Dolmabahçe Palace (Dolmabahçe Sarayı)—This palace is the last hurrah of the Ottoman Empire. By the late 19th century, the empire was called the "Sick Man of Europe," and other European emperors and kings derided its ineffective and backward-seeming sultan. In a last-ditch attempt to rejuvenate the declining image of his empire, Sultan Abdülmecit I built the ostentatious Dolmabahçe (dohl-mah-bah-cheh) Palace—with all the trappings of a European monarch—to replace the unmistakably Oriental-feeling Topkapi Palace as the official residence of the sultan. (It didn't work—instead, Dolmabahçe was the final residence of the long line of Ottoman sultans, falling empty when the royal family was sent into exile in 1922.) Dolmabahçe (meaning roughly "filled-in garden") sits on what was once a bay, on land long ago reclaimed from the Bosphorus. Built over a decade by an Ottoman-Armenian father-and-son team of architects, and completed in 1853, the palace is a fusion of styles—from Turkish-Ottoman elements to the frilly Rococo that was all the rage in Europe at the time. Its construction drained the already dwindling treasury, and the empire actually had to take a foreign loan to complete Dolmabahçe. Today the building belongs to the Turkish Parliament, which uses it only for important occasions, such as the 2004 NATO summit. Today, two parts of the palace can be visited with a tour: the Selamlık (administrative wings, 90 min) and the Harem (45 min more). Visit the Harem only if you have time to spare—it's nothing compared to the Selamlık. After buying your ticket, you'll walk through the palace's well-manicured garden, past a small pool flanked by lion statues, and up the steps to the entrance. Before you line up inside for the tour, take a look at the magnificent ceremonial land gate, on the palace wall to your left. When the palace was the sultan's home and seat of government, this was the door through which royal processions entered the palace grounds. The decorations in the Selamlık section are alternately breathtaking and tacky. Standouts include huge hand-woven Turkish carpets; the sultan's alabaster bathroom; crystal everywhere (much of it Bohemian), including a Baccarat crystal staircase; and the Imperial Hall, built to accommodate up to 2,500 people. This room's dome is 118 feet high—you can't see it from outside—and the world's largest crystal chandelier hangs down from its center, weighing in at some four tons. The Selamlık tour ends outside the throne room. Those continuing on to the Harem can stick with the guide; otherwise, take your time to enjoy the garden and the view of the Bosphorus.
Hours, Location:
The palace is accessible only with a guided tour, available in English. Selamlık (administrative section), tour 45-60 min. Harem—, tour 30-45 min. Both tours run 2-4 times each hour, depending on crowds (open late March-late Oct Tue-Wed and Fri-Sun 9:00-16:00, until 15:00 off-season, closed Mon and Thu). You'll pay an extra 6 YTL for permission to take photos (no flash, tripods, or video cameras). Just as you pass the ticket-taker, WCs are behind the wall to your right, and the baggage check is to your left. A cafe and a bookstore are on the way to the exit, on the left. The palace is at Dolmabahçe Caddesi, Beşiktaş
Getting There:
Dolmabahçe Palace is a few blocks from the Kabataş tram/funicular stop. From Taksim Square, take the funicular down to Kabataş; from the Old Town, take the tram to Kabataş. Once at Kabataş, walk along the water with the Bosphorus on your right. You'll pass a mosque (its unusual slender minarets have balconies that look like Corinthian capitals), then a parking lot and a clock tower. The ticket office is to the left just before the palace's huge gates (wave at the statuesque honor guard—he's real). (s3)
Ottomans conquered Istanbul. Between 1611-1614, this bay had been filled in and a timber building with a large garden called 'the Beşiktaş Palace' had been built with the order of Sultan Ahmet I. The land of the Beşiktaş Palace, which had become completely useless due to a fire, was chosen as the site of the new palace by Sultan Abdülmecit I, since it was by the sea side and close to the city center. Sultan Abdülmecit I, who was the 31st sultan of the Ottoman Empire and who ascent the throne in 1839, commissioned the Armenian architect Karabet Balyan by the construction of the palace. The construction of the palace, which cost about 1 billion DM in today's figures, was started in 1843, and completed after 13 years in 1856. The Dolmabahee Palace was an unnecessary expenditure for the Ottoman treasury, which had became totally empty because of the external debt. Since the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, this palace had been empty intermittently for 32 years. The last 6 sultans and Caliph Abdiilmecit lived in this palace. After Abdulmecit, who lived in this palace for IS years, most of the subsequent sultans preferred to live in the smaller palaces that they had built on their own along the Bosphorus. With the declaration of the republic, this place was used by Atatürk. He used it as his residence when he visited Istanbul. When Atatürk died in this place on 10 November 1938, after a long period of sickness, the palace was restored, its collections were rearranged and it was converted into a museum.
The palace, which was built as the imitation of the Louvre Palace in Paris and the Buckingham Palace in London in order to give a more European image to the foreign ambassadors and the high ranking European visitors, has a mixed architectural style called the Ottoman renaissance style. The marbles were brought from the islands in the sea of Marmara, the alabester from Egypt, and the porphyry stones from ancient Pergamon city. The interior of the palace was decorated with the paintings, and ceiling illustrations were made by Italian and French artists. In addition to these, a lot of painting by famous Russian painter Aiwazowsky enriched the interior decoration of the palace. It is said that 14 tons of gold and 40 tons of silver were used for the decoration of the palace. The furniture was brought from Paris, the vases from Sevr, the silk carpets from Hereke and Lyon, the crystal materials from baccarat, and the candlesticks from England with special order. Almost all of 131 large and 99 small hand-made carpets are silk carpets, and they were woven in the royal workshops in Hereke. The total area covered by the carpets is 4.500 square meters. The palace consists mainly of three divisions: When evaluated from the sea side. Selamlık (Men's - administrative - Section) to the left, the Ceremonial or Grand Hall in the middle, and the Harem to the right. The functions of Selamlık can be compared to those of the second courtyard in the Topkapi Palace. It was forbidden for the state officials in Selamlık to enter into Harem where the members of the royal family lived. Similarly, the women and the children in Harem were not allowed to enter into Selamlık. The Grand Hall in the middle was open for both of the groups when great ceremonies, celebrations and admissions were held, but they had to sit in separate places. The total area of the palace is 250.000 square meters, there is a 14.600 m2 area on the same roof, and the total usable area is 64.000 m2. There are 12 gates. The Treasury Portal, which is used today as the entrance of the museum, and the Sultanate Portal, which faces the main street behind the palace, reflect the whole splendor of the palace. There are 285 rooms, 43 halls, 6 balconies, 6 hamams and 1427 windows. In the interior decoration, 156 clocks, 280 vases and 58 candlesticks, most of which were placed symmetrically, were used. The Selamlık tour starts from the Mabeyn-i Hümayun, passing by the Crystal Staircase, reaches first the Admission Hall, which is called the Red Room. The most interesting pieces in this hall on the second floor, are the ivory candlesticks, and the bear hides gifted by Czar Nikolaus II. The silk carpet and curtains beautify the decorations. Next to this hall is Panorama Hall. It has a T-plan with a gilded ceiling, star-shaped interlocking parquets. One of the feature of this hall is that on one side has sea view and on the other forest view. The Music Hall, in which the musical instalments are on exhibition, and the Hünkar Hamami with its alabaster walls are the other interesting parts of the palace. At the end of the tour is the Grand or the Ceremonial Hall with its 40 x 45 m. dimensions. The dome over the hall is 36 m. high, and in the middle of it a chandelier of 4,5 tons and 750 candles, which was presented by English Queen Victoria II hangs down. The hall is surrounded on three sides by balconies for the guests. There are 56 columns. The hall, which was used for ceremonies, feats and enthronement, was heated by a ground heating system for the first time. The carpet of 124 m2 is the second largest hand-made Hereke carpet in Turkey. (s4)
Dolmabahçe Palace (Dolmabahçe Sarayı)—This palace is the last hurrah of the Ottoman Empire. By the late 19th century, the empire was called the "Sick Man of Europe," and other European emperors and kings derided its ineffective and backward-seeming sultan. In a last-ditch attempt to rejuvenate the declining image of his empire, Sultan Abdülmecit I built the ostentatious Dolmabahçe (dohl-mah-bah-cheh) Palace—with all the trappings of a European monarch—to replace the unmistakably Oriental-feeling Topkapi Palace as the official residence of the sultan. (It didn't work—instead, Dolmabahçe was the final residence of the long line of Ottoman sultans, falling empty when the royal family was sent into exile in 1922.) Dolmabahçe (meaning roughly "filled-in garden") sits on what was once a bay, on land long ago reclaimed from the Bosphorus. Built over a decade by an Ottoman-Armenian father-and-son team of architects, and completed in 1853, the palace is a fusion of styles—from Turkish-Ottoman elements to the frilly Rococo that was all the rage in Europe at the time. Its construction drained the already dwindling treasury, and the empire actually had to take a foreign loan to complete Dolmabahçe. Today the building belongs to the Turkish Parliament, which uses it only for important occasions, such as the 2004 NATO summit.