This yalı (waterfront house) was built in 1873 for Prince Aziz İzzet Pasha of Egypt, who was serving as garrison commander at Selimiye in İstanbul. The house was destroyed by fire in 1946. In 1992, elevation drawings were made of the ruins, documents concerning the building were collected, and restitution and restoration plans were prepared. This work was based on 19th-century photographs, plans drawn by Professor S.H. Eldem, old insurance company maps, and title deeds office records. After difficult deliberations reached between 1992 and 1993, the project was approved in 1994, and permission was granted for its reconstruction. After a three-year construction period, the building was finished as a residence. Significant criteria in the general design of this building are the appropriate scale it brings to the Bosphorus environment and the contextuality it reflects in terms of proportion, details, materials, and application. The quality sought in the construction, detailing, and use of high technology in the building is essential.
