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The Dolmabahce Palace

It was named as “dolmabagce” because the coastal area was filled in the 17th century. Although the official residence was the Topkapi Palace, the “dolmabagce” area had also become one of the preferred places to visit, and it had been converted into a “private garden” used for the relaxation and entertainment of the sultans. The group of mansions and pavilions built on this unique garden until the 19th century was named “Besiktas Coastal Palace.

The first sultan, who started to use this structure continuously, was Mahmud II. When Sultan Abdulmejid I, who was brought up with Western education, came to the throne, he demolished the wooden palace here and built a modern European style masonry palace. The Dolmabahce Palace, whose construction started in 1842, was opened for use in 1856. In the records of the Dolmabahce Palace, Abdulhalim Bey is mentioned as the chief architect, and Ismail Zuhtu Pasha as the architect’s agha. Garabet Amira Balyan, from the Balyan family of Armenian origin, and his son Nigogos Balyan undertook the architectural work for the project and construction of the palace. There are 285 rooms, 43 halls and six Turkish baths in the structure, which is built parallel to the sea on an area of ten thousand square meters.

After the proclamation of the Republic, it was used by Ataturk as a summer working place and a place to welcome foreign statesmen. In addition, due to the death of Ataturk on November 10, 1938, here, a special importance is attributed by the people every year.