Until the 17th century the area where
Dolmabahce Palace stands today was a small bay on the
Bosphorus, claimed by some to be where the Argonauts
anchored during their quest for the Golden Fleece, and
where in 1453 Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror had his fleet
hauled ashore and across the hills to be refloated in the
Golden Horn.
This natural harbour provided anchorage for the
Ottoman fleet and for traditional naval
ceremonies. From the 17th century the
bay was gradually filled in and became one of
the imperial parks on the Bosphourus known as
Dolmabahce, literally meaning “filled garden”.
A series of imperial kosks (mansions) and kasırs
(pavilions) were built here, eventually growing
into a palace complex known as Besiktas
Waterfront Palace.
Besiktas Waterfront Palace was demolished in
1843 by Sultan Abdulmecid (1839-1861) on the
grounds that it was made of wood and incovenient,
and construction of Dolmabahce Palace commenced
in its place.
Construction of the new palace and its periphery
walls was completed in 1856. Dolmabahce Palace
had a total area of over 110.000 square metres
and consisted of sixteen separate sections apart
from the palace proper. These included stables,
a flour mill, pharmacy, kitchens, aviary, glass
manufactory and foundry. Sultan Abdulhamid II
(1876-1909) added a clock tower and the Veliahd
Dairesi (apartments for the heir apparent), and
the Hareket Kosks in the gardens behind.
The main palace was built by the leading Ottoman
architects of the era, Karabet and Nikoğos
Balyan, and consists of three parts: the
Imperial Mabeyn (State Apartments), Muayede
Salon (Ceremonial Hall) and the Imperial Harem,
where the sultan and his family led their
private lives. The Ceremonial Hall placed
centrally between the other two sections is
where the sultan received statesman and
dignitaries on state occasions and religious
festivals.
The palace consists of two main storeys and a
basement. The conspicuous western style of
decoration tends to overshadow the decidedly
Ottoman interpretation evident most of all in
the interpretation evident most of all in the
interior plan. This follows the traditional
layout and relations between private rooms and
central galleries of the Turkish house,
implemented here on a large scale. The outer
walls are made of stone, the interior walls are
made of stone, the interior walls of brick, and
the floors of wood. Modern technology in the
form of electricity and a central heating system
was introduced in 1910-12. The palace has a
total floor area of 45.000 square metres, with
285 small rooms, 46 reception rooms and
galleries, 6 hamams (Turkish baths) and 68
lavatories. The finely made parquet floors are
laid with 4454 square metres of carpets, the
earliest made at the palace carpet weaving mill
and those of later date at the mill in Hereke.
The Mabeyn where the sultan conducted affairs of
state is the most important section in terms of
function and splendour. The entrance hall known
as the Medhal Salon, the Crystal Staircase, and
the Sufera Salon where foreign ambassadors were
entertained prior to audience with the sultan in
the Red Room are all decorated and furnished in
a style reflecting the historical magnificence
of the empire. The Zulvecheyn Salon on the upper
floor serves as an entrance hall leading to the
apartments reserved for the sultan in the Mabeyn.
These apartments include a magnificent hamam
faced with Egyptian marble, a study and drawing
rooms.
The Ceremonial Hall situated between the Harem
and the Mabeyn is the highest and most imposing
section of Dolmabahce Palace. With an area of
over 2000 square metres, 56 columns, a dome 36
metres high at the apex, and a 4.5 ton English
chandelier, this room stands out as the focal
point of the palace. In cold weather this vast
room was heated by hot air blown out at the
bases of the columns from a heating system in
the basement. On ceremonial occasions the gold
throne would be carried here from Topkapı Palace,
and seated here the sultan would exchange
congratulations on religious festivals with
hundreds of statesmen and other official guests.
On such traditional occasions foreign
ambassadors and guests would sit in one of the
upper galleries, another being reserved for the
palace orchestra.
The traditional Turkish palace was a complex of
buildings with diverse functions rather than a
single large building with an impressive facade.
In this respect Dolmabahce Palace is a departure
from traditional concepts in imitation of
western ideas. Inside, however, the Harem was as
strictly isolated from the rest of the palace as
in earlier centuries, despite being under the
same roof.
The self-contained Harem occupies two thirds of
the palace, corridors linking it to the Mabeyn
and the Ceremonial Hall. Access to the Harem was
by iron and wooden doors, through which only the
sultan could pass freely. Here are a series of
salons and galleries whose windows look out onto
the Bosphorus, and leading off them the suites
of rooms belonging to the sultan's wives, the
high ranking female officials of the Harem, and
the sons, brothers, daughters and sisters of the
sultan. Other principal sections are the suite
of the Valide Sultan (sultan’s mother), the so-called
Blue and Pink salons, the bedrooms of sultans
Abdulmecid, Abdulaziz and Mehmed V. Resad, the
section housing the lower ranking palace women
known as the Cariyeler Dairesi, the rooms of the
sultan’s wives (kadınefendi), and the study and
bedroom used by Ataturk. All the main rooms are
furnished with valuable carpets, ornaments,
paintings, chandeliers and calligraphic panels.
Restoration of Dolmabahce Palace has now been
completed and every section is open to the
public. Two galleries are devoted to an
exhibition of precious items of various kinds,
and fine examples of Yıldız porcelain from the
National Palaces collection are displayed at the
Ic Hazine (Privy Purse) building. Paintings
from the National Palaces collection can be seen
in the Art Gallery, where they are displayed in
rotation in the form of long-term exhibitions.
On the lower floor beneath this gallery is a
corridor containing a permanent exhibition of
photographs showing the bird designs which
feature in the palace’s architecture and its
furnishings and ornaments. Abdulmecid Efendi
Library in the Mabeyn is the other principal
exhibition area at Dolmabahce.
The Mefrusat Dairesi at the palace entrance now
houses the Cultural and Information Center,
which is responsible for research projects and
promotion activities carried out at all the
historic buildings attached to the Department of
National Palaces. The center contains a library,
mainly relating to the 19th century,
which is available for researchers.
There are cafes in the grounds near the Clock
Tower, the courtyard of the Mefrusat Dairesi,
the Aviary, and the Veliahd Dairesi. Items
available in the souvenir shops here include
books about the National Palaces, postcards, and
reproductions of selected paintings from the art
collection. The Ceremonial Hall and gardens are
available for private receptions. Special
exhibition areas have now been established, and
numerous cultural and art events are held in the
palace.
