Turkey Trot - Dolmabahçe Palace and Taksim Square

Turkey Trot - Overview
Turkey Trot - First Class
Turkey Trot - Are We There Yet?
Turkey Trot - Ephesus
Turkey Trot - Mary's House and Basilica of St. John
Turkey Trot - Swissotel Efes
Turkey Trot - Taking the Bus and Priene
Turkey Trot - Putting on the Ritz
Turkey Trot - The Blue Mosque
Turkey Trot - Topkapı Palace
Turkey Trot - Hagia Sophia
Turkey Trot - Carpets and Grand Bazaar
Turkey Trot - Dolmabahçe Palace and Taksim Square
Turkey Trot - Bosphorus Cruise
Turkey Trot - Turning Blu
Turkey Trot - Getting This Turkey Home

After a travel day and then a jam-packed, whirlwind tour of Istanbul, we were ready for a bit of a lie-in.  It was an overcast morning and we thoroughly enjoyed catching up on our rest.  Our plan was to walk down the hill past the football stadium until we reached the Bosphorus Strait and visit the Dolmabahçe Palace there.  Though there are sidewalks the whole way between our hotel and the Strait, there was barely room for one person to pass beside the construction site so it made our hike interesting.

We ended up having brunch at a cafe across the street from the historical site at the appropriately-name Dolmabahçe Cafe.  We enjoyed sitting outside and watching the people go by as we sipped our tea.  A very nice way to start the day...or mid-day, as the case may be.



Dolmabahçe Palace (dole-mah-bahsh-uh) was the administrative center of the Ottoman Empire from 1856-1922 (except for a 22-year period when another palace was used).  Basically it's a European-style palace that replaced Topkapı Palace as the home of the Ottoman ruler.  The name means "filled-in garden" as prior to the palace being built, the area that is now the palace garden was a bay on the Bosphorus Strait.

The palace cost roughly $1.5 billion USD (in 2013 dollars) which was about 25% of the yearly tax revenue.  The financing through massive issue of paper money and through foreign loans ended up pushing the Ottoman Empire into bankruptcy.

It was the home of six Sultans until the office was abolished in 1924.  The founder and first president of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, used it as a presidential palace during summers and spent the last days of his life here in 1938, dying at age 57. (In the room where he died, the clock is stopped at the time of his death and the bedspread is a giant Turkish flag.)  Today it is managed by the Directorate of National Palaces.  It's the largest palace in Turkey, covering 11.2 acres, 285 rooms, 46 halls, 6 (Turkish) baths and 68 toilets.

It combines many European styles with traditional Ottoman architecture.  While it looks very European on the outside, on the inside there are wings designated for the man (including the public rooms) and the Harem, which was for the Sultan and his family.

Unfortunately we were not allowed to take photos inside the palace but it is quite impressive.  We did note that on a humid, overcast day it was quite warm inside.  While I'm sure the windows would have been opened further were this still a private residence, I would have soon wilted in the heat during the summer.  So what we have are photos of the palace's exterior and the gardens.  Wikipedia has quite a few photos of the interior.

The Clock Tower outside the main entrance

One of the magnificent gates

Swan Fountain

Facade of the Selamlik, the wing with public rooms

Statue of a lion with a snake wrapped around its leg

Gate of the Sultan, on the side of the palace

For dinner each night we ventured up the hill from our hotel to Taksim Square.  It's a large plaza with a number of shops and restaurants of all kinds.  Its name means "division" or "distribution" and it was here that the main water lines from the northern part of the city were collected and branched out to other parts.  It's also a main transportation hub with a subway stop, bus transfer area and numerous taxis (or Taksis) in the area.  It's a popular place for parades and New Year's gatherings as well as political demonstrations and riots.

We enjoyed just wandering through and looking at the different types of stores.  Exotic foreign foods like Burger King and Pizza Hut were present as well as local kebab shops, produce stands and local favorites like Klemuri, the restaurant where we ate our first night.  It took us awhile to find it as it was off the beaten path but it was well worth the hunt.

Taksim Square by night

Fresh Produce!