Dolmabahce Palace is the pearl of the Ottoman Empire in the center of Istanbul. The history of the creation of the palace
The Dolmabahce Mosque was built in the middle of the 19th century. In it, as behind the painted facades of any of the mosques of ancient Istanbul, amazing stories, legends and facts. However, few of them are as magnificent and as luxurious as this baroque mosque. It is located on the banks of the Bosphorus on the south side of the most European of the palace complexes of the city, Dolmabahce, and is also known as the Bezmialem Valide Sultan Mosque - the mother of the Sultan, for whom it was built.
This mosque is still active today. You can visit it during daylight hours (during prayers, the mosque is closed to visitors).
History
The construction of the palace temple of Dolmabahce began in 1853 at the behest of the wife of Mahmud II - Bemialem Valide Sultan. It was led by the well-known in the Ottoman Empire Karapet Amir Balyan, an architect of Armenian origin who created the old Yildiz Palace, several Armenian churches, the buildings of the Military Academy, the Academy of Fine Arts and the Ortakoy Mosque. He was assisted in his work by two sons - Sargis and Nikoghos. After the death of his mother, her son, Sultan Abdulmejid I, insisted on continuing construction. By 1855, the mosque opened its doors to the Sultan, his family members and court parishioners.
After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the Dolmabahce Mosque began to gradually fall into disrepair. From 1956 to 1960, the collection of the Naval Museum was exhibited in it, and only from 1967 worship services began to be held here again. In 2009, the temple was completely restored to its original glory.
Architecture and decoration
The area of the mosque, a square building, is 625 sq.m. Being part of a huge palace complex, it is combined in style with other buildings of Dolmabahce - for example, residential buildings intended for employees. The main architectural solution in the Dolmabahce Mosque is Baroque, but it is richly decorated with elements of luxury and another classical style - Empire. The prayer niche, the mihrab, as well as the pulpit, the mimbar, are carved from red porphyry, a noble rock used to decorate the imperial palaces of Ancient Rome and the residence of Queen Cleopatra.
The magnificence of the Dolmabahce Mosque (video)
A magnificent precious chandelier hangs under the dome of the mosque, but not only it catches the eyes of tourists. On both sides of the building rise two high, 40-meter minarets with balconies. They say that once they were even thinner. Chasing beauty and uniqueness, the architect Nikoghos made them so graceful that they collapsed, unable to bear their own weight. The main decoration that distinguishes Dolmabahce from other Istanbul temples are arched windows arranged in a circle and resembling a peacock's tail. Such an unusual architectural solution, filling the prayer halls with sunlight, was not previously used in the construction of temples.
The mosque is adjoined by balconies, where members of the Sultan's family spent time, and an inner courtyard - perfect place for walking, full of benches, paths and pretty fountains.
Dolmabahce Palace
The palace, of which the Dolmabahce Mosque is a part, is notable for its non-standard architecture for the East. This residence of the Sultan, located in the Besiktas region, rather resembles the most luxurious of the royal houses in Europe. The construction of the Dolmabahce complex, which lasted 13 years, took 5 million gold pounds, and more than 40 tons of silver and 14 tons of gold were spent on decorating the interior. The palace houses a priceless collection of works by Aivazovsky and a precious crystal chandelier weighing more than 4 tons, presented to the ruler of the East by the Queen of Great Britain. During the existence of the Ottoman Empire, Dolmabahce was the residence of six sultans, and in the 20th century, after the founding of the Turkish Republic, it was turned into a summer government residence. The last moments of the life of the great Mustafa Kemal Ataturk passed within its walls. On November 10, 1938, at 9:50, his breathing stopped, and with it, all the clocks in the area froze.
For a long time the complex was used as a museum, and now it is the official residence of the Turkish Prime Minister in Istanbul. Its two main parts - the luxurious Selamlik, the chambers where official state affairs are conducted and high-ranking guests are received, and the cozy Harem, the residence of the members of the Sultan's family and the kingdom of the ruler's mother, Valide Sultan, are open to tourists. Tours of them, as well as a visit to the library, the mosque, the clock tower (showing not only the time, but also pressure and air temperature), the Beiberlei summer palace, garden pavilions, mansions and a park with fountains will take the whole day. You can also look at the Dolmabahce Clock Museum and the museum, which contains palace works of art, at factories for the production of silk, carpets and imperial porcelain. Cafes and souvenir shops are open for guests of the complex.
How to get to Dolmabahce Mosque
The Dolmabahce Mosque is located at Visnezade Mh., 34357 Besiktas/Istanbul and is located on the very shore of the Bosphorus Strait. Its coordinates for searching on the navigator are 41°2’12″N 28°59’42″E.
To get to the mosque, you do not have to delve into the intricate infrastructure of huge Istanbul. You can take the branded Istanbul tram T1 and, having reached from Aksaray or Sultanahmet to the Kabatash station, take a few minutes walk along the coast.
If you are traveling by ferry, get off at the Kabatas or Besiktas piers and walk towards the clock tower.
You can go down from Taksim Square to Kabatash using the funicular, marked on the metro map as F1.
Taxi
If it is more convenient for you to travel around Istanbul by taxi than to study the map public transport, ask the staff of any hotel or cafe to call you a car or contact the drivers at the organized taxi ranks that are in all tourist places. The fare, as in the rest of Turkey, is calculated by the meter.
Kabatash Transport Hub (Dolmabahce Mosque visible in the distance) - Google Maps panorama
Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul is an amazing complex that adorns the magnificent Bosphorus. This beautiful example of a building shows tourists how a palace should look like with all its appearance. Everything in it and around the building is elegant and lives up to its name. In Turkish, the word "dolmabahce" means "filled garden." In fact, this palace is replete with oriental luxury and European wealth.
Tourists have the first question when they are in Istanbul: how to get to Dolmabahce Palace? The practice of travelers who have been on excursions shows that this is not difficult to do. In the direction of the palace, there is a high-speed tram T1. Its final stop is called "Kabatash". From there, the road leads to the mosque, which cannot be missed. Further you can see the gates of the palace. Some prefer to travel by ferry, having sailed to the Kabatas pier.
There is another option how to get to the Dolmabahce Palace. From the funicular, which also has a stop "Kabatas". That is, it is clear for tourists that, regardless of the chosen route, the end point is the stop or the Kabatash pier.
The history of the creation of the palace
The bay area used by the navy during Ahmed's reign has been turned into a garden. The Besiktas Palace was built on this territory. Due to frequent fires, it had a dilapidated appearance.
Two centuries later, the place of the destroyed Besiktas was chosen by the 31st Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Abdul Mejid, for the construction of a large palace complex. His plans included moving the government out of Topkapı Palace, which had been the imperial residence for four centuries. Abdul-Mejid's brother Abdulaziz became the second ruler to live in this palace. Sultan Abdul-Hamid II left him and ruled the Ottoman Empire from the Yildiz Palace.
The imperial family returned to Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul during the reign of Mehmed V (1909-1918). It was from here that the last Ottoman sultan was exiled to Paris. This event was preceded by the abolition of the Sultanate in 1921 by the National Assembly of Turkey. Caliph Abdul-Mejit Efendi remained in the palace until the Caliphate was abolished in 1924. Some of his own paintings still adorn the walls. monumental structure and today.
The monumental crystal staircase in the center is called the imperial staircase. It connects the second floor. The baroque staircase was designed by Nigogos Balyan. Luxuriously decorated, it also reflects the traditional Ottoman style. Baccarat crystals were used in its design. The symmetrical and elegant design of the halls surrounding the staircase is breathtaking.
Hall of Ambassadors
The most luxurious room in the palace is the Syufer Hall. It is also called the embassy. It and the associated red hall were previously used for international meetings with ambassadors and foreign diplomats. This room is designed and decorated symmetrically.
The hall contains the second largest chandelier of the Dolmabahce Palace. The museums of the world do not even know examples of such luxury. Its high doors, mirrors and fireplaces are in perfect harmony with the delicately decorated ceilings. The Ambassadors' Hall and the small rooms around it were used to receive and entertain foreign guests.
The floor is covered with Hereke carpet, and its area is 120 m 2 . The Red Room was used by the sultans to receive ambassadors. The room was named after the dominant shade of the curtains, which is also the color of power. Gold jewelery and furniture in red with yellow tints, together with a table in the center, create a very powerful effect. No walls were built in the room. It was skillfully decorated with a real view of Istanbul. The columns, hidden behind curtains, are connected by large windows overlooking the Bosphorus.
Harem
The residence, consisting of luxury rooms, covers almost two thirds of the entire Dolmabahce Palace - Harem. The photo below shows the Blue Hall. In the eastern part of the L-shaped Harem on the embankment, the private retinues of the Sultan, his mother (Walid Sultan) and the family (Harem-i-Hummain) lived. The apartments on the street were "favorites" and concubines. According to the architectural plan, this part of the palace is made in the Neo-Baroque style. It is decorated with European and traditional Turkish patterns. The harem does not stand in a separate place, but is connected to Selamlik by a long corridor. The interiors of this building are significantly inferior in luxury to the views of Selamlik.
The most interesting parts of the Harem are the Blue Hall (Mavi Salon) and the Pink Hall (Pembe Salon). Also, the attention of tourists is attracted by the apartments of the Sultan, Sultan Abdulaziz, Sultan Mehmed Reshad and Ataturk. The Blue Room is named after the color of the furniture and curtains. During religious events, the sultans allowed holidays in these walls for the inhabitants of the Harem and other employees of the palace. The Pink Hall is also named after the shade of the walls. Its windows overlook the Bosphorus. Therefore, it is considered one of the best halls in the palace. In it, the mother repeatedly received guests. Atatürk also used this hall for acquaintances and conversations.
Worth seeing while in Istanbul summer palace Beylerbey. This residence was commissioned by the Ottoman Sultan Abdulaziz. Beylerbey is a delightful, richest, imperial residence with a fountain in the main salon. The building contains luxurious rooms decorated with Czech crystal chandeliers and the Palace was often used as a guest house for visiting royal and royal families.
Mosque and Clock Museum
Built by the Sultan, the imperial mosque is located in the southern part of the Dolmabahce Palace complex in Istanbul. The photo below is a view from the Bosphorus.
The construction was carried out between 1853 and 1855 by the architect Nigogos Balyan. The decoration of the building belongs to the Baroque style. The mosque was used as a naval museum between 1948 and 1962. After restoration in 1966, it was opened to visitors. The structure of the mosque underwent a comprehensive restoration in 2007.
Tourists will also be interested in the Dolmabahce Clock Museum. It is located in the old Inner Treasury building in the harem garden. It presents a selection of exclusive handmade jewelry belonging to the National Watch Collection. After eight years of extensive renovation and maintenance, the museum was reopened to visitors in 2010. Today, 71 watches are presented within its walls. The exhibition also features unusual art works by the masters of the Ottoman Empire.
Atatürk's room
The last person to live and die in Dolmabahce Palace in 1938 was Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Atatürk's room, where he died, was used by the sultans in winter as a bedroom. This building has been preserved in its original form. It is decorated with Ataturk's favorite furniture, paintings and clocks. The simplicity of his room is quite remarkable. He chose the most ordinary room, compared with the more luxurious mansions of the palace.
Visitors may notice that all the clocks inside the palace are set to the same time of 9:05. It was at nine o'clock and five minutes that Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who is also the founder of Republic of Turkey. To be more precise, he died on November 10, 1938. This date is familiar to all citizens of Turkey.
Name " Dolmabahce” was given to the palace due to the fact that even before the construction of the palace this place was a bay, which was covered with earth in the 17th century and a beautiful garden was arranged. And later a wooden pavilion (summer palace) was built on this territory, which became the predecessor Dolmabahce(“dolma” means “filled, poured”, and “bakhche” means garden).
History of the palace Dolmabahce
The current building of the palace was built in 1842-1853 by order of Sultan Abdulmejid I. The main architect who designed this palace was Karabet Balyan from the then famous family of architects of Armenian origin Balyan. Castle It was built during the period of “Europeanization” or “Westernization” of the Ottoman Empire. This period is called Tanzimat (from 1839 to 1876) and, unlike previous reforms, the main place in Tanzimat was occupied not by military, but by socio-economic transformations. Most clearly, these reforms were reflected in architecture. Ottoman architecture came under the influence of the over-decoration of the west. "Baroque", "Rococo", "Empire" and other styles mixed with Ottoman art.
Dolmabahce - a symbol of the rise and fall of the Ottoman Empire
After the construction of the palace in 1853, the entire court, headed by the Sultan, moved from to the new Castle. And after the fall of the monarchy and the proclamation of the Turkish Republic (October 29, 1923), Mustafa Kemal Ataturk also lived in the palace for some time; here he died on November 10, 1938 at 09.05, so all the clocks in the palace are stopped and show 09.05. Castle It is a two-story and partly three-story rectangular building located on an area of 250,000 square meters. It has 285 rooms and 43 halls, one of which is a very large banquet hall (Ceremonial Hall or Muayede Salonu) and is used to this day for state-level interviews and negotiations. The palace is divided into two parts: the front part (Selyamlyk - marked outlined in pink) color and the personal part of the Sultan and his family (Harem - marked in red on the plan).
Palace plan
Designations of objects on the plan
Mosque Bezm-i-Alem Valide Sultan
Mosque(also known as Bezm-i-Alem Valide Sultan) is located 50 meters southwest of the main entrance of the palace. The construction of the mosque began in 1853, immediately after the construction of the palace was completed. The mosque was built by order of the mother of Sultan Abdulmecid - Bezmial Valide Sultan, but unfortunately, she died very soon and the mosque was completed by her son in 1855. The architect of the palace mosque, as well as during the construction of the palace, was Karapet Balyan. The mosque is part of the palace complex, so its architecture and design are in the same style - it was built in the Baroque style and decorated in the Empire style.
Museum opening hours:
Every day except Mondays and Thursdays from 9.00 to 16.00.
Admission:
- All parts of the palace - 40 lira.
- Only Selyamlik (the front part of the palace) - 30 lira.
- Only (Harem + Glass Pavilion + Clock Museum) – 20 lira
You can visit the palace only as part of a group accompanied by a palace guide. Therefore, if you came to the palace on your own, you may have to wait until the group is recruited.
It is forbidden to take pictures and shoot videos inside the palace (only possible with special permission, for an additional fee), it is allowed to take pictures only in the garden.
Palace Photos Dolmabahce
The main entrance of the palace and the Swan Fountain The facade of the palace from the sea
The swan fountain of the palace is the main decoration of the park One of the 6 hammams of the palace, made of onyx
There are many in Istanbul interesting places worth visiting for tourists. Among them are palaces, temples, hamams and much more. There are almost three thousand active Muslim mosques there alone. There are many small, little-known shrines for visitors, but there are many such that people of various faiths from all over the world seek to visit.
Each of the mosques ancient capital It has unique story, unusual appearance and rich interior decoration. But the most visited of them are real masterpieces, works of art that do not leave anyone indifferent. So and Bezmialem Sultan Mosque (tur. Bezmialem Valide Sultan Camii), which appeared in the 19th century, is able to win the hearts of tourists.
Dolmabahce Mosque in Istanbul - a bit of history
The construction of the mosque began in 1853 at the request of the mother of Sultan Abdul Mejid I, Bezmial Valide Sultan. But when she died, the building had not yet been completed. Further, the son undertook to manage the process of erecting a Muslim shrine. The talented architect Karapet Balyan worked on the creation of this architectural monument.
The mosque was completed in 1855, at that time it was one of the richest in Istanbul. The Sultan regularly came there to pray on Fridays. Between 1956 and 1960, the mosque housed the Naval Museum, and in 1967 religious services were again held there. In 2009 the building was completely restored.
Dolmabahce Mosque - description
Dolmabahce Mosque built in baroque style. It has a square shape with sides of 25 meters. Thus, the total area of the mosque is 625 m².
As part of the palace complex, the mosque contains two-story front section in which statesmen could worship Allah and pray. The balcony for the Sultan is protected by a screen, it was made for the purpose of security. It was possible to hold public processions and meetings near the mosque.
The hallmark of the building is circular arrangement of arched windows which resemble a peacock's tail. This unusual architectural solution was not used by the masters who built other mosques before the construction of the Dolmabahce shrine. The mosque has two minarets with balconies. The height of the minarets is 40.25 m. A mixture of baroque and ampere styles can be seen in the interior of the building. Under the dome is a precious chandelier. During the construction of the mihrab and the member, red porphyry was used.
Where is the mosque and how to get to it
The Dolmabahce Mosque stands on the shore, in the south of the territory of the Dolmabahce Palace. The official address of the attraction: Visnezade Mh., 34357 Besiktas/Istanbul. Attraction coordinates: 41°2’12″N 28°59’42″E.
You can get to the mosque in one of the following ways:
- Dolmabahce Mosque can be reached on one of the buses IETT: 30D, 28T, 28, 26B, 26A, 26, 103, 70KE, etc.
- They also follow funiculars: F1, T1.
- In addition, high-speed buses run in the direction of the mosque. ferries: V2, V3, V6.
- For those who prefer to ride by tram, the route T1 -ZEYTINBURNU - KABATAŞ is suitable. Stop - FINDIKLI.
More detailed information about the transport that goes towards the mosque can be found at www.placesinistanbul.com/placeTransit.php?placeID=1524&lan=EN.
Dolmabahce Mosque in the photo
Below you can find a selection of photos of the Istanbul Dolmabahce Mosque. This beautiful architectural monument, located near the waters of the Bosphorus, looks like a fabulous building. It makes you admire and dream of getting there as soon as possible.
