Selimiye Barracks

Selimiye Barracks is a large rectangular military complex in Üsküdar on the Asian shore of the Bosporus, enclosing a central parade ground. The four wings of the building vary in height due to the sloping terrain, and a seven-story stone tower rises at each corner.

Sultan Selim III ordered the first wooden buildings constructed in 1800 for his modernized forces, but the Janissaries destroyed them in 1806 as part of their resistance to military reforms. After their abolition, Sultan Mahmud II began building the present stone complex in 1828, which Sultan Abdülmecid I expanded with corner towers between 1842 and 1850.

The complex now serves as headquarters for the Turkish Armed Forces First Field Army Command, blending active military function with historical commemoration. Visitors can tour the museum in the northern tower, where personal items and medical instruments from the British nursing mission remain on display.

The grounds remain mostly restricted military property, but the museum in the northern tower is open to the public. Access is through the main entrance on Tıbbiye Caddesi street, from where visitors are directed to the museum tower.

Florence Nightingale established an improvised hospital here during the Crimean War between 1854 and 1856, drastically reducing mortality rates through improved hygiene and care. Her room in the northern tower has been preserved as a memorial, showing the simple conditions under which she and her team worked.