About Turkey

The Dolmabahçe Palace (Turkish: Dolmabahçe Sarayý) is on the European side of the Bosphorus, and was the main administrative centre of the Ottoman Empire from 1853 to 1922, (with the exception of a twenty-year interval). This European-style palace was the first of its kind and was built by Sultan Abdülmecid in the mid 1800s. The Sultans formerly lived in the Topkapi Palace and moved to this more modern and better equipped structure upon its completion. Covering an area of 45,000 m2 the palace has 285 rooms, 46 halls, 6 baths (hamam) and 68 toilets. The palace is composed of three parts; the men’s quarters, Mabeyn-i Hümâyûn, the ceremony halls Muayede Salonu and the Harem-i Hümâyûn quarters for the family members.