Aynalıkavak Palace

Aynalıkavak Palace is a two-story building with traditional Turkish architecture featuring wooden construction and large windows facing the Golden Horn. The structure contains multiple interconnected rooms designed for different purposes, representing typical layouts of palaces from this period.

The Balyan family, Armenian architects of the Ottoman Empire, built the palace during the early reign of Sultan Mahmud II. The structure was completed during a period when imperial architecture was beginning to blend Western influences into Ottoman traditions.

The layout reveals how the Sultan and court organized daily life through separate areas for ceremonies, private moments, and household duties, reflecting the social order that shaped everything. Walking through the rooms shows how power and living space were closely connected.

Access is typically by guided tour, which explains the rooms and their various functions throughout the palace. The visit allows you to see the architecture and understand how daily life unfolded within these spaces.

The name comes from Venetian mirrors that once decorated the walls and poplar trees that surrounded the grounds, giving the place its distinctive title. These details reveal how palace architecture was shaped by both decorative choices and the natural landscape that surrounded it.