Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul

Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul is an amazing complex that adorns the magnificent Bosporus Strait. This wonderful sample of the building with its entire appearance shows tourists how the palace should look. Everything in it and around the building is elegant and corresponds to the name. In Turkish, the word "dolmabahche" means "filled garden". In fact, this palace is replete with eastern luxury and European wealth.

Tourists have the first question when they are in Istanbul: how to get to the Dolmabahçe Palace? The practice of travelers who have visited the excursion shows that it is not difficult to do this. In the direction of the palace there is a T1 high-speed tram. The final stop of it is called "Kabatash". From her road leads to a mosque, which can not be seen. Next you can see the gate of the palace. Some prefer to travel by ferry, sailing to the "Kabatash" pier.

There is another option, how to get to Dolmabahce Palace. From Taksim Square there is a funicular that also has a stop "Kabatash". That is, for tourists it is clear that regardless of the chosen route, the end point is the stop or the "Kabatash" berth.

History of the palace

The area of the bay, which the navy used during the reign of Ahmed, turned into a garden. On this territory the palace Besiktas was built. Because of the frequent fires, he had a half-ruined view.

Two centuries later, the 31st Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Abdul-Majid, chose the site of the destroyed Besiktas for the construction of a large palace complex. His plans included moving the government from the Topkapi Palace, which was the imperial residence for four centuries. Brother Abdul-Mejid Abdulaziz became the second ruler who lived in this palace. Sultan Abdul-Hamid II left him and ruled the Ottoman Empire from the Yildiz palace. The imperial family returned to Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul during the reign of Mehmed V (1909-1918). It was from here that the last Ottoman sultan Mehmed VI was exiled to Paris. This event was preceded by the abolition of the Sultanate in 1921 by the National Assembly of Turkey. Khalif Abdul-Medzhit Efendi remained in the palace until the caliphate was abolished in 1924. Some of his own paintings still adorn the walls of the monumental building today.

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was the first President of the Republic of Turkey. He received foreign guests in Dolmabahce Palace during his trips to Istanbul. Between 1927 and 1949 it was used as the presidential office and the residence of the new republic. In 1952, the restoration works were completed in the palace. After that, the palace of the Ottoman Sultans - Dolmabahce Palace - became a museum.

Since September 2007, it houses the official residence of the Prime Minister. Today you can enter the territory through the gates of Treasures. In summer, military musicians play in the palace on Tuesdays after lunch.

Architectural features

Unlike the true Ottoman way of life in the Topkapi Palace, the way of the Sultan and his family in the following centuries became European, which was reflected in the built complex. The cost of the residence was very high. Construction began in 1843 by architect Karapet Balian, and was completed in 1856 by his son Nigogos Balian. The Armenian Balian family was known as the dynasty of architects of the late Ottoman Empire.

The structure of the structure was preserved in its original form. The entire complex covers an area of 110 thousand m ² . On its territory, mixed architectural styles were used: baroque, rococo and neo-classical, which also reflected the traditional Ottoman way of life. The three-story structure, including the basement, has two main entrances and five gates on the beach.

Photo of the Dolmabahce Palace is presented a little higher. It is famous for its symmetrical design and decoration. The ceremonial and harem halls of the main building have separate rear gardens, protected by high walls.

Palace complex

The palace complex consists of a group of auxiliary buildings and a walled inner courtyard along the embankment, the length of which is 700 m. One of these buildings is a glass pavilion with a view of the street. Initially, it was used by the sultans to view military parades and their subjects. The pavilion functioned as the "eye" of the palace to observe the outside world.

There is also a small gallery, built in the XIX century for birds of the Sultan. Separately there is a nursery of plants, small kitchens, apartments of the chief eunuch and workshop of carpets.

The Treasury Gate (Khazin Kapi) and the Imperial Gate (Sultanate of Kapi) are entrances to administrative buildings. Along the coast there are five large gates for meeting arrivals by water transport. The tourist entrance to the palace is next to the richly decorated clock tower.

Inside the palace tourists can see accompanied by a guide. A full tour of the palace takes 2 hours. However, at one time travelers do not recognize the whole history of the Dolmabahce Palace. Also you will not be able to see all the sights. On Mondays and Thursdays the doors of the complex are closed. The opening hours of Dolmabahce Palace on the other days of the week are from 9.00 to 16.00.

Palace-Museum

This impressive gazebo building consists of 285 rooms, 44 small halls, 4 large halls, 5 main staircases and 68 toilets. The total useful area of the three-storey building is 45 thousand m ² . The exterior walls of the structure are made of stone, and the inner walls are made of bricks. To decorate this unusual and extravagant building, 14 tons of gold, 6 tons of silver and 131 pieces of hand-made silk carpets were taken away. Furniture and decor items were imported from Europe under the leadership of the ambassador to France Ahmed Fethi Pasa. For example, vases from Sevres, silk from Lyon, crystals from Bacarat and candlesticks from Britain, glass from Venice, and chandeliers from Germany.

In the palace there is an extensive collection of Czech, English and Venetian glass and crystal. The museum stores more than 1000 chairs and couches in different styles, brought from Europe. In each of the 285 rooms there are 4 stools and sofas. Some samples of furniture were specially ordered for Dolmabahce. Others were received as gifts from China, India and Egypt. These furniture sets are displayed in rooms decorated with luxuriously painted ceilings and mahogany wooden floors. Heating of the palace was initially carried out with the help of ceramic plates and fireplaces. Later (between 1910 and 1912) electric and central heating systems were installed.

Administrative part

The main tourist interest is the Dolmabahce Palace Museum, which consists of three main parts: the State Apartments, the Ceremonial Hall and the Harem. In this building for the first time in one building were women's and men's half. Usually, excursions to the palace consist of two parts. First, tourists inspect the Selamlik - the public wing, and then - the harem. In the administrative part of the palace rooms "go out" to the side of the coast. On two floors there are four main halls, connected by a huge staircase in the center.

Passing through the Secret Garden to the large Ceremonial Hall on the ground floor, visitors will not be able to resist the magnificence of the ornaments. One such is a huge Czech crystal chandelier made of baccarat for 464 lamps. Its weight is approximately 4.5 tons. Prior to the installation of electrical systems in the palace, the lamps were fed with natural gas. Chandelier - a gift from Queen Victoria. The dome, to which the chandelier is attached, has a height of 36 m. In the Dolmabahce Palace, the largest collection of crystal lamps in the world.

In the hall there are also vases made in Sevres. There are four ceramic fireplaces, one in each corner. Above them hang crystals that reflect different colors every hour of the day. For decoration and upholstery of the hall French and Italian specialists were involved. Part of the furniture was imported from abroad, another part of the master performed on the spot.

Hall clerk

Next to the Ceremonial in the Dolmabahce Palace from the side of the Bosphorus is another impressive hall - the Clerk. It is also called the Secretariat room or the Ceramic room.

In this room is the largest painting in the palace, written in 1873 by the Italian orientalist Stefano Uschi. It illustrates people going to Mecca from Istanbul. This picture was presented to the ruler of Egypt by Ismail Pasha Sultan Abdulaziz. Ismail-Pasha met Ussi at the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 and entrusted him with the task. In addition to her, there is a collection of paintings by Aivazovsky in the palace. He wrote them in Istanbul when he was there as a court painter. Very valuable porcelain vases are also kept here .

A monumental crystal staircase in the center is called Imperial. It connects the second floor. A baroque staircase was made, and Nigogos Balian was designed. Luxuriously decorated, it also reflects the traditional Ottoman style. In her design, crystals from baccarat were used. From the symmetrical and elegant decoration of the halls surrounding the staircase, breathtaking.

Hall of Ambassadors

The most luxurious room of the palace is the Sufer hall. He is also called the ambassadorial. He and the red hall associated with him used to be used for international meetings with ambassadors and foreign diplomats. This room is designed and decorated symmetrically.

In the hall is the second largest chandelier of Dolmabahce Palace. Museums of the world do not even know examples of such luxury. Its high doors, mirrors and fireplaces are in perfect harmony with delicately decorated ceilings. The ambassadors' hall and small rooms around it were used to receive and entertain foreign guests.

The floor is covered with a carpet from Jereke, and its area is 120 m ² . The red room was used by the sultans to receive ambassadors. The room was named after the dominant shade of curtains, which is also the color of power. Gold jewelry and red furniture with yellow overflows together with the table in the center create a very powerful effect. The room was not built any walls. It was skillfully decorated with a real view of Istanbul. The columns hidden behind the curtains are connected by large windows overlooking the Bosphorus.

Harem

The residence, consisting of luxury rooms, covers almost two thirds of the entire Dolmabahce Palace - the Harem. The photo below shows the Blue Hall. In the eastern part of the L-shaped Harem, private suites of the Sultan, his mother (Walid Sultan) and the family (Harem-i-Hummain) were living on the embankment. In the apartments on the street there were "favorites" and concubines. According to the architectural plan, this part of the palace is made in neobarochnom style. It is decorated with European and traditional Turkish patterns. The harem does not stand in a separate place, but is connected with Selamlik by a long corridor. The interiors of this building are much inferior in luxury to the species of Selamlik. The most interesting parts of the Harem are the Blue Hall (Salon Mavi) and the Pink Hall (Pembe Salon). Also, the attention of tourists is attracted by the apartments of Sultan, Sultan Abdulaziz, Sultan Mehmet Reshad and Ataturk. The Blue Hall is named because of the color of furniture and curtains. During religious events, the sultans allowed for holidays in these walls for the residents of Harem and other servants of the palace. The pink hall is also named because of the shade of the walls. Its windows overlook the Bosphorus. Therefore, it is considered one of the best halls in the palace. In it the mother of the Sultan (Walid Sultan) repeatedly received guests. Atatürk also used this room to meet and talk.

It is worth seeing, being in Istanbul, the summer palace of Beylerbey. This residence was commissioned by the Ottoman Sultan Abdulaziz. Beylerbey is a delightful, richest, imperial residence with a fountain in the main salon. In the building there are luxurious rooms decorated with Czech crystal chandeliers and Chinese vases. The palace was often used as a guest house for visiting royal and royal families.

The Mosque and the Clock Museum

The imperial mosque built by the Sultan is located in the southern part of the Dolmabahce Palace complex in Istanbul. In the photo below the view from the side of the Bosphorus. Construction was conducted between 1853 and 1855 by architect Nigogos Balian. The decoration of the building belongs to the Baroque style. The mosque was used as a naval museum in the period from 1948 to 1962. After the restoration in 1966, it was open to visitors. The structure of the mosque has undergone a comprehensive restoration in 2007.

The tourists will also be interested in the Dolmabahce Clock Museum. It is located in the old building of Inner Treasury, which is in the harem garden. It contains a selection of exclusive hand-held hiccups belonging to the National Clock Collection. After eight years of extensive repair and maintenance, the museum was once again open to visitors in 2010. Today in its walls there are 71 watches. At the exhibition you can also see the unusual artwork of the masters of the Ottoman Empire.

Ataturk's Room

The last person who lived and died in Dolmabahce Palace in 1938 was Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. The room of Ataturk, where he died, was used by the sultans in the winter as a bedroom. This room managed to be preserved in its original form. It is decorated with favorite furniture, paintings and watches of Ataturk. The simplicity of his room is quite remarkable. He chose the most ordinary room, if to compare with the more luxurious charms of the palace.

Visitors can notice that all the hours inside the palace are set at the same time 9:05. It was at nine o'clock and five minutes that Mustafa Kemal Ataturk died, who is also the founder of the Turkish Republic. To be more precise, he died on November 10, 1938. This date is familiar to all citizens of Turkey.