Dolmabahce palace in Istanbul
Incredibly beautiful, impressive and luscious is the Dolmabahce Palace in the Turkish capital, Istanbul. It is one of the most impressive sights of the city. Dolmabahce will forever remain in history as the castle of the last sultan of the Ottoman Empire and the first president of Turkey. The palace rises in the European part of Istanbul, the starting point of the European shore of the Bosphorus.
Originally the location of which is built Dolmabahce Palace was the Gulf of Bosporus.
The most beautiful palace in Istanbul was built between 1843 and 1856 and has an incredible combination of different artistic styles. Dolmabahce Palace was built on three levels of which are home to 285 rooms and 43 halls. It requires the Islamic culture having that Dolmabahce was divided into three divisions - men, called selamluk, female - harem and then of course the official ceremonial part.
From 1858 to 1924 Dolmabahce was the official residence of six sultans. On March 3rd, 1924 the Palace ceased to function and the castle became state property. The last Sultan, who lived in Dolmabahce was, Caliph Abdulmedzhid Effendi. The head of the new Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, also used the palace as residence until he reached the end of his days there in 1938.
Dolmabahce Palace was built in the spirit of European architectural tradition after the Palace ceased to be functional. The new residence was being built from 1843 to 1856 on behalf of Sultan Abdulmechid I and its designers and contractors were Armenian architects, Nikogosh Karabey and Bali.
The cost of the brilliant palace was around five million pounds sterling, which corresponds to approximately one quarter of annual revenues from taxes. It is alleged that the construction of Dolmabahce was loaded with so much Treasury that Turkey was on the verge of bankruptcy in the late 19th century.
The length of Dolmabahce amounted to 600 meters and covers an area of 45, 000 square meters, homing 285 rooms and 68 bathrooms. The facade of the castle Dolmabahce is a classic European style, having two wings. Unlike the exterior, the interior of the castle is fully resolved in the spirit of the Ottoman style.
The representative areas are concentrated in the southern wing and the northern - accommodation. The grand reception hall will be spread between two main compartments of Dolmabahce Palace, which ends with a dome 36 meters in height. The reception hall has a beautiful green area extending 2, 000 square meters.
Inside you can see beautiful parts of furniture, including carpets and silk curtains and precious objects. Dolmabahce has the largest collection in the world of crystal candlesticks from Bohemia and Baccarat and one of the stairs is also crystal.
The authenticity of the interior is nearly 100% intact. All Dolmabahce Palace stands out for its magnificence and luxury. On the walls you can see paintings of some of the world's biggest artists, and the ceilings are decorated with gold ornaments.
