Emirgan Park

This guide to Emirgan Park in Istanbul follows Ismail Pasha, the Egyptian ruler who hosted the empress of France for the Suez Canal's opening in 1869 and, a decade later, was living in exile on this same hillside above the Bosphorus. It traces his removal from power, the land's earlier history as a gift to a Safavid Persian commander, and the three wooden pavilions he built here during his final years. Listen for the painted ceilings inside them as you walk the grounds.