Many of the mansions along the Bosporus coastline were built by the khedives because their wives wanted to enjoy the summer breeze by the water. The mansions that line both sides of the coast are architectural gems that shed light on the history of Turkish culture and the economy. For example, we know that the sultans, their wives, daughters, viziers and grand viziers, in other words the notables of the palace, had the economic power and opportunity to build mansions along the Bosporus.The only other people that could build mansions in İstanbul were businessmen from minority groups and only in the distant areas of Sarıyer. Their mansions were not as grand as the other mansions. But things started to change in the mid-19th century when Mehmet Ali Pasha’s descendants, the khedives, started investing their money in waterside mansions. The reason for this was that their wives only spent the winter months in Egypt because as soon as summer came, their longing for İstanbul would take over and they would insist on going there. Not knowing what else to do, the khedives started building mansions along the Bosporus. These structures were made to be as luxurious as the mansions of sultans and sultanas. Every lady in the palace and throughout İstanbul talked about the extravagant homes and clothes of the khedives’ wives. Eventually, competition was sparked between the women. Historian Haluk Dursun said the competition in extravagance turned into a competition in charity. It is in this way that hospitals such as Zeynep Kamil (the khedive’s donation) and Vakıf Gureba (Bezmi Alem Valide Sultan’s donation) were founded.
There is a story about the mansions along the Bosporus that precedes the khedive family. The Bosporus was not a very popular place until the great Sadabat fire (1730). The Golden Horn and Sadabat were more popular, but when a fire devastated these areas, the Ottoman elites turned their attention to the Bosporus. They built mansions overlooking the sea to reside in during the hot summer months. The most extravagant of these mansions belonged to the imperial family and it was named the Coastal Palace. Dursun explained the competition in building mansions along the Bosporus, saying: “Aside from the sultan, the khedive family also owned big and extravagant buildings because they were wealthy. There was competition between the women of the royal family and the women of the khedives in living luxurious and flamboyant lives. In fact, some historians such as Ahmet Cevdet Pasha say the Ottomans’ budget deficit was caused by the competition between the women.”
Mansions along the Bosporus became especially popular in the 1850s. Anyone who had the opportunity built a mansion along the Bosporus, especially in the early 1890s -- a complicated time and a period in which the power of the Ottoman dynasty decreased. Now there are 600 buildings of varying sizes. Of these, 366 are historic structures. The number of those of primary historic importance is 65. Those that are not owned by the state are sold to those who can afford them. For example, 37 mansions have changed ownership in the last year. Among the new mansion owners are Ali Ağaoğlu, Remzi Gür and Eray Kapıcıoğlu, who is the owner of Dünya Göz Hospital. During every period of crisis, anyone whose bank collapses or holding faces a financial crisis sells his mansion, such as Dinç Bilgin and Halis Toprak. Before we forget, the family that owns the largest number of mansions on the Bosporus is the Sabancı family with a total of 18. The mansions and palaces that are open to the public nowadays belong either to the imperial family or the khedives. Emirgan Park and its palaces belonged to the khedives. The Yıldız Palaces belonged to the sultans and so did the Feriye Palaces. As for the Hidiv Kasrı (Khedive Palace), it’s obvious from its name who it belonged to. The mansion that is now the Sabancı Museum belonged to the khedives, as did the Sait Halim Pasha Mansion, which currently functions as a hotel.
The khedive dynasty competed with the sultan in wealth
Khedive means master vizier. The title khedive was given to the Egyptian Wali İsmail Pasha with the permission of the sultan in 1866. This decree by the sultan also meant that the title of Wali would pass on from father to son. Ismail Pasha became the Wali upon the death of his uncle Sait Pasha. The family of İsmail Pasha, who was the son of İbrahim Pasha from Kavala, was referred to as khedive until the Treaty of Lausanne. In this way, there was a khedive dynasty in Egypt that was independent in its internal affairs but bounded to the Ottoman Empire outside. The khedive family holds an important place in our history not only in terms of politics but also culturally and architecturally. One of the main factors that make the khedives important is that they started the trend that changed the silhouette of İstanbul’s Bosporus. After all, the Bosporus started becoming attractive due to the khedives’ wives’ yearning for İstanbul and interest in extravagance. The pavilions, mansions, palaces and hills they ornamented with green spaces were in competition with those of the sultan and sultanas. Prior to the khedives, it was nearly impossible for anyone other than the imperial family to build mansions along the Bosporus.
