Dolmabahce Palace is the largest Turkish palace. It is designed in Rococo and Baroque style, unusual for the culture of the Ottomans. The palace is the former residence of six sultans.
It is located in the Besiktash district, right on the embankment of the Bosporus Strait. The palace covers an area of about 45 thousand square meters, it houses a large number of buildings that are fenced with one common wall.
The construction of the palace, which is distinguished by unprecedented luxury, was carried out for 11 years from 1842 to 1853 and was started under sultan Abdulmecid I, who ordered a luxurious European-style palace. The architects are Turkish Armenian Karapet Balyan and his son Nikogos.
Since 2007, the palace has been the official residence of the Prime Minister of Turkey, so tourists can visit only a small part of it.
- The name Dolmabahçe is a composition of two Turkish words: dolma meaning "filled" and bahçe meaning "garden”.
- The most valuable exhibit of the museum is a gift from Queen Victoria: a chandelier, weighing 5 tons, made of Bohemian glass. Besides, the collection of paintings by the Russian artist Ivan Aivazovsky is of great value.
- The decoration of the Crystal Staircase, as well as the halls of the museum cost 5 million pounds of gold. And for the whole construction it took more than 14 tons of gold.
- In the series "Sultan of My Heart" Sultan Mahmud II lives in Dolmabahce Palace. In fact, during his reign, this palace had not yet been built.
The most instagrammable places
You can’t take pictures inside the palace, but you may take them in the courtyard and outside. The best instagram locations are:
Imperial gate (main entrance)
Openwork gate with a view of the Bosporus
View of the Dolmabahce Mosque
View of the clock tower
Small gate (from Dolmabahce Street)
Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul has 285 rooms, 44 spacious halls, 68 toilets and 6 Turkish baths. Today some rooms serve as exhibition areas for a variety of rare items, art objects and jewelry. The luxury of the place attracts more and more attention of tourists every year, and in recent years the object has entered the top of five most visited sights in Istanbul.
Main halls and rooms:
Ceremonial Hall
The purpose of this elegant hall is the sultan’s audience and solemn ceremonies.
Hall of Ambassadors (Sufera)
The Sufera Hall looks very luxurious and special. Meetings and negotiations with ambassadors of different countries were held here. Besides these chambers served as the place where entertainment events were organized for guests.
Red Hall
The Red Hall served as the second chamber for the ambassadors. It is named so because the whole interior is made in deep red shades, that symbolize the power of the Ottoman Empire. There are no real walls in the hall, and thick curtains serve as their replacement. The main decoration is a picture of Istanbul.
Harem
The Harem occupies two-thirds of the territory of Dolmabahce. The apartments on the east side of the coast were occupied by the sultan’s mother and other members of the ruling dynasty. The concubines of the padishah and his “favorites” lived in street rooms. The whole area is decorated with ornaments in turkish and european traditions, the rooms are decorated in various styles: oriental, japanese, european. The Harem is connected to the main palace by a long, wide corridor.
The most beautiful halls in this part are Blue and Pink. The interior and textiles of the first are designed in a sky color. It served for holding solemn events on religious holidays. The Pink Hall is named so because of the shade of the walls. There is a beautiful view on the landscapes of the Bosporus from this hall. Valide Sultan met the guests in the hall, and private conversations were also held here.
Ataturk's Room
The last resident and owner of Dolmabahce is President Kemal Ataturk, who first arrived here in 1927. In Dolmabahce Palace he chose one of the halls, which was a winter bedroom for the padishahs. The interior of this room, including furniture and decorations, has not changed to this day. You can pay attention to the fact that there is no chic and luxury in the room that the president could surround himself with.
On the day of the death of the legendary Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, all the clocks of the palace were stopped, now they show the time — 9:05. It was the moment that the president passed away.
The most beautiful halls in this part are Blue and Pink. The interior and textiles of the first are designed in a sky color. It served for holding solemn events on religious holidays. The Pink Hall is named so because of the shade of the walls. There is a beautiful view on the landscapes of the Bosporus from this hall. Valide Sultan met the guests in the hall, and private conversations were also held here.
Dolmabahce Mosque
To the south of the palace there is a mosque with the same name, designed by architect Karpet Balyan. The construction was started in 1853 on the initiative of the mother of sultan Abdulmecid I. Therefore, the building has her name — the Bezm-i-Alem mosque. Unfortunately, she died before the construction was completed.
Not far from the Gate of Treasures in a small park there is a clock tower erected by sultan Abdul Hamid II in 1895. The architect is Sarkis Balyan, the building style is neo-Baroque.
It is decorated with the tugra (monogram of Sultan Abdul Hamid II), which is applied on both sides of the building. The clock for this tower was custom-made by craftsmen from the French workshop of Jean Paul Garnier. Over time, the clock mechanism began to malfunction. Therefore, in the eighties of the XX century it was replaced by electronic one.
Clock Museum
One of the most interesting objects of the complex is the Clock Museum, located in the garden of the Harem. There is an exhibition of watch mechanisms that belong to the National Watch Collection.
Museum of Painting and Sculpture
As part of the palace complex, twenty rooms are occupied by an exhibition of works of sculpture and painting, which was opened in the late thirties of the XX century. Currently, these halls are being reconstructed, and the museum may be moved to another location.
Palace Gardens
The gardens of the palace consist of 4 large sections:
Hasbahce (Selamlik)
Hasbahce is the largest section of the palace garden in terms of area, it has the shape of a square. In the center of the garden there is a pond with a swan fountain, which was brought from the Yildiz Palace.
Plants exotic for the Istanbul climate adorn every corner of Hasbahce. Chilean araucarias, Korean pines, magnolias and other types of various pines and cedars grow in the garden.
Kusluk (Bird Garden)
The Bird Garden is located between Hasbahce and the Harem Garden. Thanks to two high walls, it is very shady. This garden has a calm and peaceful atmosphere.
The Bird Garden was built especially for the sultan’s feathered pets: peacocks, pheasants, various parrots and other birds. Some species were brought from other countries, others were received as a gift.
Not far from the garden there is a Glass pavilion, a pavilion with various types of plants, the chief eunuch’s room, a kitchen area, as well as a carpet workshop.
Harem Garden
The L-shaped garden adjoins the Harem part of the palace. On its border with the Bird Garden there is a mahogany tree, the oldest tree of the palace.
The Harem Garden resembles an inner courtyard in its shape. In its middle part there is an oval pool, and the surroundings are made in the form of geometric shapes reflecting the European style.
Crown Garden
The smallest of the four gardens. Pavilions and greenhouses have been built around this garden.
In order not to encounter unpleasant surprises while visiting the palace, it is necessary to get to know some useful information regarding opening hours, ticket prices and some other rules.
Working hours of Dolmabahce Palace
Grand Palace: from 9.00 to 16.00;
Other palaces included in the museum complex — until 17.00;
The last tour starts at 15.30;
Monday is a day off in Dolmabahce Palace.
How much do tickets cost?
From January 1, 2023:
Full tour (Selamlik + Harem + Museum of Painting): 450 liras or $ 24;
Museum of Painting — 130 liras;
For children under 12 years of age — admission is free;
Every year, on November 10, admission is free in honor of the Day of Memory of M. K. Ataturk.
After buying a ticket, it is definitely better to take an audio guide to the palace. It is provided in the room to the left of the entrance. It determines your location automatically. As a deposit, you can leave your passport, driver’s license or $ 100, the use itself is free of charge.
Important details
You can walk around the palace (even with an audio guide) only accompanied by a guide, groups gather every 15-20 minutes.
It is forbidden to take photos and shoot videos inside all of the buildings of the museum.
You can enter the premises only by wearing shoe covers, which are issued free of charge.
During the day no more than 3 thousand people can visit the palace (daily quota). After that, the ticket office closes.
Where to relax after the tour
Between the Mosque and the Palace, just behind the parking lot, there is a small cafe — tea house on the shore of the Bosporus. You can sit there for a few minutes, drink a glass of Turkish tea and admire the Bosporus.
