Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul
Walking around the Dolmabahce Palace Gardens was very pleasant. The garden was very well kept and it also turns out that the palace itself was built by the water. The Dolmabahce Palace was built as a bigger and better palace fit for a sultan. I always thought that the sultan’s palace at Topkapi was very modest considering it is the residence of the head of state. I also thought that it also reflects the kind of people who live there. Sultan Abdulmecid I had enough of this modesty and sought to build a bigger and better palace. One also that keeps up with its European side.
In Front of the Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul
One thing that Türkiye and Istanbul in particular is that it belongs to two continents – Asia and Europe. You could say that majority of Türkiye itself sits in Asia but Istanbul is definitely different. The Dolmabahce Palace, like most of traditional Istanbul is in the European side of the city. Perhaps to emphasize its European-ness, the palace was designed with European aesthetics. A look at the palace and you would not bat eye and say that you are in Europe. The palace occupies a nice section by the straits of the Bosphorus. Looking at how large the palace is, I think it would be good to go on a boat ride to see the palace in its entirety.
[xmlgm {http://www.worldwanderings.net/kml/Dolmabahce.kmz} zoom=19]