Destinations
The Picturesque NeoClassical
The Dolmabahçe Palace, with hundreds of opulent rooms, lavish Turkish baths, and entrances that look like the gates of heaven, is a magnificent sight. Situated on the picturesque shores of the Bosphorus, this elegant palace was built in the mid-18th century on the orders of the then Abdülmecid I. Wearing a stately neoclassical face adorned with ornamentation and surrounded by ornamental gardens and jubilant fountains, the palace offers an interior that is another world unto itself.
The palace’s sumptuous and luxurious interior is a heavenly mosaic of gilded ceilings, effervescent chandeliers, crystal staircases, and genuine bearskins. Particularly worth seeing are the Pink Hall, the Medhal Hall, the Blue Hall, and Kemal Atatürk’s room, where the revered founder of the Republic sadly breathed his last. Interestingly, all the clocks in the palace were stopped and set to 9:05 after his death. The magnificent neo-baroque style Dolmabahçe Clock Tower and the magnificent Dolmabahçe Mosque, are both reminders of the palace’s past but everlasting splendour, situated on the palace grounds. Aligned beautifully on the waterfront, the Dolmabahçe Palace is a symbol of unbridled opulence and holds a special place in the hearts of the Turkish people.
