Dolmabahçe Palace ( tr, Dolmabahçe Sarayı, ) located in the Beşiktaş district of

Istanbul ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_i ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

, on the

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

an coast of the

Bosporus The Bosporus Strait (; grc, Βόσπορος ; tr, İstanbul Boğazı 'Istanbul strait', colloquially ''Boğaz'') or Bosphorus Strait is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul in northwestern Tu ...

strait, served as the main administrative center of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

from 1856 to 1887 and from 1909 to 1922 (

Yıldız Palace Yıldız Palace ( tr, Yıldız Sarayı, ) is a vast complex of former imperial Ottoman pavilions and villas in Istanbul, Turkey, built in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was used as a residence by the sultan and his court in the late 19th ...

was used in the interim period).

History

Dolmabahçe Palace was ordered by the Empire's 31st Sultan,

Abdulmejid I Abdulmejid I ( ota, عبد المجيد اول, ʿAbdü'l-Mecîd-i evvel, tr, I. Abdülmecid; 25 April 182325 June 1861) was the 31st Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and succeeded his father Mahmud II on 2 July 1839. His reign was notable for the r ...

, and built between the years 1843 and 1856. Previously, the Sultan and his family had lived at the

Topkapı Palace The Topkapı Palace ( tr, Topkapı Sarayı; ota, طوپقپو سرايى, ṭopḳapu sarāyı, lit=cannon gate palace), or the Seraglio, is a large museum in the east of the Fatih district of Istanbul in Turkey. From the 1460s to the complet ...

, but as the medieval Topkapı was lacking in contemporary style, luxury, and comfort, as compared to the palaces of the European monarchs, Abdülmecid decided to build a new modern palace near the site of the former Beşiktaş Sahil Palace, which was demolished. Hacı Said Ağa was responsible for the construction works, while the project was realized by architects

Garabet Balyan The Balyan family ( hy, Պալեաններ; tr, Balyan ailesi or ''Palyan ailesi'') was a prominent Armenian family in the Ottoman Empire consisting of court architects in the service of Ottoman sultans and other members of the Ottoman dyna ...

, his son

Nigoğayos Balyan The Balyan family ( hy, Պալեաններ; tr, Balyan ailesi or ''Palyan ailesi'') was a prominent Armenian family in the Ottoman Empire consisting of court architects in the service of Ottoman sultans and other members of the Ottoman dyna ...

and Evanis Kalfa (members of the

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

Balyan family The Balyan family ( hy, Պալեաններ; tr, Balyan ailesi or ''Palyan ailesi'') was a prominent Armenian family in the Ottoman Empire consisting of court architects in the service of Ottoman sultans and other members of the Ottoman dynas ...

of Ottoman court architects). Dolmabahce, Istanbul, Turchia

The construction cost five million Ottoman gold lira, or 35

tonne The tonne ( or ; symbol: t) is a unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. It is a non-SI unit accepted for use with SI. It is also referred to as a metric ton to distinguish it from the non-metric units of the short ton ( United State ...

s of

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...

, the equivalent of ca. $1.9 billion in today's (2021) gold values. This sum corresponded to approximately a quarter of the yearly tax revenue. Actually, the construction was financed through

debasement A debasement of coinage is the practice of lowering the intrinsic value of coins, especially when used in connection with commodity money, such as gold or silver coins. A coin is said to be debased if the quantity of gold, silver, copper or nick ...

, by massive issue of paper money, as well as by foreign loans. The huge expenses placed an enormous burden on the state purse and contributed to the deteriorating financial situation of the Ottoman Empire, which eventually defaulted on its

public debt A country's gross government debt (also called public debt, or sovereign debt) is the financial liabilities of the government sector. Changes in government debt over time reflect primarily borrowing due to past government deficits. A deficit oc ...

in October 1875, with the subsequent establishment in 1881 of

financial control Internal control, as defined by accounting and auditing, is a process for assuring of an organization's objectives in operational effectiveness and efficiency, reliable financial reporting, and compliance with laws, regulations and policies. A broad ...

over the "

sick man of Europe "Sick man of Europe" is a label given to a nation which is located in some part of Europe and experiencing a time of economic difficulty or impoverishment. Emperor Nicholas I of the Russian Empire is considered to be the first to use the term " ...

" by the European powers. The palace was home to six Sultans from 1856, when it was first inhabited, up until the abolition of the Caliphate in 1924: The last royal to live here was Caliph Abdülmecid Efendi. A law that went into effect on March 3, 1924, transferred the ownership of the palace to the national heritage of the new Turkish Republic. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder and first President of the Republic of Turkey, used the palace as a presidential residence during the summers and enacted some of his most important works here. Atatürk spent the last days of his medical treatment in this palace, where he died on November 10, 1938. Today, the palace is managed by ''Milli Saraylar Daire Başkanlığı'' (Directorate of National Palaces) responsible to the

Grand National Assembly of Turkey The Grand National Assembly of Turkey ( tr, ), usually referred to simply as the TBMM or Parliament ( tr, or ''Parlamento''), is the unicameral Turkish legislature. It is the sole body given the legislative prerogatives by the Turkish Const ...

Location

The site of Dolmabahçe was originally a bay on the

which was used for the anchorage of the Ottoman fleet. The area was reclaimed gradually during the 18th century to become an imperial garden, much appreciated by the Ottoman sultans; it is from this garden that the name ''Dolmabahçe'' (Filled-in Garden) comes from the Turkish ''dolma'' meaning "filled" and ''bahçe'' meaning "garden." Various small summer palaces and wooden pavilions were built here during the 18th and 19th centuries ultimately forming a palace complex named Beşiktaş Waterfront Palace. The area of 110,000 m² is confined by Bosporus on the east side, while a steep precipice bounds it on the west side, such that after the building of the new 45,000 m² monoblock Dolmabahçe Palace a relatively limited space has remained for a garden complex which would normally surround such a palace.Dolmabahçe Palace Museum

/ref>

Design and layout

Dolmabahçe is the largest palace in Turkey. It has an area of , and contains 285 rooms, 46 halls, 6 baths ('' hamam'') and 68 toilets. The design contains

eclectic Eclectic may refer to: Music * ''Eclectic'' (Eric Johnson and Mike Stern album), 2014 * ''Eclectic'' (Big Country album), 1996 * Eclectic Method, name of an audio-visual remix act * Eclecticism in music, the conscious use of styles alien to th ...

elements from the Baroque,

Rococo Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...

and Neoclassical styles, blended with traditional

Ottoman architecture Ottoman architecture is the architectural style that developed under the Ottoman Empire. It first emerged in northwestern Anatolia in the late 13th century and developed from earlier Seljuk Turkish architecture, with influences from Byzantine a ...

to create a new synthesis. The palace layout and décor reflect the increasing influence of European styles and standards on Ottoman culture and art during the Tanzimat period. The exterior, in particular the view from the Bosporus, shows a classical European two-wing arrangement which is divided by a big

avant-corps An ''avant-corps'' ( it, avancorpo or , plural , german: Risalit, pl, ryzalit), a French term literally meaning "fore-body", is a part of a building, such as a porch or pavilion, that juts out from the ''corps de logis'', often taller than othe ...

with two side avant-corps. Dolmabahce Palace plan

Functionally, on the other hand, the palace retains elements of traditional Ottoman palace life, and also features of traditional Turkish homes. It is strictly separated structurally in a southern wing (''Mabeyn-i Hümâyûn'', or ''Selamlık'', the quarters reserved for the men) which contains the public representation rooms, and a northern wing (''Harem-i Hümâyûn'', the

Harem Harem ( Persian: حرمسرا ''haramsarā'', ar, حَرِيمٌ ''ḥarīm'', "a sacred inviolable place; harem; female members of the family") refers to domestic spaces that are reserved for the women of the house in a Muslim family. A har ...

) serving as the private residential area for the Sultan and his family. The two functional areas are separated by the big Ceremonial Hall (''Muayede Salonu'') with a floor area of and a high dome. Since the harem had to be completely isolated from the outside world, the main entrance for the visitors is located on the narrow southern side. There, the representation rooms are arranged for receptions of visitors and of foreign diplomats. The harem area includes eight interconnected apartments for the wives of the sultan, for his favourites and concubines, and for his mother, each with its own bathroom.

Décor and equipment

Whereas the

has exquisite examples of Iznik tiles and Ottoman carving, the Dolmabahçe palace is extensively decorated with gold and crystal. Fourteen tonnes of gold were used to gild the ceilings. Over 100 kg of gold was used to decorate the palace, this weight today costs US$6 million. The world's largest crystal chandelier is in the Ceremonial Hall. It has 750 lamps and weighs 4.5 tonnes. The chandelier was originally assumed to have been a gift from

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

; in 2006, however, a receipt was discovered showing it had been paid for in full by the Sultan. Dolmabahçe has the largest collection of Bohemian and

Baccarat crystal Baccarat () is a French luxury brand and manufacturer of fine crystal located in Baccarat, Meurthe-et-Moselle, France. The company owns two museums: the Musée Baccarat in Baccarat, and the Musée Baccarat in Paris on the Place des États-U ...

chandeliers in the world. The famous ''Crystal Staircase'' has the shape of a double horseshoe and is built of Baccarat crystal,

brass Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other wit ...

and mahogany. Expensive stones such as Marmara (Proconnesian) marble, Egyptian

alabaster Alabaster is a mineral or rock that is soft, often used for carving, and is processed for plaster powder. Archaeologists and the stone processing industry use the word differently from geologists. The former use it in a wider sense that include ...

( calcite, also known as onyx-marble), and Porphyry from

Pergamon Pergamon or Pergamum ( or ; grc-gre, Πέργαμον), also referred to by its modern Greek form Pergamos (), was a rich and powerful ancient Greek city in Mysia. It is located from the modern coastline of the Aegean Sea on a promontory on th ...

were used for the decoration. The palace includes a large number of Hereke palace carpets made by the Hereke Imperial Factory. The Hereke carpet featured in the main hall happens to be the largest Hereke rug in the world. Also featured are 150-year-old bearskin rugs originally presented to the Sultan as a gift by

Tsar Nicholas I , house = Romanov-Holstein-Gottorp , father = Paul I of Russia , mother = Maria Feodorovna (Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg) , birth_date = , birth_place = Gatchina Palace, Gatchina, Russian Empire , death_date = ...

. A collection of 202 oil paintings is on display in the palace. A highlight of the collection are 23 paintings by

Ivan Aivazovsky Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky (russian: link=no, Иван Константинович Айвазовский; 29 July 18172 May 1900) was a Russian Romantic painter who is considered one of the greatest masters of marine art. Baptized ...

which he created as a court painter during his stays in Istanbul.Historical Ottoman Palace reopens as museum
EuroAsiaNews.com, March 22, 2014 The collection also includes paintings by

Gustave Boulanger Gustave Clarence Rodolphe Boulanger (25 April 1824 – 22 September 1888) was a French figurative painter and academic artist and teacher known for his Classical and Orientalist subjects. Education and career The Néo-Grecs and the Prix de Rom ...

Jean-Léon Gérôme Jean-Léon Gérôme (11 May 1824 – 10 January 1904) was a French painter and sculptor in the style now known as academicism. His paintings were so widely reproduced that he was "arguably the world's most famous living artist by 1880." The ra ...

, Eugène Fromentin, Stanisław Chlebowski, Félix Ziem, Karl Joseph Kuwasseg,

Fausto Zonaro Fausto Zonaro (18 September 1854 – 19 July 1929) was an Italian painter, best known for his Realist style paintings of life and history of the Ottoman Empire. Life Young life and early art career Fausto Zonaro was born in Masi, a municipali ...

Théo van Rysselberghe Théophile "Théo" van Rysselberghe (23 November 1862 – 13 December 1926) was a Belgian neo-impressionist painter, who played a pivotal role in the European art scene at the turn of the twentieth century. Biography Early years Born ...

and Alexander Sandor Svoboda. There are also paintings by Turkish painters such as

Osman Hamdi Bey Osman Hamdi Bey (30 December 1842, in Istanbul 24 February 1910) was an Ottoman Empire, Ottoman administrator, intellectual, art expert and also a prominent and pioneering painter. He was also an accomplished archaeologist, and is regarded as th ...

, Halil Pasha and

Osman Nuri Pasha Osman Nuri Pasha ( ota, عثمان نوری پاشا‎; 1832, Tokat, Ottoman Empire – 4 to 5 April 1900, Constantinople, Ottoman Empire), also known as Ghazi Osman Pasha ( tr, Gazi Osman Paşa), was an Ottoman field marshal. Being one ...

in this art museum. From the very beginning, the palace's equipment implemented the highest technical standards.

Gas lighting Gas lighting is the production of artificial light from combustion of a gaseous fuel, such as hydrogen, methane, carbon monoxide, propane, butane, acetylene, ethylene, coal gas (town gas) or natural gas. The light is produced either directly ...

and

water-closet A flush toilet (also known as a flushing toilet, water closet (WC) – see also toilet names) is a toilet that disposes of human waste (principally urine and feces) by using the force of water to ''flush'' it through a drainpipe to another lo ...

s were imported from Great Britain, whereas other palaces in continental Europe were still lacking these features at that time. Later, electricity, a

central heating system A central heating system provides warmth to a number of spaces within a building from one main source of heat. It is a component of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (short: HVAC) systems, which can both cool and warm interior spaces. ...

and an

elevator An elevator or lift is a cable-assisted, hydraulic cylinder-assisted, or roller-track assisted machine that vertically transports people or freight between floors, levels, or decks of a building, vessel, or other structure. They a ...

were installed.

Rooms

Medhal (Main Entrance) Hall

A visit to the Dolmabahçe Palace begins at the Medhal Hall. Rooms leading off the Medhal are towards the sea and the land. The rooms facing the sea were used by the leading Ottoman officials, the Grand Vizier and the other state ministers, while the rooms facing the land were used by various administrators of the palace and the state, such as the Palace Marshall, Şeyhülislam, and members of the House of Representatives (''Meclis-i Mebusan'') and the Senate (''Meclis-i Ayan''). Guests would first wait in this hall and then would be led inside at the proper time by a palace protocol officer. On entering the Medhal, one sees Boulle tables on both sides of the room, which bear the monogram of Sultan Abdülmecid on top. The royal monogram of the sultan is also on the fireplace. The English chandelier hanging in the middle of this room has sixty arms. The Hereke fabrics used as upholstery for the furniture and as draperies are in the royal shade of red.

The secretariat's rooms

The second room after the Medhal to the right is the Clerk's Hall, also referred to as the ''Tiled Room.'' The largest painting in the palace collection, a depiction of the Surre Procession by Stefano Ussi, hangs on the left wall of this hall. Surre was used to refer to the caravans which travelled from Istanbul to Mecca during the religious month of Recep, bearing the monetary aid used to support the maintenance and the decoration of the Kaaba and to provide financial assistance to the local population of Hejaz. On the wall to the right is a painting signed by Rudolf Ernst depicting the fire at the Paris Municipal Theater and another painting of a Dutch Village Girl by Delandre. Decorated with French style furniture, this room also contains very valuable porcelain vases.

Atatürk's room

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk spent the last days of his life in the palace as his health deteriorated. He died at 9:05 A.M. on November 10, 1938, in a bedroom located in the former harem area of the palace. All the clocks in the palace were stopped and set to 9:05 after his death. The clocks outside of his room now are set to the actual time in Turkey, but the clock in the room in which he died still points to 9:05.

Harem

The harem was a traditional feature of many Middle Eastern architectural structures throughout history. The point of Abdulmecid's construction of the harem was to ensure there were separate quarters built for the royal family and their leisure. It was common practice for the Sultan's personal concubines to reside within the harem. Rooms meant to house and educate the children of the Sultan as well as the Sultan's own living quarters are included in what would be considered the harem. Usually most Sultans beforehand had restricted their wives and concubines from being in the public, however Abdulmecid unprecedentedly allowed them to leave the palace to shops and bazaars under supervision.

Gates

Gate of the Sultan

File:Sultan%27s_Gate_of_Dolmabahçe_Palace.jpg, Exterior façade of the Gate of the Sultan (''Saltanat Kapısı'') on Dolmabahçe Avenue. The columns of the gate are in a formation of 2-1-1-2. File:Treasury_Gate,_Dolmabahçe_Palace,_Istanbul,_Turkey_001.jpg, Interior façade of the Gate of the Sultan (''Saltanat Kapısı''). The columns are in a formation of 2-1-1-2.

Gate of the Treasury

File:DolmabahceMainGate.JPG, Exterior façade of the Gate of the Treasury (''Hazine-i Hassa Kapısı'') near

Dolmabahçe Clock Tower Dolmabahçe Clock Tower ( tr, Dolmabahçe Saat Kulesi) is a clock tower situated outside Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul, Turkey. Its construction was ordered by Ottoman sultan Abdülhamid II (1842–1918) and designed by the court architect Sa ...

. The columns of the exterior façade of the gate are in a formation of 1-2-2-1. File:Dolmabahçe Sarayı, Dolmabahçe-Palast, Palast der vollen Gärten - panoramio (1).jpg, Interior façade of the Gate of the Treasury (''Hazine-i Hassa Kapısı'') near

, which is seen in the background, outside the walls, at left. File:Dolmabahçe_Palace,_Istanbul_cropped.jpg, Exterior façade of the Gate of the Treasury after the restoration work

Gate to the Bosporus

File:Dolmabahce Palacemm.jpg, Exterior view of the Gate to the

Dolmabahçe_Palace_2007.jpg, Exterior view of the Gate to the

File:İstanbul 5847.jpg, Interior view of the Gate to the

Adjacent buildings

A number of further residential buildings are located near the palace including the palace of the Crown Prince (''Veliaht Dairesi''), the quarters of the gentlemen-in-waiting (''Musahiban Dairesi''), the dormitories of the servants (''Agavat Dairesi'', ''Bendegan Dairesi'') and of the guards (''Baltacılar Dairesi''), the quarters of the Chief Eunuch (''Kızlarağası Dairesi''). Further buildings include imperial kitchens (''Matbah-i Amire''), stables, an aviary (''Kusluk''), a plant nursery (''Fidelik''), a flour mill, a greenhouse (''Sera''), a Hereke carpet workshop (''Hereke dökümhanesi''), a glass manufactory, a foundry, a pharmacy etc.Dolmabahçe Sarayi
ArchnetA baroque style

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

designed by Garabet Balyan was built near the palace in 1853–1855. It was commissioned by queen mother Bezm-i Âlem Valide Sultan. Since 1948 the building housed the Naval Museum, but the museum was moved to another location in 1960 after the coup d'état of May, 27th. In 1967, the mosque was returned for worship. A clock tower (''Dolmabahçe Saat Kulesi'') was erected in front of the Imperial Gate (Saltanat Kapisi) on a square along the European waterfront of Bosporus next to the mosque. The tower was ordered by Sultan

Abdülhamid II Abdülhamid or Abdul Hamid II ( ota, عبد الحميد ثانی, Abd ül-Hamid-i Sani; tr, II. Abdülhamid; 21 September 1842 10 February 1918) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 31 August 1876 to 27 April 1909, and the last sultan to ...

and designed by the court architect

Sarkis Balyan The Balyan family ( hy, Պալեաններ; tr, Balyan ailesi or ''Palyan ailesi'') was a prominent Armenian family in the Ottoman Empire consisting of court architects in the service of Ottoman sultans and other members of the Ottoman dyna ...

between 1890 and 1895. Its clock was manufactured by the French clockmaker house of Jean-Paul Garnier, and installed by the court clock master Johann Mayer.

Literature

03306-Istanbul-DolmabahcePalace_(3446813334)

* * * * * * * İskender Pala. ''The Jewel on the Bosphorus; Dolmabahçe Palace''. TBMM Milli Saraylar Yayınları, Istanbul, 2006. * İhsan Yücel, Sema Öner, F. Yaşar Yılmaz, Cengiz Göncü, Hakan Gülsün. ''Dolmabahçe Palace''. TBMM Milli Saraylar Yayınları, Istanbul, 2005. * İpek Fitöz. ''European Lights In Dolmabahçe Palace''. TBMM Milli Saraylar Yayınları, Istanbul, 2007.

References

External links

National Palaces in Turkey
official site {{DEFAULTSORT:Dolmabahce Palace Ottoman palaces in Istanbul Museums in Istanbul Garabet Amira Balyan buildings Nigoğayos Balyan buildings Houses completed in 1856 Bosphorus Government of the Ottoman Empire Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Baroque Revival architecture in Turkey Landmarks in Turkey Beşiktaş Presidential palaces in Turkey Historic house museums in Turkey