Mansions on the Water

Toward the end of the 19th century, when the number of yalis had reached its peak, a highlight of the summer social season was the mehab, one of the most extraordinary spectacles of an affluent and esthetically refined era. On summer evenings when the moon was bright and the Bosporus calm, rich and poor alike would throng the shore to watch and listen as a flotilla of private boats-sometimes numbering in the hundreds-would weave its way north in a snake-like procession, often calling at prominent yalis on both shores along the way. In the lead was a special concert boat fitted with a raised platform on which an orchestra performed, or vocalists accompanied by the flutelike ney, the stringed dulcimer and the saz.

With such prominent owners, yalis invariably also played host to history. In the central sofas, viziers received visiting ministers and heads of state, treating them first to banquets and later to negotiations that, in several instances, altered the shape of the Empire. The far-reaching Karlowitz Treaty-which ceded to Austria territories in the Balkans, including Hungary and Transylvania-was ratified in the Koprulu Yali in 1699. The Kucuk Kaynarca Treaty recognizing Crimean independence was also signed there in 1774. Early in this century, negotiations with German officials in the Sait Halim Pasha Yali led to Turkish involvement in World War I.

Sait Halim Pasha Yali

It was only in the early 19^th century, during the empire period, that the Ottoman fascination with Europe began to affect the facades and layouts of yalis. From 1808 to 1867, yalis began adopting an, almost neoclassical look. Unlike the early yalis with their bay windows over hanging the water, the empire-style yalis were fronted by a quay. Instead of solid window covers hinged at top or bottom, lattice shutters and sliding "jalousie" screens (far right) were adopted to shade the interiors and provide privacy.

The Sait Halim Pasha Yali, on the upper European shore at Yenikoy, is one of the best-preserved of the empire-style yalis. It is named for the Egyptiian prince and aristocrat who held important positions in the Ottoman administration, and who rose to serve a, grand vizier during World War I. From the yali’s quay, two stone lions, brought from Egypt in the 1860's, keep a silent and distinctive watch to the east.

Unlike earlier yalis, the Sait Halim Pasha Yalis traditional sofa, the original heart of the Ottoman home, was replaced by several reception rooms. Today, guests are often led into the haremlik through a porch glazed in colored glass, which throws pools of red and, yellow light on the marble floor. Beyond lies the entrance hall of the women's side and a grand, split staircase with ornate iron balusters.

The columned hallway, with its Corinthian capitals and paneled walls embellished with egg-and- dart cornice moldings, is pure empire style. But in the small ground-floor study and reception room fronting the quay, the atmosphere changes: Rich gold-brown colors and doors sparkling with mother-of-pearl inlay combine Egyptian and Ottoman themes.

The yali's substantial collection of European paintings reflects the increasingly western orientation of upper-class Ottoman taste and culture.