All Countries | Türkiye | Istanbul
1st March 2022
At the end of our first stay in Istanbul, we spent the day exploring Dolmabahçe Palace. Similar to Topkapi Palace it sat on coast of the Bosphorus Strait, although this time the palace grounds were directly against the strait with arched gates spaced along the edge.
From 1856 the sultans resided in the palace, a move that afforded them ‘modern’ luxuries and comfort that Topkapi was lacking compared to other European monarchs of the time.
The palace served as the home to sultans until 1924 after which it was used as the presidential residence by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. The founder and first President of the Republic of Turkey would eventually pass away within its walls in 1938.
Like our day in Topkapi palace we again wandered in awe of the opulence and grand scale of the palace. Gold, marble, crystal, artworks, carpets, and more spread throughout the halls and rooms of the palace. Unfortunately photography is not allowed within most of the buildings but I don’t think it would do justice to how magnificent these spaces were.
Kleo wasn’t entirely impressed by the aviary in the back of the palace grounds. Birds deserve their freedoms of course. She almost got into a dust up with a cat too, but that’s a story for another day.
A great way to spend a day and see some incredible bits of history.
