The Majestic Dolmabahçe Palace

Dolmabahçe is this Ottoman-era palace right down the street from where we live, but it took us about a month before we were finally able to visit. The weather was changing then and with it brought flu season, so my family took turns being sick. But as I always say, arrozcaldo to the rescue! We went during the warmer days of Autumn, and boy was it beautiful.I am just so amazed with the culture and the rich architecture in this city.

Where is it and How To Get There

 Okay, so Dolmabahçe (the ç is pronounced "ch", so it's DOLMA-BAH-CHE) is right down the street from us. I say that because our street, Muallim Naci Çaddesi (that means street), turns into Çirağan Çaddesi (the ğ is silent, so this is pronounced CHI-RAN) and that turns into Dolmabahçe Çaddesi, but it's all one long street.If you get confused because there are a lot of palaces on the street, just look for the Beşiktaş Vodafone Park, and the palace entrance is right in front of it.There will be a security queue, but that's the least of your worries. Even though we'd been planning it for a while, we didn't think to reserve tickets, so we had to wait in ANOTHER queue. Oh well. You can reserve tickets online here.If you're coming from Karaköy or the Old City, you can take the tram until the Kabatas station and walk a little ways to the palace entrance. There are no bus stops, however. But if you want to save your strength for exploring the palace grounds, you can always just take a cab. We rode a cab because we were coming from Ortaköy and we had a very impatient toddler with us. We can walk there, of course, but WHY.

Who Built Dolmabahçe Palace

Actually, this wasn't always a palace. It used to be a bay that was filled and made into an imperial garden. Hence the name, Dolmabahçe. Dolma means "filled" and bahçe means "garden".  But it's got a very rich history even from before it was a garden.The Ottoman Empire's navy anchored their fleet in the bay and also held traditional navy ceremonies here. But I suppose after the deaths of Admiral Barbarossa and Sultan Suleiman I in the 16th century, the empire had to reposition itself and no longer saw the need for a fleet in the area. The complex was known as the Beşiktaş Coastal Palace, and was demolished in the 19th century and replaced with Dolmabahçe. Karabet Balyan (Armenian), Ohannes Serveryan (Armenian), Nikoğos Balyan (Armenian) and William James Smith (English) were the architects.The Balyans were a family of prominent architects in the Ottoman era who were responsible for  the design and construction of many historical Istanbul structures, many of which are in or near our neighborhood. Five generations of this family built palaces, mosques, churches, and other public buildings. Topkapi Palace, Ortaköy Mosque, Yildiz Palace, Malta Kösk---these are all in the Balyan's portfolio. European influences of baroque, rococo and neo-classicism are seen in all of these structures.

What is the Big Deal

The big deal is that the grounds are MASSIVE. When you enter the palace after security, there's this imposing GATE that could very well be a fortress. You pass through it and it reveals a garden, with the Bosphorus on the right and a tall gate to the left.The main structure has two regular floors but is divided into three functional places; The Administrative Part, where the country's affairs were discussed, the Privy Chambers, where the Sultan and his family lived, and the Grand Ceremonial Hall, where the Sultan received guests during religious days and state ceremonies.  The palace has 285 rooms, 44 halls, 68 toilets, and 6 Turkish baths. It's the single biggest mono bloc building in Turkey based on an area of 14,595 sq. meters.The majesty is astounding. I mean, look. And these are just gates.The construction cost five million Ottoman mecidiye gold coins (USD 1.5 billion in 2013 values), which put a considerable amount of strain on the waning Empire's Treasury.Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Turkish Republic, also lived and died here. The room where he passed away was decorated modestly compared to the rest of the palace. On the wall hung a painting of trees depicting their state during each of the four seasons. It's said that on his deathbed he would look at the painting and wish to "go to Salonica".

Why I Don't Have A Lot of Photos

Take all the photos you want while you're in the garden, but the interiors of the building are off-limits to cameras. While we were there some of the guards caught someone taking pictures, and it was pretty embarrassing. Offenders didn't get off with just a disapproving stare. They actually go up to you angrily and ask you to delete the photo. Rules are rules.So all I have are photos of the aviary and the facade of the main building, called the selamlik.I wish I did though, I wish I could show you how opulent it was inside. The devotion to symmetry is amazing, at times too much. There was a room I walked into that had a bear rug. A BEAR. Like a bear that was killed and turned into a rug. And I looked at the opposite side and there was another one. SCARY PREDATOR. AS A RUG. STILL HAD ITS FACE. TWO OF THEM. IN ONE ROOM.According to Istanbul Hills, the palace was such an expensive project that it brought the Empire to bankruptcy. The gold decorations for the ceiling alone was 14 tons of gold.Our favorite one was the crystal staircase, it was gilded in gold and had this massive chandelier up top on a translucent, domed ceiling. The 4.5 ton chandelier has 750 lamps. You had to be there.

Helpful tips:

• Spring for the audioguide! It's free, helpful, and will give you a better understanding of what went on in the Palace. To get it, you'll have to deposit either your passport or $100, but they return it at the end, just don't lose the stub! The audioguides have these little sensors and you can tap each sign in the Palace, and it'll give you information on the design, history, and usage of each room. Happy history nerd here! 
• Go after lunch, around 1:30PM. By the time you're done with the tour the light will be lovely, perfect for taking pictures!
• The tickets for the Administrative Part costs 60 TL, and tickets for the Harem costs 40 TL. We saw both, but if you're in a rush, the Administrative Part is enough to visit.