The Construction Process of the First Library Building of Yıldız Palace
The masonry library building, currently located in the Yıldız Palace Harem courtyard but indicated in documents as “opposite” or “in front of” the Şale Pavilion, was built in 1881. Serkiz Balyan constructed the building, which has a rectangular plan in the North-South direction. This article aims to determine both the construction information and the furnishings of the building, which is not currently used as a library. The archive sources were identified and evaluated for this purpose. Within the framework of the relevant sources, the construction information and terminology of the period were determined. In a structure with a functional feature such as a library, the costs were revealed along with the spatial organisation. Thanks to the first and second cost estimate books of the structure, the changes in the structure before and after construction were determined. The originality of the research is based on both the use of resources and the fact that the structure has not been studied to date. Leon Rosenthal, one of the most important furnishers of the 19th century, who used titles such as the sultan’s furnisher in his invoices, identified furniture, curtains and other elements with their costs. Since the upholsterer Rosenthal’s costs did not coincide with the costs predicted by the palace, a discussion of merit and competence occurred between the two subjects.
Yıldız Sarayı’nın İlk Kütüphane Binasının İnşa Süreci
Günümüzde Yıldız Sarayı Harem avlusunda yer alan ancak belgelerde Şale Kasrı’nın “karşısında” veya “nezdinde” olarak belirtilen kargir kütüphane binası, 1881 yılında inşa edilmiştir. Kuzey-güney doğrultuda enine dikdörtgen bir plana sahip yapının inşaatını Serkiz Balyan üstlenmiştir. Günümüzde kütüphane işleviyle kullanılmayan binanın hem inşa bilgisini hem de mefruşatını belirlemek bu makalenin amacını oluşturmaktadır. Bu amaca yönelik birincil kaynakların tespiti ve değerlendirmesi yapılmıştır. İlgili kaynaklar çerçevesinde dönemin inşa bilgisi ve terminolo jisi tespit edilmiştir. Kütüphane gibi işlevsel özelliği ön plana çıkan bir yapıda mekân organizasyonuyla birlikte maliyetler ortaya çıkarılmıştır. Yapının mimari ve iç düzeni, dönemin öne çıkan unsurlarından olan mekân organizas yonu üzerinden analiz edilmiş, bu süreçte maliyet kalemleri de ayrıntılı olarak ele alınmıştır. Özellikle birinci ve ikinci keşif defterleri, yapının tasarlandığı ve gerçekleştirildiği aşamalarda ortaya çıkan değişiklikleri ortaya koymaktadır. Bu defterler, binanın inşa edilmeden önceki planlaması ve sonrasındaki uygulamaları çok daha net bir şekilde anlamayı sağlamıştır. Yapıya ait birinci ve ikinci keşif kayıtları sayesinde yapının inşa öncesi ve sonrası değişimleri saptanmıştır. Yapıya dair önemli unsurlardan biri, bugün kadar bu konu üzerinde yeterince detaylı bir araştırma yapılmamış olmasıdır. Bu makale, Yıldız Sarayı’nın ilginç yapılarından biri olan bu kütüphane binasının hem mimari hem de fonksiyonel boyutlarını daha yakından tanıtmayı amaçlamaktadır. Aynı zamanda bu araştırma, dönemin mimari anlayışı, malzeme kullanımı ve inşaat teknikleri konusunda da bilgi sunmaktadır.
The library building, the construction of which was undertaken by Serkiz Balyan and completed in 1881, is the first independent library of Yıldız Palace. In period sources, the location of the building is described as Şale Pavilion, and later the building was taken inside the Harem courtyard walls and converted into the Harem's Department, one of the Harem structures. The study revealed the architect/contractor and the original identity of the building, and emphasised the importance of primary sources in determining the spatial changes of Yıldız Palace. At the same time, the settlement imitation established with Topkapı Palace was one of the images created to refresh the will and image of the state, which was showing weakness in many points. The library building, designed as an independent unit within the palace, is also a reflection of this image. Indeed, the transfer of the book collections in other palaces and mansions to the new administrative centre and their preservation by Abdulhamid II was an important attempt to establish the image of an enlightened and wise administrator. In accordance with this design, both the location selection and spatial arrangement of the library building left the structure between public and private. On the other hand, the map on the ceiling of the hall of the building refers to both the library being a place of knowledge and the idea of Ottomanism that the Ottomans made a state policy. The change in the function of the library by connecting it to the harem apartments is an issue that should be emphasised. Although the date of this change cannot be determined clearly, it can be estimated that the building continued its existence until 1893-4. In fact, the furnishing book coded Y.PRK.HH., 26/94 (29 Dhul-Hicce 1310 [14 July 1893]) mentions the furnishings of the two-story building adjacent to the library building in the imperial harem. The two-story building includes a bathhouse, two halls and more than one room. This situation indicates that the library was included in the harem courtyard but continued its existence. In fact, the two-story building adjacent to the library building examined (in conjunction) is the Concubine Department. The library was designed as a two floor building towards the end of the 1890s and must have been combined with other nearby harem buildings. The fact that the palace’s first independent library is located between the harem courtyard, which is the first construction area of Yıldız Palace, and the outer courtyard is related to the building’s private and public identities. While its proximity to Abdülhamid II’s “private” spaces highlights the building’s personal character, its distance from Şale Pavilion is a sign of an image construction.
According to the second cost estimate book, the library cost 473.408 kuruş 10 para. This cost includes 10% "trans portation, porterage and other expenses". The total cost foreseen in the first cost estimate was 251.890 kuruş 25 para. The furnishing cost of the building, the furnishing of which was undertaken by Leon Rosenthal, was 44.433 kuruş 20 para.
The most effective factor in the difference between the first and second cost estimates regarding the construction is that the decorative details of the structure were almost never mentioned in the first cost estimate book. In the second cost estimate, the ornamentation details (inscriptions and mouldings) and their costs were written. This directly caused the cost difference.
In general, the library was built at a cost higher than the figures determined in the first cost estimate. It is seen that the iron roof and grid foundation system specified in the first cost estimate were not applied. Apart from this, iron doors made for Şale Pavilion but not installed were installed in the structure and the parquets were brought from the Yıldız Palace Büyük Mabeyn Pavilion.
The types of decoration described in the second cost estimate book of the structure as “Indian-ornaments (hindkari), strip, rope-shaped twist, corded, star-shaped flake, shaded, scattered and plaster cast” were observed and compared with period sources. Thus, the decoration terminology was determined from primary sources. It can be seen that many buildings and spaces throughout Yıldız Palace have undergone functional changes. Indeed, the structure, which was built as a library building and later allocated to the use of the harem and defined as the Kadınefendiler apartment, owes its functional change to design flexibility.
The costs posed a problem regarding the interior furnishing of the space and some disagreements arose between the parties. The most important reason for this is that the palace furnisher Leon Rosenthal opposed the inspection of the estimated cost by the “head of the tiltmaker and the head of the carpet-making room”. Rosenthal wanted the inspection of the estimate to be made by “our own respected tradesmen”. This situation shows that there were trust problems between the market and the palace.
