Küçüksu Pavilion

The Küçüksu Pavilion is a striking stone structure on the Asian shore of the Bosphorus, recognizable by its ornate, rococo-style facade and a pair of grand, sweeping staircases that descend toward the water. Completed in eighteen fifty-seven, this building replaced an earlier wooden palace that had served as a retreat for Ottoman sultans since the mid-eighteenth century. Designed by the architect Nigoğayos Balyan, it was built not as a permanent residence but as a luxurious destination for short trips, hunting excursions, and afternoon rest along the Bosphorus.