Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul
Dolmabahce Palace is located in the European part of Istanbul on the banks of the Bosphorus. The name of the most luxurious Sultan's palace comes from the phrase of two Turkish words “dolma” and “bakhce”, which in translation sounds like a stuffed garden. The fact is that the garden near the palace was formed on the territory of the bay, where the fleet of the Ottoman Empire was based in the old days. Later, the bay was filled up and a garden was planted on this site. The name of the palace just reflects the transformations in the Bosphorus bay.
The Dolmabahce Palace owes its appearance to the 31st ruler of the Ottoman Empire, Sultan Abdulmecid I. This ruler, often visiting European countries, was known in his time as a reformer and tried to bring elements of the European way of life into the culture of his country. The embodiment of his progressive aspirations was the construction of a palace that combined oriental luxury and European wealth. Construction work, which was carried out under the guidance of the talented Armenian architect Balyan, began in 1842 and lasted for 11 years. Such slowness was explained by the fact that only the best building materials and interior decorations were selected for the construction of the palace. Tons of gold were used to make monograms and vignettes, which decorated the rooms of the majestic building under construction. For interior decoration, in addition to gold, more than 40 tons of silver were used. The best Italian and French masters worked on painting the walls and domed ceilings.
It is worth noting that the European rulers liked the idea of building a new palace, and each of them sought to take the slightest part in the construction of a pompous building, giving rich gifts to the Sultan to decorate the interior. Even the English Queen Victoria did not stand aside and sent a luxurious expensive chandelier made of Bohemian glass as a gift to the Sultan, which is still the main decoration of the dome of the Dolmabahce Throne Hall. The Russian tsar also presented the sultan with the skin of a huge polar bear, which became an original decoration of one of the halls of the palace. From all over the world, the rulers donated to the Sultan beautiful dishes, wonderful expensive vases, amazingly beautiful lamps and real masterpieces of painting.
Among the paintings of famous artists decorating the walls of the palace, it should be noted the paintings of the Russian artist I.K. Aivazovsky. In the 60s of the XIX century, Aivazovsky received an order from Sultan Abdul-Aziz to paint a series of paintings depicting the beauty of the Bosphorus. There is an opinion that the Sultan planned to select the best paintings, but could not resist the talented works of the artist and acquired everything, honoring Aivazovsky with the honorary Order of Osman, adorned with diamonds. According to one version, Aivazovsky threw the award into the sea, thus protesting against the Ottoman massacres of 1894-1896.
It is no coincidence that the palace complex was built on the banks of the Bosphorus. 150 years ago, ships from all over the world approached the convenient pier at the Romantic East Gate of the palace. Foreign guests landed here and went to meet with the ruler of the great Ottoman Empire. In addition to the named gates, there are 11 more richly decorated gates leading to a certain part of the palace.
The palace consists of 34 halls, 285 rooms, 6 Turkish baths and is divided into male and female halves. In the male half, the Sultan received important ambassadors and was engaged in state affairs. It is noteworthy that at one time the first president of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, lived in the palace, who died here in 1938. After his death, most of the palace halls with their rich decoration became available for public viewing, and the box on which the first president died became the main attraction of Dolmabahce. Since 2007, the palace has been the official residence of the prime minister of the republic. Important international events and high-level meetings are held in separate halls of the palace. But most of the building is open to tourists.
The female half of the palace is represented by a harem. In the harem are the chambers of the Sultan's mother, rooms for his wives, as well as the chambers of the Sultan himself. It is noteworthy that in the chambers of Sultan Abdulaziz there is a specially made bed that could withstand the 150-kg padishah. In the old days, more than 500 women lived in the harem, among whom were concubines, wives, sisters, daughters, nieces and many other representatives of the fair sex. Most of them kept the palace clean and tidy.
There is a beautifully landscaped park in front of the palace building. Bright flowers and lawns with numerous sculptures located on them give it a special charm. By order of the Sultan, a poultry yard was equipped in the park, in which rare specimens of birds brought here from all over the world walked, sang and flew. Over the past time, many of them have disappeared, but peacocks and pheasants still delight the public with their presence. The poultry yard is equipped with a fountain in which live fish splash.
In the summer months, the changing of the guard takes place at the main residence of the palace, and every Tuesday a live military band sounds at the Sultan's Gate.
Recommended for viewing Grand Bazaar in Istanbul.