The magnificent Dolmabahce Palace, the most "neturetsky" of the monarchial residences in Istanbul, was created to rival in pomposity with the best palaces of European rulers. It must be said that Sultan Abdul-Majid was successful in this daring design - the brilliant Baroque style acquired a special charm on the banks of the Bosphorus, which every visitor to the Dolmabahce Palace can see.
A bit of history
The Dolmabahce Palace was built for 11 years, from 1842 to 1853 .The reason for his appearance is the caprice of the then ruler of Turkey, Sultan Abdul-Mezhidid I: the progressive monarch was burdened by the cumbersome and heavy architectural heritage of his predecessors and wished to have his own palace in the spirit of European luxury .For the new palace they chose a picturesque place on the European shore of the Bosphorus - and the work began to boil, under the leadership of the Armenian architect Amir Balyan .Dolmabahche flew into the country in penny: only gold for all sorts of monograms and vignettes spent 14 tons! However, some details of the interior could be obtained free of charge - for example, a chandelier for the ceremonial hall weighing almost five tons of pure Bohemian glass was happily donated to the treasury by the Queen Victoria .
Further history Dolmabahce knew the ups and downs, the successor Abdul-Mejid preferred to rebuild another palace - Yildiz ("star"), and already his successor again settled on the banks of the Bosphorus. In total, six Turkish sultans lived here. The last of the inhabitants of Dolmabahce was Atatürk - here he died in 1938. Now the bed of the first president of Turkey is one of the main attractions of the palace.
What to see
The total floor space of Dolmabahce is 4, 5 hectares, of which most visitors are open - in addition to the main building, more than ten outbuildings, pavilions and chalets .The main object of tourist interest is, of course, the Great Dolmabahçe Palace itself, consisting of three parts: State apartments, the Ceremonial Hall and Harem .In the first halls the sultan exercised the functions of the head of state, the rooms of the harem were intended for the personal life of the ruler, and the Ceremonial Hall served as a link between the two sides of one person .In total, the palace has 285 rooms and 44 reception rooms, which eloquently testifies to the scope of the Ottoman Empire and Abdul-Mejid's ideas .
Certainly worth seeing is the luxurious summer palace of Beylerbey, located right on the shore of the Bosphorus. It is famous primarily for its fanciful facade in neo-baroque style - a real pearl, so uncharacteristic for Turkish architecture. Inside are the apartments of the Sultan, the living quarters of the Validida Sultan (mother of the ruler) and the obligatory halls of the harem, the windows of which overlook the picturesque banks of the strait.
Among the other noteworthy buildings of the Dolmabahce palace complex are the elegant peach pavilion of Aynalykavak, the fairy-tale pavilions Ihlamur, the Yildiz chalet palace, the Maslak and Beykoz pavilions, the Florian Ataturk pavilion and the Yalova Ataturk house, with unrealistic beauty. @
Address and opening hours
Address: Vişnezade Mh., 34357 Beşiktaş.
Opening hours: Dolmabahce Palace - from 9:00 to 16:00, other palaces and pavilions - from 9:00 to 17:00, except Monday and Thursday.