For several centuries the heights of Beyoğlu were occupied by schools and embassies, hospitals and gardens. Later, however, the increased Ottoman interest in all things Western brought a diverse group of people from different countries to Istanbul – architects, doctors, jewelers, musicians, seamstresses and others.
Although these people had long come by ship, the construction of a railway in the 19th century meant visitors’ first stop in Istanbul was Sirkeci Station, at the tip of the historic peninsula. With foreign dignitaries, high-level bureaucrats, the unscrupulous and even spies and criminals needing a place to stay, their first step was almost invariably present-day Beyoğlu’s Pera Palas Hotel, the country’s first five-star accommodation.
Now, after a long period restoration, visitors and Istanbulites alike will again have a chance to enjoy the opulence of the famous hotel following its grand reopening in September.
The Orient Express
The Ottoman Empire had no rail link with Europe until the Germans built the rail line between the border near Edirne to Istanbul at the behest of Sultan Abdulhamid II. Both sides were very pleased with their deal. The sultan thought he had gotten a good price but the wily Germans, who had negotiated the price on the basis of the length of the line, immediately set about constructing it in as winding a way possible.
Still, the new line allowed trains to go from Paris, for example, straight to Istanbul – in short, the famous Orient Express, whose life began in 1883.
Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits et Grands Express Européens was the brainchild of a Belgian entrepreneur who put together luxury wagons and obtained permission to send these cars straight through between destinations rather than having passengers get off and walk across borders because the rail gauge between each country was different. The beds were comfortable and each room had a washbasin, a closet for hanging up clothes and drawers for other items. The dining car served delicious meals and a bar offered beverages for those who preferred drinking to eating. In all, the trip took several days.
To arrive in Istanbul at Sirkeci Station was to reach the end of the line, as it were. Passengers had to disembark because there was no further rail travel from that station. If they planned to take the train further east, they were obliged to take a boat across to Haydarpasa Rail Station in Üsküdar. Before they did that, however, or if Istanbul was as far as they were going, then their immediate destination was the Pera Palas.
The same person who had created the Orient Express was responsible for the building of the Pera Palas so his passengers would continue to be pampered. The first opening ball was held in 1895.
The hotel was designed and built by Alexander Vallaury (1850-1921), a member of a Levantine family. Although his father was a pastry cook, he studied architecture in France and founded architectural education in Turkey, lecturing at the School of Fine Arts, today’s Mimar Sinan University. Among the other buildings that he built is the Ottoman Bank, the main building of the Istanbul Archaeological Museum and the Greek Orphanage on Büyükada.
The train passengers would be met by swarms of porters thronging around Sirkeci Station, eager to earn money by carrying bags from the station through the crowded streets to the hotel that sat within sight across the Galata Bridge. The passengers would be taken by horse-drawn phaeton or carried in sedans. Passing along the waterfront must have been an extraordinary experience as ships still tied up along the shore, people would be hawking their wares and traffic would have been a cacophony of colors and styles.
What impression would a guest arriving at the entrance to the Pera Palas have had? Possibly the same as coming to the entrance of quite a few elegant hotels in London or Paris or Vienna. The building from the outside is typically European; however, inside there was a warm opulence that is usually not found in Europe. The entrance and central hall have been described as “oriental with the mysterious décor of the East.” There are salmon-colored marble columns, exceptionally high ceilings with golden decorations and cupboards of inlaid mother-in-pearl.
Although the restaurant was normal, the service and food were exceptional. It could be expanded thanks to a folding door in order to accommodate banquets. The bar on one side was of dark wood and dominated one side of the room. Small tables were set up around the room amid leafy green plants. In the late afternoon one could have tea there as well as stronger drinks and listen to the Western tunes being played live on the large piano just inside the entrance. It was possible to sit there for hours, wondering who had been there before.
The hotel was built at a time when electricity was available in only a portion of the city and was one of the first buildings to benefit from it. It shone brightly at night and with such select guests staying there, it’s not surprising that there were splendid parties. Buildings in the neighborhood were also able to benefit from the electricity, including the Palazzo Corpi across the street which housed the U.S. Consulate General for many years.
Nor is it surprising that after such an illustrious beginning the hotel should become a place that drew foreigners in. For example, from 1897 on, German Gen. Baron von der Goltz would stay there as he reorganized the Turkish army. Author Abdulhak Hamit and his third wife, Lucienne, stayed there constantly.
The hotel was affected by events that Turks always refer to as March 31 (according to the Hijra calendar March 31, 1325; according to the Gregorian calendar April 12, 1909), during which there was an uprising in the city of supporters of a return to sharia law and the downfall of the Committee of Union and Progress which had taken charge of the government. Dinner meetings with speeches given by the committee had been held at the hotel while the opposition Ahrar Party had also held banquets there. Following the troubles in the city, Grand Vizier Said Bey took refuge in the hotel. Eventually the Macedonian Army entered the city and put down the unrest.
Vaudeville shows were frequently put on, as were skating exhibitions. In 1917 Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who would later form the Turkish Republic, began to stay at the hotel as the end of World War I appeared in sight. Following the war, there was a dearth of guests, although their numbers slowly rose. Now the foreigners would come in their golfing trousers and pipes; the women wore hats covered in flowers.
The room in which Atatürk stayed in has been turned into a museum. In the past it was possible to tour the small bedroom and sitting room by slipping one of the hotel employees a gratuity. One person has even boasted of staying in the room for four days in the 1960s because the hotel manager owed him a favor. Today that’s no longer the case, but when the hotel reopens next week, people will be able to see the suite.
The room in which world-famous British author Agatha Christie is supposed to have written “Murder on the Orient Express” is No. 411 and it has also been preserved after being identified by a medium named Tamara Rand, who lived in Los Angeles. A small key that is thought to have been the key to Christie’s diary was discovered under a floor board in that room. It makes a lovely story, even if it likely is untrue.
The hotel saw many other famous guests – kings, queens, statesmen and artists such as King George V of England, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, Egyptian Khedive Abbas and Iranian Shah Riza Pahlavi. Other notables include Mata Hari, Rita Hayworth and Zsa Zsa Gabor.
Over the years
The upkeep of the hotel became too much for the Wagon-Lit company and it was purchased by a wealthy merchant of Greek ethnicity, Petros Bodosaki, in 1915. The story goes that he had tried to enter the hotel but had been turned away because he looked very shabby. Then, in anger, he bought the place. Bodosaki is supposed to have only allowed the flags of foreign countries to be displayed, especially the Greek flag. He never permitted a Turkish flag to be hung. He turned it over to his son in 1919 and had to flee the country when the Greeks invaded after the war, according to one story. Another story which is not incompatible with his sudden escape is that he owed taxes and his son had not been able to successfully manage it so the hotel was auctioned off, with the government taking over the management.
After 1923, Misbah Muhayyes who had helped Atatürk during the Syrian campaign, received a letter of gratitude from him. Atatürk, upon Muhayyes’s wish, honored him with Turkish citizenship and also handed over the management of the hotel. The late Celik Gülersoy has written that Muhayyes was fat and always wore a bow tie. When his beloved cat died, his health declined and he died without an heir but in his will he set up a foundation and bequeathed the revenue from the hotel to three charitable organizations.
Businessman Hasan Süzer purchased the hotel toward the end of 1977 and so it stayed until 2006, when the Beşiktaş Shipping Group purchased the rights to use the premises. This coming week the hotel will again be opened after two years of renovation.
How nice to know that Istanbul will have its queen of nostalgia back again.
