YILANLI YALI
There is another important historical yali of the Bosphorus found near Rumeli Hisari with an intriguing name and architecture. Seemingly melted into the surrounding nature with its wide, horizontal lines, this single-story yali dates back to the 18th century.
The first owner of the yali was Secretary General Mustafa Efendi, who served under Sultan AbdulHamid I (1774-89) and Sultan Selim III (1789-1807), two rulers with opposing viewpoints Later on, the yali was acquired by Kepce Naziri Mustafa Efendi, then by Rasit Efendi. One of the most important of the several renovations of the yali was conducted during this period. After Rasid Efendi carried out a number of arrangements, the yali was bequeathed to the Chief of the Yahya Efendi Pavilion, Mehmed Nuri Semseddin Efendi. The north section of the yali was added later on by Semseddin Efendi. The yali property was left in sections to Semseddin Efendi's heirs during the subsequent years.
The rather vast garden of Yilanli Yali stretches from behind the main buildings of Bosphorus University to the Zaganos Pasha Tower of Rumeli Hisari. Semseddin Efendi gave Tevfik Fikret a portion of the garden, which was comprised of embankments, pools and hamam shaded by plane, cypress and pine trees. In those days, there was no walkway beyond the yali's position as it was the last one at the end of the road. A little footpath formed along the shore in the late-18th' century whereas it was possible to reach the fortress on foot from here.
Perched upon the shore rocks, the yali got its name from a rumor that was prevalent during the reign of Sultan Mahmud II. Mahmud II saw the yali during one of his excursions up the Bosphorus and had Muhasif Salt Efendi query its owner regarding its availability. A relative of the, yali owner, Salt Efendi replied by saying it the yali was built over rocks that were full of snakes that slithered into the yeah on occasion; this persuaded the sultan to change his mind. Thus, this structure was thereby known as the Yilanli Yali (yali with snakes).
As one of rare yalis of the Bosphorus, the Wald' Yali had a 90-meter long facade overlooking the sea. Sitting atop a high base and vault s, this squat structure was built in the lath and plasterwork style. The yali was once comprised of two separate sections, the harem and Selamlik.
The larger harem section was built over a stone room with a long inner central hall. With more than 40 rooms, this section was quite opulent with domed banquet halls, wide halls and embellished ceilings. There was a Chamber of the Holy Beard on the upper floor. As wide as the reception room, the household and neighbors would visit this chamber on religious holidays and pray here and masse. Another important room of this structure was the large stone room found next to the entrance door. Rasit Efendi hosted his guests in this room, which was one of the finest rooms of the structure with a panoramic view as well as an ashlar block domed ceiling, a fountain pool in the middle and a decorative fountain on the wall. There were manuscripts on gold-leaf shelves built into the walls of the stone room. A fire struck the harem section, partially destroying the stone room in 1964.
There was also once a square fountain in front of the yali which was reached via an inclined road. The selamlik section that is visible at present was positioned over an embankment of rocks and stones using wide braces. Sitting over 12 windows with braces, the main room has a commanding view of the Bosphorus. Featuring a wide hall, the rooms in the selamlik section were arranged to face in various directions. Contrary to the section that burned down, the ceilings of this section are not embossed and embroidered. In 1989, one half of it was faithfully reconstructed by its new owner. Having once perched over the sea, this splendid yali features boathouses beneath that date back 500 years. With the widening of the footpath in front of the yali during the subsequent era, the yali and boathouses remained seven meters inland from the sea. As in the distant past, this precious yali of the Bosphorus represents one of the finest motifs of the shoreline today.
