I. <br /><br />Esma Sultan was born in 1873 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. She became a prominent and admired woman known for her lively and colorful character. <br />One of these mansions in particular, after withstanding neglect and suffering a fire and an earthquake, ended up first as a tobacco warehouse and then as a coal depot. The ruins were taken over by The Marmara Hotels group in the 1990’s, and finally, in 2001, the mansion was given a new cultural identity.