Ihlamur Valley is located between the hills of Beşiktaş, Yıldız and Nişantaşı. According to historical sources, from the 18th century to the early 20th century, it was a country excursion spot where the Fulya stream within the valley was shaded by plane trees and linden trees.

The lower part of the valley which includes the Ihlamur Pavilions belonged to Hacı Hüseyin Agha, the administrator of the imperial dockyard during the reign of Sultan Ahmed III (1703-1730). Later it was owned by the state and laid out as an imperial garden. Some archery stones commemorating distance shooting records in the upper part of the valley indicate that Sultan Selim III (1789-1807) and Sultan Mahmud II (1808-1839) held shooting contests with other archers near the Yıldız district. These stones are inscribed with the distances, placings, and dates of the sultans’ shots at targets consisting of jugs filled with water. During the reign of Sultan Abdülmecid (1839-1861), the third part of the valley was planted and terraced to form the “Conversation Garden”.

The French poet Lamartine stayed at Ihlamur Pavilions in 1846 as a guest of the Sultan. In his memoirs, he described Ihlamur and its environs as follows:

“The building faces a garden with beautiful chestnut trees and big linden trees from which the valley took its name. In front of the three-stepped stairs of the pavilion, there is a small fountain shorter than the branches of jasmine whose water falls into the marble pool with a sweet gurgle. Ihlamur is Sultan’s favorite pavilion, where he rests and meditates.”

In place of this modest pavilion that Lamartine mentioned, Sultan Abdülmecid had two pavilions built between the years 1848-1855 and renamed this place “Nüzhetiye” which means “relief, freshness, joy, and happiness.”

During the reign of Sultan Abdülaziz (1861-1876), various entertainments and wrestling matches were held in the imperial garden. This continued to be a popular place for subsequent sultans and their families. After the proclamation of the Republic, Ihlamur Pavilions were assigned to the İstanbul Municipality in 1951 by the Turkish Grand National Assembly and used to house the Tanzimat (Reorganization) Museum.

The Ihlamur Pavilions were allocated to National Palaces in 1966 and when landscaping work was completed they were opened to the public as a museum with their original furnishings in 1985. The Ceremonial Pavilion was used as the Sultan’s office and for receptions and the Retinue Pavilion was assigned to the Sultan’s entourage and family. The pavilions were used mostly for day trips by the sultans, and also to entertain foreign statesmen.

The Ceremonial Pavilion is a remarkable work of architecture with its entrance hall and two rooms on either side of the hall, the baroque-styled staircase at the façade, and its spectacular relief decoration.

The interior decoration of the pavilion is in Western-style which was preferred in the 19th century Ottoman palaces. Various styled European furniture and furnishings are in unison with the decoration.

The Retinue Pavilion, on the other hand, has traditional architecture with a hall-like room surrounded by rooms at the corners. Stucco work imitating marble was used on its walls in different colors.