Basketmakers' Kiosk, Ottoman pleasure palace on Golden Horn's shore in Sirkeci, Turkey
The Basketmakers' Kiosk is a restaurant and tourist attraction in Istanbul featuring four floors with stone walls and tall wooden doors. Its rooms offer views over the Galata Bridge and the Bosphorus Strait.
The building was established in 1591 as a leisure place for basket makers, an important craft group of the era. A major renovation occurred later in the 18th century that helped preserve the kiosk for later generations.
The kiosk served as a place where different social groups mingled and where the Sultan demonstrated closeness to working trades. Its name reflects the basket makers whose guild held a special connection to the palace grounds.
The kiosk operates as a restaurant during the day and offers entertainment in the evening hours. The best time to visit is in the afternoon when light conditions favor views of the strait and it is less crowded.
The kiosk is one of the rare surviving pavilions that once dotted the grounds surrounding the Topkapi Palace. Its location right on the Golden Horn makes it a rare window into the architectural traditions of the palace complex.
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