After the conclusion of the war in 1878, Aziziye was laid up in Constantinople.
The annual summer cruises to the Bosporus ended.
By the mid-1880s, the Ottoman ironclad fleet was in poor condition, and Aziziye was unable to go to sea.
Many of the ships' engines were unusable, having seized up from rust, and their hulls were badly fouled.
The British naval attache to the Ottoman Empire at the time estimated that the Imperial Arsenal would take six months to get just five of the ironclads ready to go to sea.
During this period, the ship's crew was limited to about one-third the normal figure.

In 1884, the 36-pounder gun were removed and a light battery of four 47 mm (1.9 in) quick-firing (QF) Hotchkiss guns and two 4-barreled 25.4 mm (1 in) Nordenfelt guns were added.
In 1885–1886, the navy conducted experiments with converting Krupp breeck-loading fortress guns for use aboard Aziziye.
These were old guns manufactured in the mid-1870s, and the navy attempted to use the gun carriages from the existing muzzle-loading guns or the fortress mountings the Krupp guns had used ashore.
The navy first installed them aboard her sister ship Osmaniye before fitting the guns to Aziziye.
During a period of tension with Greece in 1886, the fleet was brought to full crews and the ships were prepared to go to sea, but none actually left the Golden Horn, and they were quickly laid up again.
By that time, most of the ships were capable of little more than 4 to 6 knots (7.4 to 11.1 km/h; 4.6 to 6.9 mph).

Aziziye was again refitted at the Imperial Arsenal from 1890 to 1894, the first vessel to receive these updates.
The ship's main battery was strengthened by the installation of two Krupp 240 mm (9.4 in) K L/35 guns.
The upper deck was cut down forward and aft, where these guns were installed in individual barbettes.
The barbettes, which appeared to be standard, heavily-armored mountings, actually consisted of about 250 mm (10 in) of wood and a thin 13 mm (0.5 in) plating.
The guns themselves were fitted with 25 mm thick gun shields.
Eight 150 mm (5.9 in) L/25 Krupp guns and six 105 mm (4.1 in) L/25 Krupp guns were installed on the broadside.
The 150 mm guns took the place of the old Krupp guns in the gun battery, though half of the gun ports were plated over, while the 105 mm guns were installed in sponsons in the upper deck.
Two of the 47 mm guns were removed and three more Nordenfelt guns were added.
During the refit, she also received two vertical triple-expansion engines in place of her original machinery, and six coal-fired Scotch marine boilers replaced the box boilers; the new propulsion system allowed her to steam at a speed of 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).
She was again placed out of service in 1897 in Çanakkale.
After the conclusion of the war in 1878, Aziziye was laid up in Constantinople. The annual summer cruises to the Bosporus ended. By the mid-1880s, the Ottoman ironclad fleet was in poor condition, and Aziziye was unable to go to sea. Many of the ships' engines were unusable, having seized up from rust, and their hulls were badly fouled. The British naval attache to the Ottoman Empire at the time estimated that the Imperial Arsenal would take six months to get just five of the ironclads ready to go to sea. During this period, the ship's crew was limited to about one-third the normal figure.
In 1884, the 36-pounder gun were removed and a light battery of four 47 mm (1.9 in) quick-firing (QF) Hotchkiss guns and two 4-barreled 25.4 mm (1 in) Nordenfelt guns were added. In 1885–1886, the navy conducted experiments with converting Krupp breeck-loading fortress guns for use aboard Aziziye. These were old guns manufactured in the mid-1870s, and the navy attempted to use the gun carriages from the existing muzzle-loading guns or the fortress mountings the Krupp guns had used ashore. The navy first installed them aboard her sister ship Osmaniye before fitting the guns to Aziziye. During a period of tension with Greece in 1886, the fleet was brought to full crews and the ships were prepared to go to sea, but none actually left the Golden Horn, and they were quickly laid up again. By that time, most of the ships were capable of little more than 4 to 6 knots (7.4 to 11.1 km/h; 4.6 to 6.9 mph).
Aziziye was again refitted at the Imperial Arsenal from 1890 to 1894, the first vessel to receive these updates. The ship's main battery was strengthened by the installation of two Krupp 240 mm (9.4 in) K L/35 guns. The upper deck was cut down forward and aft, where these guns were installed in individual barbettes. The barbettes, which appeared to be standard, heavily-armored mountings, actually consisted of about 250 mm (10 in) of wood and a thin 13 mm (0.5 in) plating. The guns themselves were fitted with 25 mm thick gun shields. Eight 150 mm (5.9 in) L/25 Krupp guns and six 105 mm (4.1 in) L/25 Krupp guns were installed on the broadside. The 150 mm guns took the place of the old Krupp guns in the gun battery, though half of the gun ports were plated over, while the 105 mm guns were installed in sponsons in the upper deck. Two of the 47 mm guns were removed and three more Nordenfelt guns were added. During the refit, she also received two vertical triple-expansion engines in place of her original machinery, and six coal-fired Scotch marine boilers replaced the box boilers; the new propulsion system allowed her to steam at a speed of 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). She was again placed out of service in 1897 in Çanakkale.
Ottoman ironclad Aziziye