Regionally greeted as Dolmabahçe Sarayı, Dolmabahce Palace is a luxuriant villa in Istanbul positioned along the picturesque European shore of the Bosphorus Strait. This majestic imperial villa is the true emblem of Ottoman architectural fascination that is praised as the most expensive mansion in the world ($1.5 billion in current estimation).
Certainly, the most attractive sites to visit in Istanbul, Dolmabahce Palace proudly flaunts its ancient glory through the structural finishing ornamented with a myriad of expensive gemstones, gold, and everything vibrant that add charm to each nook and crack of the building.
Situated between Harem and Mabeyn Muayede, Dolmabahce Palace formerly operated as the prime administrative office of the Ottoman kingdom. The palace was commissioned by Empire's 31st Sultan, Abdülmecid and modeled by architects Garabet Balyan along with his son Evanis Kalfa and Nigoğayos Balyan.
Established between the years 1843 and 1856 (13 years of craftsmanship), Dolmabahçe Palace owns three symmetrically projected floors incorporating 285 cabins, 44 galleries, 68 toilets, and 6 Turkish baths. The central decoration is exclusively dripped in lavishness through the influx of extremely high-priced Doma furnishings, artifacts, and other varieties of ornamental pieces that assuredly transmit the visitors in an awestruck state of mind, all credit goes to French artist M.Sechan.
The name of the palace "Dolmabahce" itself implies ‘filled-in garden’ and that completely makes sense when one realizes the inside and the outside sections of the mansion are beautified with innumerable diverse flowers, approached by the profound Italian artists of the time.
The blissful charm of the whole inside-outside panorama of the palace is waiting to astonish your eyes and soul with the most breath-taking vistas that seem to transcend beyond the evanescent realm.