Jails to palaces: 10 gorgeous properties that are now hotels

Photo courtesy of Çırağan Palace Kempinski Istanbul

Çırağan Palace Kempinski Istanbul | Turkey

Çırağan Palace Kempinski Istanbul is the only hotel in Turkey that can be reached by private helicopter, yacht and limousine. It’s fitting for the grand Ottoman Imperial palace on the Bosphorus.

Sultan Abdülaziz completed the palace in 1871 and it was used to hold parliament meetings during the second constitutional monarchy before a fire in 1910 destroyed the interior, including priceless antiques, books and art pieces. The sultan’s private hammam is the only original room that survived.

After WWI, French military field corps engineers occupied the ruined palace, and in the 1930s, Beşiktaş Football Team used the garden of the palace as a stadium. After massive renovations in the 1980s, Çırağan Palace was restored once more to its former glory as a five-star luxury hotel welcoming international jetsetters.

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