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What is the Dolmabahce Museum?** 

Elegant and ornately designed, the Dolmabahce Museum used to be the residence of the Crown Prince of the Ottoman Empire. Today, these rooms chronicle the history of Turkey from the 16th to the 20th century. The museum houses about 200 paintings displayed in 11 sections. This eclectic collection of paintings by Turkish and international artists gives fascinating insights into the Sultans who obtained them or painted them.

Quick facts about Dolmabahce Museum

Dolmabahce Museum

Official name: Dolmabahce Museum

Address: Vişnezade, Dolmabahçe Cd., 34357 Beşiktaş, İstanbul

Date of opening: 7 June 1856

Timings: 9 AM – 5 PM

Architect: Garabet Baliyan, Nigogayos Baliyan

Architectural style: Baroque, Rococo and Ottoman

Function: Museum

Number of visitors per year: 1.5 million visitors annually

Why visit Dolmabahce Museum?

Dolmabahce Museum

Rich history: The Dolmabahce Museum is an important historical landmark as it used to be the residence of the Crown Prince of the Ottoman Empire, which spanned both Asia and Eastern Europe.

Unique collection of paintings: The museum houses paintings from the 16th to the 20th century, capturing the history of the Ottoman Empire through art and displaying them aesthetically in an elegant space.

Picturesque location: The Dolmabahce Museum is built on the shores of the Bosphorus Strait, which divides Istanbul such that part of it lies in Asia and the other part in Europe. This Palace straddles two continents as it is built on the European side and faces Asia.

Visit Dolmabahce Palace

Highlights of Dolmabahce Museum

Paintings

Dolmabahce Museum exhibits around 200 paintings from the 16th to the 20th century, which chronicle the history of Turkey and the Ottoman Empire in particular. These include a series of Oriental paintings. Some of the artists featured include court painters of the Ottoman Empire who captured a slice of history, like Ivan Aivazovsky and Sultan Abdulmecid II.

Palace Gardens

The Dolmabahce Palace gardens are distinctly European in style and look. Laid out in geometric shapes with ponds, fountains, sculptures, and lanterns, the gardens have a variety of exotic flowers, plants, and shrubs from Asia, Europe, and as far as the Americas as well. Part of the gardens outside the Harem are more natural with trees and plants growing as nature intended. There is also a birdhouse that echoes with bird song.

Beautiful views

The Dolmabahce Museum opens into part of the Palace Gardens, which are an oasis of tranquillity with beautiful flower beds and birdsong. There are also views of the Bosphorus Strait and the beautiful Istanbul skyline from the museum. You can visit the Sunhouse that is outside the museum. This part of the Dolmabahce Museum has a beautiful fence with 5 ornamental gates that were used to usher visitors from the Asian side of Istanbul.

History of Dolmabahce Museum

Built in 1856, the elegant rooms of the Crown Prince were located on the east of the Dolmabahce Palace Harem. Though it looks like an extension of the Harem from the outside, the museum is separated by a wall and opens into a part of the palace gardens. These rooms were the apartments of the heirs to the throne until they became the Sultan.

​Dolmabahce Palace history

Architecture & design of Dolmabahce Museum

Dolmabahce Museum

Like the rest of the palace, the Dolmabahce Museum is an eclectic mix of European and Ottoman architectural styles. Intricate gold decorations embellish the walls and ceilings of these rooms. Decorations include crystal chandeliers, cut glass decorations, bronze candelabras, and beautiful Hereke rugs that adorn the Marmara marble floors. This space was renovated into a museum from 2010 to 2014. It is now a modern space where paintings are displayed aesthetically in opulent and elegant surroundings.

Dolmabahce Museum today

Today, this historically significant part of the Dolmabahce Palace is a wonderful museum that exhibits around 200 paintings from the 16th to the 20th century by renowned Turkish and international artists. Some of the artists whose work is displayed include Ivan Aivazowsky and Sultan Abdulmecid II. There are also paintings bought from the Goupil Gallery in Paris in the late 19th century, as well as a rich collection of works by Oriental artists and many other valuable paintings.

Frequently asked questions about Dolmabahce Museum

This is a modern museum in the 19th-century Dolmabahce Palace that houses rare and beautiful paintings by Turkish and international artists from the 16th to the 20th century.

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