Dolmabahçe Palace ( ) is a 19th-century imperial palace located in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, along the

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

an shore of the

Bosporus The Bosporus or Bosphorus Strait ( ; , colloquially ) is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul, Turkey. The Bosporus connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and forms one of the continental bo ...

, which served as the main administrative center of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

from 1856 to 1887 and from 1909 to 1922.

History

Dolmabahçe Palace was ordered by the empire's 31st sultan, Abdülmecid I, and built between the years 1843 and 1856. Previously, the sultan and his family had lived at the

Topkapı Palace The Topkapı Palace (; ), or the Seraglio, is a large museum and library in the east of the Fatih List of districts of Istanbul, district of Istanbul in Turkey. From the 1460s to the completion of Dolmabahçe Palace in 1856, it served as the ad ...

, 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, his son Nigoğayos Balyan 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 around the ...

Balyan family The Balyan family (; ) was a prominent Armenians, Armenian family in the Ottoman Empire of court architects in the service of List of Sultans of the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman sultans and other members of the Ottoman dynasty during the 18th and 1 ...

of Ottoman court architects). , the construction cost the equivalent of ca. US$3 billion: five million Ottoman lira, or 35

tonne The tonne ( or ; symbol: t) is a unit of mass equal to 1,000 kilograms. It is a non-SI unit accepted for use with SI. It is also referred to as a metric ton in the United States to distinguish it from the non-metric units of the s ...

s of

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

. This sum corresponded to approximately a quarter of the yearly tax revenue. 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, while continuing to circulate it at face value. A coin is said to be debased ...

, 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 occu ...

in October 1875, with the subsequent establishment in 1881 of the Ottoman Public Debt Administration (OPDA) for financial control over the " sick man of Europe" 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 Sultan Abdülmecid II. A law that took effect on March 3, 1924 transferred ownership of the palace to the national heritage of the new Turkish Republic.

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Mustafa Kemal Atatürk ( 1881 – 10 November 1938) was a Turkish field marshal and revolutionary statesman who was the founding father of the Republic of Turkey, serving as its first President of Turkey, president from 1923 until Death an ...

, 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 ( ), usually referred to simply as the GNAT or TBMM, also referred to as , in Turkish, is the Unicameralism, unicameral Turkey, Turkish legislature. It is the sole body given the legislative prerogatives by ...

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

sultan Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...

s; it is from this garden that the name ''Dolmabahçe'' comes from ''dolma'' "filled (in)" and ''bahçe'' "garden." Various small summer palaces and wooden pavilions were constructed here during the 18th and 19th centuries, ultimately forming the Beşiktaş Waterfront Palace complex. 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 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, six

hammam A hammam (), also often called a Turkish bath by Westerners, is a type of steam bath or a place of public bathing associated with the Islamic world. It is a prominent feature in the culture of the Muslim world and was inherited from the model ...

s, and 68 toilets. The design contains eclectic elements from the

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

Rococo Rococo, less commonly Roccoco ( , ; or ), also known as Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpte ...

and Neoclassical styles, blended with traditional

Ottoman architecture Ottoman architecture is an architectural style or tradition that developed under the Ottoman Empire over a long period, undergoing some significant changes during its history. It first emerged in northwestern Anatolia in the late 13th century an ...

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 The (, , lit. 'Reorganization') was a period of liberal reforms in the Ottoman Empire that began with the Edict of Gülhane of 1839 and ended with the First Constitutional Era in 1876. Driven by reformist statesmen such as Mustafa Reşid Pash ...

. The exterior, in particular the view from the Bosporus, shows a classical European two-wing arrangement which is divided by a big avant-corps 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 ( andron) "quarters reserved for men", which contains the public representation rooms, and a northern wing (''Harem-i Hümâyûn'', the

Ottoman Imperial Harem The Imperial Harem () of the Ottoman Empire was the Ottoman sultan's harem – composed of the concubines, wives, servants (both female slaves and eunuchs), female relatives and the sultan's concubines – occupying a secluded portion (serag ...

), serving as the

harem A harem is a domestic space that is reserved for the women of the house in a Muslim family. A harem may house a man's wife or wives, their pre-pubescent male children, unmarried daughters, female domestic Domestic worker, servants, and other un ...

( gynaeceum) or 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 reception rooms are arranged for the reception of visitors and foreign diplomats. The harem area comprises eight interconnected apartments, each with a bathroom, for the wives, favourites, and concubines of the sultan, as well as the

Valide sultan Valide Sultan (, lit. "Sultana mother") was the title held by the mother of a ruling sultan of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans first formally used the title in the 16th century as an epithet of Hafsa Sultan (died 1534), mother of Sultan Suleima ...

, his mother.

Décor and equipment

Whereas the

has exquisite examples of Iznik ware tiles and Ottoman carving, the Dolmabahçe 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 A chandelier () is an ornamental lighting device, typically with spreading branched supports for multiple lights, designed to be hung from the ceiling. Chandeliers are often ornate, and they were originally designed to hold candles, but now inca ...

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 Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

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

Baccarat Baccarat or baccara (; ) is a card game. It is now mainly played at casinos, but formerly popular at house-parties and private gaming rooms. The game's origins are a mixture of precursors from China, Japan, and Korea, which then gained popularit ...

crystal chandeliers in the world. The famous ''Crystal Staircase'' has the shape of a double

horseshoe A horseshoe is a product designed to protect a horse hoof from wear. Shoes are attached on the palmar surface (ground side) of the hooves, usually nailed through the insensitive hoof wall that is anatomically akin to the human toenail, altho ...

and is built of Baccarat crystal,

brass Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, in proportions which can be varied to achieve different colours and mechanical, electrical, acoustic and chemical properties, but copper typically has the larger proportion, generally copper and zinc. I ...

, and

mahogany Mahogany is a straight- grained, reddish-brown timber of three tropical hardwood species of the genus ''Swietenia'', indigenous to the AmericasBridgewater, Samuel (2012). ''A Natural History of Belize: Inside the Maya Forest''. Austin: Universit ...

. Expensive stones such as

Marmara Island Marmara Island () is a Turkish island in the Sea of Marmara. With an area of , it is the largest island in the Sea of Marmara and the second-largest island of Turkey - after Imbros, Gökçeada (formerly ; ''Imvros''). It is the center of Marmar ...

(Proconnesian) marble, Egyptian

alabaster Alabaster is a mineral and a soft Rock (geology), rock used for carvings and as a source of plaster powder. Archaeologists, geologists, and the stone industry have different definitions for the word ''alabaster''. In archaeology, the term ''alab ...

(

calcite Calcite is a Carbonate minerals, carbonate mineral and the most stable Polymorphism (materials science), polymorph of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). It is a very common mineral, particularly as a component of limestone. Calcite defines hardness 3 on ...

, also known as onyx-marble), and porphyry from

Pergamon Pergamon or Pergamum ( or ; ), also referred to by its modern Greek form Pergamos (), was a rich and powerful ancient Greece, ancient Greek city in Aeolis. It is located from the modern coastline of the Aegean Sea on a promontory on the north s ...

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 presented initially to the sultan as a gift by

Tsar Nicholas I Nicholas I, group=pron (Russian language, Russian: Николай I Павлович; – ) was Emperor of Russia, List of rulers of Partitioned Poland#Kings of the Kingdom of Poland, King of Congress Poland, and Grand Duke of Finland from 18 ...

. 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 (; ) was a Russian Romantic painter who is considered one of the greatest masters of marine art. Baptized as Hovhannes Aivazian, he was born into an Armenian family in the Black Sea port of Feodosia in Crime ...

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,

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

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

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

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

Osman Hamdi Bey Osman Hamdi Bey (30 December 1842 – 24 February 1910) was an Ottoman Turkish administrator, intellectual, art expert and also a prominent and pioneering painter. He was the Ottoman Empire's first modern archaeologist, and is regarded as the ...

Halil Pasha Halil Pasha () was an Ottoman Empire, Ottoman statesman who served as the List of Ottoman governors of Egypt, governor of Egypt Eyalet, Ottoman Egypt from 1631 to 1633. He was known for his "gentle, impartial, and prosperous administration"d'Avenn ...

and Osman Nuri Pasha 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 fuel gas such as methane, propane, butane, acetylene, ethylene, hydrogen, carbon monoxide, coal gas (town gas) or natural gas. The light is produced either directly by ...

and water-closets were imported from

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

, 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. A central heating system has a Furnace (central heating), furnace that converts fuel or electricity to heat through processes. The he ...

and an

elevator An elevator (American English) or lift (Commonwealth English) is a machine that vertically transports people or freight between levels. They are typically powered by electric motors that drive traction cables and counterweight systems suc ...

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 officials, the

grand vizier Grand vizier (; ; ) was the title of the effective head of government of many sovereign states in the Islamic world. It was first held by officials in the later Abbasid Caliphate. It was then held in the Ottoman Empire, the Mughal Empire, the Soko ...

, and the other state ministers. Rooms facing the mainland were used by various administrators of the palace and the state, such as the Palace Marshal, the

Shaykh al-Islām Shaykh al-Islām (; ; , ''Sheykh-ol-Eslām''; , Sheikh''-ul-Islām''; , ) was used in the classical era as an honorific title for outstanding scholars of the Islamic sciences.Gerhard Böwering, Patricia Crone, Mahan Mirza, The Princeton Encyclope ...

(''Şeyhülislam''), and members of the

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...

. 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

tughra A tughra (; ) is a calligraphy, calligraphic monogram, Seal (emblem), seal or signature of a sultan that was affixed to all official documents and correspondence. Inspired by the Tamga, tamgha, it was also carved on his seal and stamped on the co ...

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 Stefano Ussi (3 September 1822 – 1901) was an Italian painter, known first for his history paintings, and later for depicting Orientalist, mostly Arabian and Moroccan subjects. Biography He was born in Florence and studied there at the Accadem ...

, 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 The Kaaba (), also spelled Kaba, Kabah or Kabah, sometimes referred to as al-Kaba al-Musharrafa (), is a stone building at the center of Islam's most important mosque and Holiest sites in Islam, holiest site, the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Sa ...

and to provide financial assistance to the local population of

Hejaz Hejaz is a Historical region, historical region of the Arabian Peninsula that includes the majority of the western region of Saudi Arabia, covering the cities of Mecca, Medina, Jeddah, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, Tabuk, Yanbu, Taif and Al Bahah, Al-B ...

. 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

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 concubines to reside within the harem. Rooms meant to house and educate the children of the sultan, as well as the sultan's living quarters, are included in what would be considered the harem. Sultans had previously restricted their wives and concubines to the harem from public spaces. Abdulmecid unprecedentedly allowed them to leave the palace to go 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. 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 Dolmabahçe Clock Tower, 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 ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

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 Clock towers are a specific type of structure that house a turret clock and have one or more clock faces on the upper exterior walls. Many clock towers are freestanding structures but they can also adjoin or be located on top of another building ...

(''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 Abdulhamid II or Abdul Hamid II (; ; 21 September 184210 February 1918) was the 34th sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1876 to 1909, and the last sultan to exert effective control over the fracturing state. He oversaw a period of decline wit ...

and designed by the court architect Sarkis Balyan 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

* * * * * * * 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