Dolmabahçe Palace |
Dolmabahçe Palace is
palace coming to pass across Uskudar,
on left shore in entrance by seaway from Marmara Sea to Bogazici, in its chapter
surviving between Kabataş and Beşiktaş of the coastline, reaching out
from Karaköy to Sarıyer.Area where Dolmabahçe Palace is situated today was a big cove of Bogazici, on which Ottoman Kaptan Pasha would anchor ships. There
is public transportation from Old
City (Sultanahmet) that
from Sultanahment station to Kabatas.
(Last station of the tram). The Dolmabahce palace 200 meter
from Kabatas tram station. There is daily Istanbul sgitseeing tour which dolmabahce museum included from
08:00am till 17:00pm.
Dolmabahçe palace
still maintains its old beauty.The facade of the palace, built by Sultan Abdülmecid
I, extends for 600 metres
on the European shore of the Bosphorus. In a mixture of European architectural
styles, it was built between 1843 and 1855 to a design by Garabet Amira Balyan,
an Armenian, and his son Nigoğayos Balyan. The palace is composed of three
parts; the Mabeyn-i Hümâyûn (or Selamlik, the quarters reserved for the men),
Muayede Salonu (the ceremonial hall) and the Harem-i Hümâyûn (the Harem, the
residential apartments of the family of the Sultan). The palace has an area of 45,000 m2 (11.2 acres ), and
contains 285 rooms, 46 halls, 6 baths and 68 toilets. The famous Crystal
Staircase has the shape of a double horseshoe and is built of Baccarat crystal,
brass and mahogany. The palace includes a large number of Hereke palace carpets
made by the Hereke Imperial Factory. Also featured are 150-year-old bearskin
rugs originally presented to the Sultan as a gift by the Tsar of Russia. The
palace is managed by Directorate of National Palaces responsible to the Grand
National Assembly of Turkey. Dolmabahce Palace Museum is open to
public on weekdays from 9:00 to 15:00, except Mondays and Thursdays.