The Beylerbeyi palace was built between 1861-1865 by Sultan Abdulaziz and is located in the Asian side of Istanbul on the eastern shore of the Bosphorus. It is much smaller than Dolmabahce Palace and it was the Sultans' summer palace. There is no heating in the palace and the floor was covered with straw bought specially from Egypt. The palace was built in a luxurious and sumptuously neoclassic style that can be noticed as soon as one enters.

Sultan Abdulaziz loved ships. During his reign the Turkish navy was second in the world only to that of England. The Sultan's passion for ships can be observed by the strong naval motif in the decorations and the many paintings of ships.