Built into the wall of Gülhane Park, the Alay Köşkü (Parade Kiosk) is where the sultan would sit and watch the periodic parades of troops and trade guilds that commemorated great holidays and military victories. It is now open to the public as a literature museum and library named in honour of novelist and essayist Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar (1901–62).
Dating from the early 19th century, the kiosk is polygonal in shape and is beautifully decorated inside, with painted walls, stained-glass windows, chandeliers and highly polished wooden floors.
