The Haunted Mansion is one of the most striking buildings, located on the shores of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, and has become the subject of legends with its unfinished past.
Haunted Mansion is a private building located on the Bosphorus coast in the Rumelihisarı neighborhood of Sarıyer, Istanbul, notable for both its architecture and its story. Its original name, Yusuf Ziya Pasha Mansion, was started to be built in the late Ottoman period, but because it could not be completed for many years, it began to be referred to as the 'Haunted Mansion' among the public.
The construction of the mansion was initiated in the early 1910s by the Ottoman statesman and diplomat Yusuf Ziya Pasha. The building's location on the Bosphorus coast indicates that it was designed both as a prestigious living space and as a mansion befitting high-ranking state officials of the time.
However, the construction process did not progress as expected; with the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the building was left unfinished as the workers were drafted into the army. Particularly, the upper floors of the mansion remained empty for many years, leading the locals to refer to the building as "haunted."
This state of being unfinished has become the most characteristic feature of the Haunted Mansion. The structure, which persisted without being completed for years, continues to be remembered as one of the most interesting architectural stories of the Istanbul Bosphorus. The long emptiness of the second and third floors is one of the most important details that permanently determined the building's name.
The building remained private property for a long time during the Republican period as well, but by the 1990s, a new transformation process began. The mansion, purchased in 1993, underwent extensive restoration between 1995 and 2000. During this process, the exterior of the building was preserved, and the interior spaces were reorganized to meet modern usage needs.
During the restoration, fidelity to the original architecture was maintained, and even the bricks used in the façade cladding were specifically brought from England to preserve the original character of the building. With the revitalization of the structure, Perili Köşk has become one of Istanbul's most striking architectural transformation projects.
With the 2000s, the building gained a new identity. Perili Köşk is currently used as the headquarters of Borusan Holding and at the same time as Borusan Contemporary, a contemporary art museum. In this respect, the building has become one of the rare examples where historical heritage and modern art and business world intersect.
Today, Perili Köşk, with its red brick facade, tower-like form, and its commanding position over the Bosphorus, creates one of the most distinctive silhouettes of Istanbul. In the past, this building, which was the subject of legends due to its incompleteness, today continues to exist as one of Istanbul's most special stops both architecturally and culturally.
The red-bricked architecture of the Haunted Mansion and its extraordinary appearance along the Bosphorus create one of Istanbul’s most characteristic silhouettes when passing by on a yacht. The mysterious atmosphere of the building is felt much more intensely especially on tours progressing along the Emirgan and Rumeli Fortress line. For those planning a Istanbul yacht rental experience, Boğaz Çocuğu stands out with its special routes aimed at exploring the Bosphorus’s iconic structures from the sea.