It was commissioned in the 1910's by Misirli (Egyptian) Yusuf Ziya Pasha, who managed to have it completed despite suffering many problems, whereas he resided here with his second wife and her daughters. After spending some colorful days in his beloved pavilion, Misirli Yusuf Ziya Pasha passed away in Egypt in 1926. Nevertheless, his family and heirs continued to live here until 1993. Later on, although the new owners wanted to undertake its restoration, the Board of Monuments decided that it was too decrepit, allowing for it to be demolished and rebuilt in accordance with its original state.
Considered one of the most important merchants of his time, Misirli Yusuf Ziya Pasha conducted mercantile trade between Italy and the Ottoman Empire. He wanted to build a high pavilion for himself at Rumeli Hisari. Some sources have explained this situation him wanting to have his mansion taller than the Khedive Mansion, which had been built by his rival, the Khedive of Egypt, Abbas Hilmi Pasha. The construction of Yusuf Ziya Pasha's mansion began according to plan in the early 1910's. However, he was dealt a blow with the onset of World War I when he experienced a bottleneck in finding qualified personnel due to the war, while his devastated business hampered the construction of his structure. With steadily worsening conditions, Yusuf Ziya Pasha was forced to travel to Egypt; he returned to Istanbul after the war. In addition to the incomplete second-and third floors, the local community began calling it 'The Haunted Mansion' while the pasha was out of the country.
Upon his return to Istanbul, the pasha lived on the mansion's fourth floor with his second wife Nebiye and her daughters Sabiha and Melek until he passed away in 1926; they rented out the first floor. During this period, the half-built sections of the mansion were completed by apprentices. Some sources indicate that rocks from the reef upon which the structure stood were used in the construction. In another intriguing story regarding these rocks, the pasha requested that the rocks of the top floor of the belvedere tower be removed and used as part of his gravesite in Egypt.
After the family liquidated the structure in 1993, the board decided to have the six visible floors demolished. It was then that another three floors were encountered beneath the bedrock foundation. As a consequence, the board granted approval for the reconstruction of a nine-floor structure. Currently leased by Borusan Holding, the mansion has since been reopened for operations by giving the interior a thoroughly modern design while preserving the mystique of its exterior architecture.
