| Towards the end of the Ottoman
Empire, in the 19C, the Westernization movement
was dominant. For the Ottomans who lived in
Istanbul, "West" was in the
"north" beyond the Golden Horn. In
mid-nineteenth century they moved a few
kilometers to the north for (Dolmabahce Palace)
and this change took the Empire to an entirely
different dimension. "Dolma" is filled or
stuffed and "bahce" is garden in
Turkish. The site of the Dolmabahce Palace was
obtained by filling the small bay on the
Bosphorus giving the palace its name.
The architect
Garabet Balyan managed to combine the Oriental
and Western styles. The lifestyle and needs were
Oriental but the plan was taken from European
palaces. He also combined various architectural
styles forming the eclectic style.
It covers an area
of 25 hectares / 62 acres. The palace was built
by Sultan Abdulmecit as the outcome of his
Westernization influences between the years 1844
and 1853. The official opening of the palace was
after the Crimean War, 1856. Abdulmecit lived in
his new palace for only 15 years. The palace was
used by different sultans until the republic.
During the republic the palace was used for
foreign statesmen and democratic cultural
activities. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk occupied a room
at the palace on his visits to Istanbul and died
there in 1938.
The construction
of the palace was at a time when the economy of
the Ottoman Empire was not at all good. This
difficult situation was not taken into
consideration and all the materials used at the
palace were very expensive, of top quality and
brought from different countries. Among the
valuable items were vases from Sévres, Lyon
silk, Baccarat crystals, English candelabra,
Venetian glasses, German and Czech Bohemian
chandeliers and furniture in the rococo style.
The palace
consists of 285 rooms and 46 halls. There are
approximately 600 paintings and very beautiful
huge Hereke carpets specially woven for
Dolmabahce.
The Dolmabahce
Palace is an impressive building facing the sea
with very high walls on the side facing inland.
The main building is surrounded by magnificent
palace gardens. There are nine gates on the
inland side, two of which are monumental. On the
front facing the sea there are five gates.
The palace was
intended to be symmetrical in plan and decoration
which was not something new. However with this
palace the focal point is the sea. The building
was constructed to be seen from the sea and it is
this feature which is new and unique in Ottoman
architecture.
The reception
hall with its five and a half-ton English
chandelier, the hamam and the crystal
banisters are of outstanding importance in
the palace.
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