Nakşidil Sultan

Nakşidil Sultana is of Caucasian birth. She is tall and blond with an
hour-glass figure. Her skin is creamy white with a rosy hue. Her beauty is a
paradigm of all the sultanas before her. She spends her days in the
magnificent gardens of Çırağan Palace, which refresh her soul with cleanly
etched tranquility and the deep perfumes of roses, carnations and hyacinths.
She gages her visits to the gardens, waiting for the right time of day,
anticipating the pleasure, refusing to rush it. The perfect harmony of this
emerald-green refuge never ceases to bewitch her. Not a single blade of grass
has been overlooked, not a twig has been allowed to detract from the sublime
wonder of the flowers. She tip-toes on the grassy paths which are cleared
every morning by the gardeners, her soft feet shod in silver-strapped,
diamond-ornamented sandals gliding as if on a silk carpet. She arrives at her
favorite magnolia tree. Two white doves flutter among the flowers causing an
aromatic breeze to caress her fair face. It is the year 1785 and the Sultana,
who is just twenty two, is very happy. Her much-loved husband Sultan
Abdülhamid I continues to favour her as his most beloved wife, while her
three-month old infant-son Mahmud is healthy and growing bouncier with very
passing day, a true crown-prince for the imperial Ottoman throne. Every
morning when she wakes up, he enchants her with a smile on his baby lips,
filling her with boundless bliss. Nakşidil Sultana constructed a complex of
public buildings in Fatih at her own expense. Named after her, the complex
includes a school for young children, a madrasa, a fountain and a mausoleum.
The marble façade of the fountain is a masterpiece of elegance and a true
example of Ottoman architecture, albeit in a small scale.