Dolmabahce Palace

Dolmabahçe Palace (Turkish: Dolmabahçe Sarayı is a 19th-century imperial palace located in Istanbul, Turkey, along the European shore of the Bosporus, which served as the main administrative center of the Ottoman Empire from 1856 to 1887 and from 1909 to 1922.

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, 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 Balyan family of Ottoman court architects).

Façade of the Selamlık

As of May 29, 2025, the construction cost the equivalent of ca. US$3 billion: five million Ottoman lira, or 35 tonnes of gold. This sum corresponded to approximately a quarter of the yearly tax revenue. The construction was financed through debasement, 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 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, 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 site of Dolmabahçe was originally a bay on the Bosporus 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 comes from  dolma "filled (in)" and bahçe "garden" in Persian. 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 45,000 metres (147,637.80 ft) monoblock Dolmabahçe Palace a relatively limited space has remained for a garden complex which would normally surround such a palace.

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, 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 (Şeyhülislam), and members of the General Assembly.

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 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 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.