Dolmabahçe Palace is one of the largest and most talked-about buildings on the Bosphorus shore. Yet knowing the story of its name and its site before you step inside makes the rooms far more meaningful. This article takes you first through the old shoreline, then through the plan of the building and its best-known halls, and finally to practical visiting tips. If you have already walked through Topkapı Palace court by court, you will feel the difference the moment you pass Dolmabahçe's gate.

From Bay to Garden, Where the Name Dolmabahçe Comes From

The name Dolmabahçe tells you that the site was once under the sea. According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the National Palaces administration, in the Ottoman period this shore was a bay resembling a natural harbor, where admirals moored the fleet and traditional naval ceremonies were held. The same sources state that from the 17th century onward the bay was filled in, in stages, and became one of the sultans' private gardens along the Bosphorus. The TDV Encyclopedia of Islam shows that accounts differ on when the filling took place. One account based on Evliya Çelebi ties it to the reign of Osman II, another points to the reign of Ahmed I. The author of the entry thinks the main filling was most likely done in the first half of the 17th century. For that reason, saying the 17th century is safer than naming a single year. The reclaimed land came to be called 'dolma bahçe', meaning the filled garden, and the name stuck. Various sultans built pavilions and small palaces in the garden. According to TDV, part of these buildings burned in a fire in 1775, and the wooden structures also suffered from the dampness of the shore. By the 19th century, the group of wooden pavilions in the garden was known as the Beşiktaş Coastal Palace. When you walk in front of the palace today, imagining that the ground under your feet once belonged to a bay is the easiest way to understand why the building stands so close to the water.

The Wooden Coastal Palace Goes, the Stone Palace Arrives

The present palace was built in place of the wooden Beşiktaş Coastal Palace. According to the National Palaces administration, during the reign of Sultan Abdülmecid (1839-1861) the old building had become impractical and was demolished, and Dolmabahçe Palace was built in its place. The TDV entry explains this decision within the growth of the city and the trend toward Westernization. Dolmabahçe and Beşiktaş were by then inside the city, and the new palace was conceived with a plan completely different from Topkapı Palace and with an approach modeled on European palaces. The sources differ slightly on the dates of construction. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism says demolition began in 1843, TDV mentions construction starting in 1842, and Kültür Portalı says building continued until 1853. TDV states that the palace opened on 7 June 1856. The most accurate wording is therefore that the foundations were laid between 1842 and 1843 and that construction continued until the middle of the 1850s. The architectural work was undertaken by the father and son Karabet and Nikoğos Balyan. The National Palaces administration adds the names of Ohannes Serveryan and James William Smith to the list. According to TDV, the interior decoration was done by Séchan, known as the decorator of the Paris Opera building. The result was a palace that combined Baroque, Rococo and Neoclassical forms with the interpretation of Ottoman craftsmen. According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the outer walls are of stone, the inner walls of brick and the floors of wood. From outside you see a European-style facade, while inside you find the Ottoman arrangement of halls.

A Three-Part Plan, the Selamlık, the Ceremonial Hall and the Harem

The main building is three stories high including the basement and is divided into three sections by function. The Mabeyn-i Hümayun, or Selamlık, is where affairs of state were conducted. The Harem was reserved for the private life of the sultan and his family. Between them lies the Muayede Salonu, planned as the ceremonial hall. According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, in the relationship of its rooms and halls the building applies the traditional Turkish house plan on a very large scale. The National Palaces administration says the same: the palace stayed loyal to the features of the Turkish house with a central hall and corner rooms, and added Western-derived forms on top of this. There is one important difference from Topkapı. There the Harem was a separate group of buildings, while here it was set up as a private living unit under the same roof. The Ministry says the Harem makes up roughly two thirds of the palace. You reach this section from the Selamlık through corridors interrupted by iron and wooden doors that stress the traditional separation. Besides the main building there were other units, from stables to mills, from a pharmacy to kitchens and a bird house. The Clock Tower and the Movement Pavilions in the rear garden of the Heir Apparent's Apartment were added in the reign of Abdülhamid II. The figures vary by source. The National Palaces administration counts 285 rooms, 44 halls, 6 baths and 68 toilets, and describes the main building as a monoblock of 14,595 square meters. According to the National Palaces administration, it is the largest palace in Turkey. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism gives the number of halls as 46 and writes that the palace grounds exceed 110,000 square meters. It is therefore more accurate to say that, according to the sources, there are between 44 and 46 halls.

The Crystal Staircase, the Ambassadors' Hall and the Ceremonial Hall

In a room-by-room visit, the first stop is the Selamlık. The Medhal Salon greets you at the entrance, and the Crystal Staircase leads up to the next floor. Its balustrades are decorated with crystal, and it is one of the most photographed corners of the palace. Right beside it are the Süfera Salonu, where ambassadors were received, and the Red Room, where statesmen were admitted. Upstairs, the Zülvecheyn Salonu forms a passage to the sultan's private apartment. In this apartment there is a bath built with marble brought from Egypt, together with work rooms. The most striking moment of the tour is stepping into the Muayede Salonu. According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, with an area exceeding two thousand square meters, 56 columns and a dome reaching 36 meters, it is the tallest and most magnificent part of the palace. The chandelier hanging from the dome is of English make, and sources put its weight at between four and four and a half tons. Kültür Portalı mentions about four tons and seven hundred and fifty bulbs. The heating system of the hall is also interesting. Hot air produced in the basement installations was fed in at the column bases. In this way ceremonies held in cold seasons could take place in a warmed hall. On ceremony days the golden throne from Topkapı Palace was brought here. The galleries were reserved for embassy staff, the palace orchestra and guests. The carpets laid on the floors were woven first in the palace's own weaving house and later at Hereke. The Ministry gives the total carpet area as 4,454 square meters. The National Palaces administration lists Hereke carpets, Baccarat crystal, Sèvres and Yıldız porcelain, gifts and paintings by Western artists among the wall decoration and furnishings.

Rooms Facing the Bosphorus and the Exhibition Units

The Harem section stretches along halls and sofas lit by reflections of the Bosphorus. Among the spaces listed by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism are the Apartment of the Valide Sultan, the Blue and Pink Salons, the rooms of sultans and princes, the Concubines' Section and the rooms of the Kadınefendis. Atatürk's study and bedroom, a museum room in the Harem, are also on the visiting route. The palace is not only rooms. It also hosts several exhibition units. The Ministry lists two Valuable Objects Exhibition Halls, the Imperial Treasury Exhibition Building with Yıldız porcelain, and the Art Gallery where the painting collection is shown. In the historical corridor on the lower floor of the gallery there is a permanent exhibition of photographs of bird motifs. The Abdülmecid Efendi Library in the Mabeyn is also one of the exhibition units. Behind the palace are the Aviary, the Bird Pavilion, the Bird Hospital and the Glass Pavilion from the time of Sultan Mehmed Reşad. According to TDV, these buildings have been restored, and the Glass Pavilion and the corridor connecting it have become an art center where permanent exhibitions are held. Kültür Portalı also mentions a small pavilion built for the sultan's birds. The Movement Pavilions in the rear garden of the Heir Apparent's Apartment are used as exhibition spaces as well. A short break at a window facing the Bosphorus feels good after the dense decoration of the halls.

From Electricity to Museum, How the Palace Changed

The palace did not remain closed to the technology of its age. According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, an electricity and central heating system was added to the building in 1910-12. According to TDV, of the sixty-eight years from its construction to 1924, the palace was used in thirty-five. Six sultans and the last caliph lived here. Because of long periods without maintenance, fires and urban planning practices, some side buildings disappeared. The theater, the boathouse and the commander's apartments vanished completely, while the stables and kitchens were partly lost. After the Republic, the palace was included among the national palaces. According to the National Palaces administration, in 1984 it was opened to visitors as a museum-palace with its original furnishings, as in Ottoman times. TDV writes that, after the National Palaces Symposium held that year and the work that followed, the palace became an example of a 'museum within a museum'. According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Ceremonial Hall and the gardens are today reserved for national and international receptions. This makes the palace a living cultural venue. Thanks to the exhibitions showing the place of objects in daily life, you can look not only at the architecture but also at the details of palace life.

Visit Plan and Surroundings

The palace stands in Beşiktaş, on Dolmabahçe Street. According to Kültür Portalı, you can reach it by the Bağcılar-Kabataş tram line. Visitors from the Anatolian side can use the Üsküdar-Kabataş and Kadıköy-Kabataş sea routes. From the Beşiktaş side, İETT buses and minibuses are also options. Opening hours, ticket prices, the weekly closing day and holiday closures can change over time. Combined ticket options for sections such as the Selamlık and the Harem, and the rules on photography, are also given on the official site. For this reason, check the official site of the National Palaces and the muze.gov.tr pages before you go. At the entrance you will see the Clock Tower, which Kültür Portalı says was completed in 1895. Set aside a few hours for the room-by-room tour, then finish the day with a short walk along the Bosphorus shore. In the gardens and side units there are sections that provide cafeteria service. Going early in the morning reduces the crowds, and you catch the light more softly at the windows facing the Bosphorus.

Sources

Milli Saraylar, Dolmabahçe Sarayı, https://www.millisaraylar.gov.tr/Lokasyon/3/Dolmabahce-Sarayi
Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı, İstanbul - Dolmabahçe Sarayı, https://www.ktb.gov.tr/TR-96371/istanbul---dolmabahce-sarayi.html
Kültür Portalı, Dolmabahçe Sarayı, https://www.kulturportali.gov.tr/turkiye/istanbul/gezilecekyer/dolmabahce-sarayi
TDV İslam Ansiklopedisi, Dolmabahçe Sarayı, https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/dolmabahce-sarayi

A Palace on the Bosphorus, Walking Through Dolmabahçe Room by Room