Once upon a time,

There was a time when the "Yali"s, wonderful seaside mansions, so essential to the Istanbul cityscape, were lined up one after another along the shores of Kuruçesme. These were huge mansions settled in Eden-like gardens, where extended families lived together happily ever after.  Regrettably, with time almost all of these beauties vanished.

Fortunately, one of the remaining Yali's, the one called "Muhsinzade Mehmet Pasa Yalisi” is now resurrected by our Company to become a hotel of unprecedented service and luxury.

Unlike the other more unfortunate examples, life at the "Muhsinzade Mehmet Pasa Yalisi” continued for generations.  The name “Muhsinzade” originates from a merchant named Muhsinzade Çelebi (1610-1671) who had moved to Istanbul from Aleppo where he was born. A capable man, he soon made a name for himself, and his son Muhsinzade Abdullah Pasha reached the eminent position of the Grand Vizier, and was later promoted to other important assignments such as Vali (Governor) of Bosnia, and General Governor of Roumeli. He was followed by the grandson Mehmet Pasha who became a Grand Vizier as well.   He was also known as   the "Conqueror of Mora".

Muhsinzade Mehmet Pasha’s second wife was Esma Sultan, the sister of two sultans, Sultan Mustafa III and Abdülhamid II.  In 1776 Mehmet Pasha and Esma Sultan’s only daughter Rukiye Hanim wedded Sait Bey.  Today, all the members of the Muhsinzade family are actually the descendants of Rukiye Hanim.

According to old records, on the right hand side the mansion was surrounded by the stable and the boat house owned by the widow of the late Selim Bey.  On the left hand side, it neighbored a seaside house that belonged to Arif Bey.  On its back, the mansion shored up to the Bosphorus and in front, it faced the Kuruçesme Avenue. The main building and its annexes covered a surface of 850 square meters built on a total land area of 4.527 m², a land where until lately, a few remains dating from the time of Ahmet III could still be found.

The family lived at the Yali until the 1920's.  After that, one after the other, the members of the family gradually left the mansion.  When one or two members were left, the mansion and the property on which it was settled were rented out to a merchant to be used as coal storage. At that time, it had already fallen into ruins, its contents scattered, and the ornamental fountains of its garden - these priceless jewels of Ottoman landscape architecture - moved away to allow  the avenue to be extended.  In 1929, the remaining members of the family left the mansion permanently.  In 1935 it was being used to store sand. 

In 1980s, 22 inheritors of the family came together to sell the mansion to an entrepreneur who intended to use the property in tourism business but didn’t.