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ALL TURKEY TOURS |
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INFORMATION |
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DOLMABAHCE PALACE;
The site of the present-day palace was, at the
beginning of the 17th century, a busy bay in which the
Admiralty maintained ships of war, and organized festivities
to mark the departure of
war expeditions. Under the sultanate of Ahmet the First, the
area was filled with earth from a nearby hill to become a
picnic ground reserved for the sultans. The name
Dolmabahçe stems from this land fill. Dolma means
filled in Turkish, and bahçe , garden, therefore
Filled Garden palace. During, this period the shore area
was decorated with summer palaces, mansions, and villas.
The largest of these, the Eski (old) Palace included a
wide range of rooms, functional as well as elaborately
decorative, for the full court of the Sultan. Sultan Mahmut
II., after a period of non-use, repaired the Old Palace as a
residence, finding the Topkapi Palace confining. In 1843,
the Sultan Abdülmecid I ordered the razing of the Old
Palace, and in its place, the construction of the present
palace began under the direction of his architect Karabet
Balyan.
In 1856, the Sultan took up residence in this lavishly
decorated palace. The exterior appearance of the palace is
dominated by its high central Reception Room, and wings,
left and right containing the public and private (harem)
rooms, respectively. Its length parades 284 meters (925
feet) down the shores of the Bosphorus on top of a 600
meter, heavily decorated quay. The apartments of the Queen
Mother project 95 meters off the harem section at right
angles, attached to the harem by the apartments of the Crown
Prince. The interior layout of the palace is very simple and
regular, consisting of groups of rooms on a straight line,
opening to a larger chamber, an forming a cohesive unit. For
example, each private bedroom of the harem opens into a
central living chamber.
The outer grounds of the palace were completed by the
additions of, first, the Mosque of the Queen Mother (of
Abdülmecit) and second, the Clock Tower, built by Sultan
Abdülhamit II. Additional sections and buildings were added
to the complex, such as the Treasury, the Chamber of the
Chief Eunuch, Glass Villa, and opposite todays shore road,
the pharmacy and the Pastry Kitchens of the palace. In
addition to these, along the shore on either side of the
main palace complex, supporting units of the sultans
household stretched for almost another kilometer, such as
Carriage Houses, Stables, and a special Harem for the
Princes.
The Gates
The palace features two highly elaborate gateways, symbolic
of the empires magnificence. The Treasury Gate faces the
Clock Tower, and the Regal Gate, the main roadway. Each
columned gate focuses upon a central arch, framed by smaller
side arches, within a graceful oval indentation of the
palace walls themselves. Towers accentuate these ovals.
Heavy ornamentation is dominated by columns, rosettes,
oyster shells, leaves and branches, and strung pearls.
The settes, oyster shells, leaves and branches, and strung pearls.
The pediment is decorated with roses, wreaths and vases.
Above the Treasury Gate, in green and gold, is the monogram
of Sultan Abdülmecit dated 1853, below which is an
inscription by the poet Ziyver dated 1857. The regal Gate
carries the same monogram, dated 1854. The grounds of the
palace, in accordance with Islamic social customs in the
Ottoman period are framed by high walls. In a break with
tradition , the gardens are on a flat plane, unlike the
traditional Turkish terraced gardens. The break is logical
as the Chief Gardener and his aids during the period were
Germans.
The palace was built of marble from the islands of the
Marmara Sea and prophyry from Bergama, on the Aegean Sea
coast. The ornate and heavy 19th century decor none-the-less
carries a flavor of traditional Turkish design. The
structure of Turkish home life was the focus of the interior
layout. Each section of the palace is like a separate
Turkish home: a central gathering place, surrounded by
smaller, and more private rooms. The exterior look of the
palace is dominated by the Baroque and Eclectic style of the
Renaissance period. Floor levels are clearly separated, with
different styles of column capitals.
Triangular pediments and marble parapets blend with a wide
range of architectural motifs drawn from western design in
symmetrical harmony. Interior materials are dominated by
alabaster, marble, and porphyry, the work of Italian and
French artists. Furnishings and interior decorate the work
of the famed French designer Sechan, creator of the Paris
Opera.
The balsam and mahogany doors and window frames, ornamented
in richly carved and gold-leafed-relief, in combination with
the frescoed ceilings remind one of the interiors of French
palaces. In the interior decor, ceilings are emphasized.
They are sectioned, and generally frescoed. In addition
scenes of nature, and figurative compositions have been
painted on canvas and stretched on the ceiling surfaces. The
Queen Mothers Bedroom ceiling is an excellent example of
this treatment. Exceptions are found in the ceiling of the
Holiday Reception Hall where the ceiling is of sheet Lead,
the Selamlik (male quarters) Dining Room (painted wood), and
the baths which have ceilings decorated in stone.The three
story palace has 285 rooms, 43 salons, 6 balconies, and six
Turkish baths.
Another dominant feature of the interior is the crystal. Bohemian and
Baccarat chandeliers and fireplaces sparkle and tinkle,
adding warmth and character to the other wise vast spaces on
the palace. 36 major chandeliers, however, pale in
significance alongside the grandest of them all, the 4 and a
half ton chandelier in the Holiday Reception Hall, a gift of
Queen Victoria, and the largest in the world.
The palace includes an Art Gallery with noted works of
Zonaro, Fromentin, and Aivazowski, 280 Chinese, Japanese,
Yildiz (Turkish) and European vases, 156 historic and
elegant clocks, 581 silver, crystal, and other candelabras,
11 silver braziers, crystal and silver stem and flatware,
and room decorations. Of particular note are the crystal
balustrades in the Crystal Staircase room. In addition,
there are five major staircases, 7 service staircases, and
one elevator, added during the Republic Period, during the
illness of Turkish President Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder
of the Republic.
The building was originally heated with braziers and
fireplaces. After Sultan Abdülhamid, it was heated with tile
stoves. Finally, during the Sultanate of Mehmet Reshat V
central heating and electricity were installed. Even these
20th century functional services were made princely, by the
addition of gold leaf to the radiators. The inlaid parquet
floors, particularly in the rooms and salons of the Sultans
private apartments are an additional elegant feature, and
unique such that they might be the subject of separate
research themselves. From 1877 to 1909, Sultan Abdülhamit
II., chose to live in the Yildiz Palace, leaving Dolmabahçe
empty and decaying. After 32 years, on ascending to the
sultanate, Mehmet Reshad V., ordered the architect Vetad to
repair and refurnish the palace as his residence.The palace
saw very active days during the reign of Mehmet Reshat V.,
from 1909-1918. His successor, Vahdeddin, moved to the
Yildiz Palace after only a short residence in Dolmabahçe.
His successor, in turn, Abdülmecid, chose again to reside in
Dolmabahçe, remaining here until March 3, l924 , when the
palace was declared public property with the fall of the
Ottoman Empire. This was not in fact a departure from
tradition under the sultans, as by tradition, the sultan
himself, as well as all his possessions and palaces were
considered public property.
Entrance Hall
The palace is entered passing from the dominant green and
white of the gardens, up gray marble staircases through a
columned pediment, in all, a very grand entrance. The Foyer
is decorated with matching four-meter tall mirrors on either
side, and French flower vases, a gift of the French to
Abdülhamit.
The main parquet-floored hall is supported by four columns,
with columned separations creating smaller lounges on left
and right. The capitals and vertical lines of the columns
are gold-plated. Ceiling spans are separated with ribs, and
treated in colored engravings. Off of each of the four
corners are small rooms, behind the fireplaces, used on
occasion as waiting areas fireplaces bases are ceramic tile,
and the upper portion cut crystal. On the mantle of each is
a porcelain Sevre vase bearing the monogram of Abdülmecit.
The central table is of balsam wood,also bearing the
monogram of the Sultan. In the left and right lounges are
tables of Italian style stone. The large vases in front of
each lounge are of Yildiz manufacture, each in four parts,
with illustrations done bay Turkish and French artists.
Carpets and upholsters in the hall are of Turkish Hereke
manufacture. The crystal candelabra an each of the footed
tables of the lounges bring the crystal effect in to all
corners of the Entrance Hall.
Salon of the Circular Crystal Stairs
Departing the Entrance Hall, the visitor begins to
ascend a staircase into an atmosphere quite unlike that of
any set of functional stairs. Although the staircases in the
salon do of course serve a function, it seems incidental, as
the swirl of stairs, crystal and inlaid floors, to the vast
vaulted glass dome over-head gives a self-contained unity to
the salon. All of the entry and exit doors from this grand
stair well are of mahogany, highlighted with gold-leaf.
On the left balcony of the salon, blue-based Sevre vases,
and covered Japanese vases dominate. In the four corners of
the salon are floor standing crystal candelabra. Silver
based candelabra are placed in the open spaces above the
curve of the stairs. On the land side lounge of the salon
are located two flower vases of Indian origin, the bases of
which are decorated with a lion and horse, and deer
relieves, respectively. The upper portions are decorated
with colorful raised stones. On the central table is a
musical clock made by artisans in the Shipyard of the Golden
Horn, bearing the monogram of Sultan Mahmud II., and
decorated in gold, diamonds, and emeralds. At the side of
each of the doors leading to the Diplomatic Audience Suite
are extravagant candelabras of solid silver and ivory, a
gift of the Governor of Arabia to Abdühamit II. They serve
as a frame for the Chinese porcelain vases between them.
Salon of the Diplomatic Corps
The four corners of this grand salon sparkle with
fireplaces of, again, cut crystal, tiles, and gold-leaf.
Their mantles hold Chinese porcelain vases and Sevre
candelabras. The ceiling is ribbed and sectioned, decorated
in raised gold-leafed roses. Three side lounges, separated
from the main salon by twin columns, are located on the sea,
garden, and land side of the room. A Baccarat crystal
chandelier in the center of the room hangs as a witness to
many great momentous decision to Westernize Turkish by
abolishing the Arabic alphabet, and introducing the Latin.
In addition to the Hereke-covered furnishings, crystal and
silver candelabras complete the rooms decoration. The piano
on the land side of the room is French, an inlay of fine
metals and wood. Salon in this room there were put. In the
center of the room is a Sevre vase upon a marble table atop
a Persian Tabriz carpet. The twin-faced clock at the
entrance from the Crystal Stairs is of solid Sterling
silver, depicting tropical scenes of nature, and deer. The
clock on the opposite side of the salon is four faced, of
Arabesque style, and also solid Sterling silver. It is en
graved with a poem to the glory of Sultan Abdülhamit II.
Waiting Room of Dignitaries
The small room passed through in arriving at the waiting
room was reserved for translators. Two vases of gold-leaf,
and deep blue enamel of Berlin origin grace the corners of
the room. The central table carries Baroque-style silver
candelabras. A gold-leafed raised crystal mirror is located
at the right of the entrance. A pair of gold-leafed bronze
clocks and candelabras on the buffet are among the other
elegant furnishings of the room. The ceiling is in Gothic
style, whose designs are intended to give the illusion of
infinity. The basic decor of the main waiting room carries
many of the rich features common to most rooms of the
palace, gold-leaf, mahogany, crystal, etc. Of particular
note here, however, is the effect of unity created by the
careful blending of ceiling to walls to windows by
introduction of a lacy curtain-like treatment to all of
these elements. The total effect, although extremely rich,
is none-the-less very satisfying. In this atmosphere, the
foreign dignitary would wait for his opportunity to enter
the next room and have his private audience with the Sultan.
Private Audience Chamber of the Sultan
The foreign ambassador would leave his accompanying
delegation in the small room entered enroute to the Audience
Chamber, decorated in crimson, and filled with victorious
battle scenes. The mood of the Audience Chamber is rich
crimson and gold, the Sultans couch framed as it were by a
solid cornice overhead, heavily embossed with gold-leaf. Two
Russian St. Petersburg vases stand in the far corners, with
a Louis XV clock opposite them. The marble table in the
rooms center is topped by a set of candelabras and vase in
Sterling silver. The room is completed by two red crystal
fire places at either side of the entrance. In front of each
fireplace is a small table, each gifts of Napoleon,
depicting Napoleon with the women in his life on one, and
angels on the other. The lower panels of the walls are solid
mahogany with the upper panels engraved and gold-leafed.
Exiting from the Private Audience Chamber, on return to the
main salon we see, in the sea-side lounge; a Japanese
dragon-based vases.
Zulvecheyn Salon
Translated to English this is the Two - sided salon,
due to its overlooking both sea and garden sides of the
palace. The ceiling, in three sections, uses artificial
columns in gold-leaf to support its center. The whole of the
ceiling itself is as well treated in gold-leaf. The parquet
flooring is in an interlocking star shaped pattern. On the
sea side of the salon are found mirrors and consoles inlaid
with precious metals, highlighted with embossed gold-leaf.
The matching furniture and drapery fabrics are of Turkish
Hereke manufacture. On the far side of the room is a
mirror-topped Bohemian crystal red fireplace. Mirrored
consoles frame the fireplace, topped by gold-leafed crystal
candelabras. In the center of the central section is a large
Sevre vase atop a marble and gold-leafed table, all beneath
a massive chandelier. Furnishings on the land side are the
same as the sea side, with the addition of a piano. As well,
two Syrian mother-of-pearl inlaid buffets are featured in
the stair entrance. This room originally had a very
religious function for the palace as the sight of prayers at
religious holidays, for the dead, and wedding ceremonies.
When the Sultan received Tranquility lessons here, he sat
on the sea side atop a cushioned sofa surrounded by his
attendants. During the Ramazan time each year, this room was
filled with prayer rugs, with a special section screened off
for the women of the harem. In addition to these religious
functions, the Zülvecheyn Salon was one of the best - suited
large rooms in the palace for large dinner receptions.
Shortly after the ascension to the throne, two major
receptions took place here, one for the Vice-roy (governor)
of Egypt, and one for the King and Queen of Bulgaria. During
the time of the last Calif (Abdülmecid) two dinners occurred
here, one for the royalty and one for the Princes of the
household. Under the Presidency of Atatürk, this room served
as the Presidential Dining Room. During these times a
Turkish musical group would entertain on the sea side end,
with a western orchestra at the side of the room near the
stair entrances.
Queen Mothers Reception Room
Also called the Red Room for its dominant color, this room
is reached though a second iron gate at the end of the
corridor leading to the harem section. On the left at the
entrance is a high reliefed gold-leafed marble fireplace,
whose framed oval mirror stretches to the ceiling. The
heavily decorated twin entry doors frame the fireplace. An
unusual French Abusson carpet covers the floor of the entire
room. Ceiling decorations are quiet unique.
Within the domed or vaulted central section of the ceiling a
balconied effect is created. The four corners carry
representations of ship bows, and weapons among garlands, a
motif that carries in to the bland of gold-leaf relief that
joins the ceiling to the walls. At the window side are vases
on consoles. A massive red and white crystal chandelier
completes this very rich room.
Bedroom of the Queen Mother
The Queen Mothers bed stands on the right of the room,
gold-leafed reliefed, and elegantly canopied. Near by is a
bronze, mother-of -pearl inlaid jewelry box, made by the
shops of the Yildiz Palace 1902 . Its design is in harmony
with the dominant gold in he rest of the furnishing of the
room. The ceiling is of hand engraved cloth.
The Blue Salon
The dominant blue color of the curtains, ceiling and walls
of his salon give it is name. The extensions at either end
are brightened with three windows across the sea land side.
Each section of the ceiling is framed by heavily decorated,
gold-leaf massive frames. The panels of the ceiling were
mounted after being carved. Scenes of nature and flower
arrangements are featured. A red and white crystal
chandelier hangs at the center. At the entrance, the visitor
observes a pair of mirrored consoles at left and right.
These repeat themselves on all four of the side entrances of
the room. The floor-standing chandeliers in from of each of
the paired mirrors throw additional life and light into the
room. The sea-side lounge is decorated in a light-colored
quilted fabric. Its walls are colorfully engraved, with the
same composition carrying to the walls of the land side
lounge. The porcelain vase in the salons center is of
Yildiz manufacture and stands on a round gold-leaf high
relief table. During the Republic Period, an elevator was
for the use of the ill President Atatürk. During the
Abdülmecit period many receptions took place in the Blue
Room. In addition, the sultan observed his family religious
holidays here, in the company of his children and women.
Abdülaziz in addition accepted many foreign dignitaries
here. Both Abdülhamit II., and Mehmet Reshat V., were
enthroned here, and in the late years of the Sultanate, the
Harem band performed marches.
The room in which Atatürk died
When we enter the Blue the Blue Room, on the right we see
two smaller rooms over looking the sea. The first room was
used by Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Founder and First
President of the Republic of Turkey, as a study. The visitor
notices by contrast with the rest of the palace, the
simplicity of this room. The second room, served as
Atatürks bedroom, and it was here that the great
revolutionary died on November 10, 1938. At the entrance to
the bedroom on the right wall there is a painting depicting
the four seasons, much beloved by Atatürk. All of the
furnishings are of walnut, with a medicine chest along side
the death bed, containing the medications last used by the
late president. The decor is one of stars and leaves, done
in gold-leaf.
The Pink Salon
This room, named for its dominant color, was the
gathering place for the women of the harem. The ceiling is
of engraved plaster. The basic decoration of the room is
mirrors and consoles. Gold-leaf and gold - threaded fabrics
reflect in the mirrors. A bronze inlaid balsam table stands
atop a huge Hereke carpet at the center of the room. The
room is lighted by the central chandelier and its matching
four floor-standing candelabra. The basic heating system of
the room is through Sterlin silver braziers in the corners
of the room. As in the rest of the palace, he gold-plated
radiators and tile stoves were a later addition.
The Hall of Holiday Receptions:
The galeried hall is the central focus of the palace, both
from exterior and interior. The galleries were used for
seating of women of the court, foreign dignitaries,
musicians, and other invited persons outside the court who
would come to observe holiday festivities. The room takes
its name from the traditional event of the sultan receiving
greeting for a happy holiday on the occasion of annual
religious observances.
A few days before the holiday in question, the Throne of
Murat III would be brought here from the Treasury of Topkapi
(still to be seen today), and set up in the hall, on its
garden side, facing the sea. Opposite this, a loge of chairs
for foreign dignitaries was set up. After the holiday
prayers, the sultan would rest in a small room in the corner
of the hall. Greetings would then be accepted from royalty,
his Council of Ministers, and all male protocol members
present, by their approaching him on the throne, and kissing
his outstretched tassel. The two corner rooms on the land
side have flat ceilings, while those by the sea are domed.
These rooms were the resting rooms of the sultans before the
start of receptions.
In the time of Abdülhamit II a hidden stair was added in the
left room at the land side in order that he might leave the
ceremonies in secret. The hall measures 40 by 45 meters.
Paired columns support semidomes, which in turn support the
36 meter high central dome. The inside of the dome is lead
lined, and colorfully engraved with designs. An inscription
on the stair leading to one of the galleries giving the
names of three Armenians would indicate that the dome is
their work. The columns are marble imitations, having been
cast in a foundry.
The lighting of the salon is provided by four porphyry-based
crystal candelabras in the corners of the room, column
candelabras of silver in matching pairs, and the 4.5 ton
central chandelier, a gift to the sultan by Englands Queen
Victoria.
The hanging base of the chandelier fell during an earthquake
as a reception was taking place during the time of
Abdülhamid II. On weighting it was found to total 700
kilograms! Heating was accomplished in this huge expanse of
space by six domed furnaces beneath the floor of the hall,
and hot air ducts opened at the foot of the columns. Heating
began two days in advance of a reception in order to bring
the hall to a temperature of 18-20 degrees centigrade.
In addition to holiday celebrations, this grand hall
experienced other events of historical note. In 1856, Sultan
Abdülmecid gave a dinner reception here for Marschal
Pelissier. A state dinner was also given for the Hungarian
Emperor Franz Josef. During the final months of World War I
the Austria-Hungarian Emperor Karl and his Empress were
honored with a state dinner.
The first parliamentary assembly under the Ottomans took
place here under Sultan Abdülhamid II. n 1877. In 1927,
returning to Istanbul for the time as President of Turkey,
Atatürk addressed a large gathering her on the beauties of
Istanbul. The group included parliamentarians, generals, and
élites of the city of Istanbul. On his death Atatürk s body
lay in state under this great dome.
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