Sinan Pasha Pavillion

Sinan Pasha Pavillion is located on the walls that border the Topkapı Palace grounds along the seaboard. Also known as “The Pearled Pavillion” and “Pavillion of the Meadows”, this structure was commissioned by Grand Vizier Sinan Pasha (d. 1596) between 1589 and 1591 and was bequeathed to Murad III (1574-1595) upon its completion. The pavillion’s architect Davud Ağa’s (d. 1598) name is mentioned on the inscription tablet of the small fountain between the two arches located on the sea façade of the substructure that extends beyond the walls. During the Kılıç Alayı , when the sea route was opted to reach Eyüp, the Sultan would traditionally board the imperial caique either from Sinan Pasha Pavillion or from the Waterfront Pavillion (Yalı Köşkü). The Sacred Fountain of Sotiros from the Byzantine period located below the pavillion, on the other hand, was regularly visited each year on its holy feast by the Greek Orthodox community until the Ottoman-Greek rebellion of 1821. What remains of the structure, which was demolished during the railway construction in 1871, is confined to the arched substructure that adjoins the walls and the cantilevers that support the balcony on the sea front. The private chambers of the sovereign was located in the central section set on the substructure, whereas the wings on either side included the chambers of Afife Kadın, Kethüda Kadın, Dârüssaade (Chief Black Eunuch of the Sultan), the Aghas, as well as the coffee parlor and bathrooms. A pendant with a pearled tassel, which gave the name “Pearled Pavillion” to the structure, was suspended from the dome of the central section. Pîrî Reis (mid-17th century), Grelot (circa 1680) and Scorella (1685) have all described the pavillion as having a perpendicular pyramidal roof. The wooden oriel, which appears to have been added to the sea façade in the 18th century, can be discerned in the engravings of Choiseul-Gouffier (late 18th century) and Jouannin (early 19th century) as well as in Melling’s panorama. It is highly probable that during the construction of the oriel, the pyramidal spire gave way to a dome.