Dolmabahçe Palace

The Dolmabahçe Palace Topkapi Palace replaced as the residence of the sultans from 1856 to 1924, when the Caliphate was abolished. The style of the palace is a combination of Western Baroque and Neoclassical styles, Rococo mixed with traditional Ottoman style.

Dolmabahçe Palace
Dolmabahçe Palace DolmabahçePalacio, gardens
Home Garden DolmabahçeSoldados Dolmabahce Palace in
Soldiers at Dolmabahçe Palace
The Dolmabahçe Palace was built between 1843 and 1856 by order of Sultan Abdülmecid. Its construction involved four architects of the Royal Department of Architecture of the Ottoman Empire.

With a facade of 600 meters and an area of 15,000 square meters, the Dolmabahçe Palace is the country's largest building. It has 285 rooms, 43 rooms, 68 bathrooms and 6 Turkish baths.

In 1984 the palace was converted into a museum.

Visiting the Dolmabahce Palace
The tour has four parts: Selamlik, Harem, and Clock Museum Glass Pavilion. The most important parts are the first two:

Selamlik
This part, which houses administrative offices and officers lounges, is the most striking part of the whole palace. The most notable parts are the Crystal Staircase and the Throne Room. This last room, its size (2000 square meters and 36 meters high) and elegance (56 columns and lamp palace largest spider), is totally overwhelming.

the Harem
The Harem comprises the private quarters of the Sultan and his family. This part of the palace is less interesting than before and the visit lasts less time.

To visit the Harem Selamlik and must be done in groups. Although the tours are only in English and Turkish, there are brochures in other languages ​​(including Castilian) to follow directions.

our opinion
While Dolmabahçe Palace has some rooms that will leave you with your mouth open, his Western cut, the relative remoteness and that you can only go on tour cause you to lose points. We recommend only visit if you have time to spare, a stay of two or three days there are better things to do.

If you decide to visit the palace do it as soon as possible, as the morning progresses and reaches more people, groups can be extremely large and the visit is heavy.