Hello Hivers and travelers!
I will continue to leave on the blockchain the trace of our trip to Istanbul. Last week, I told you about our visit to Topkapi Palace, and today I'm going to share a visit to another palace. The Dolmabahçe Palace is located in the Besiktas district.
The Besiktas district is on the European side of Istanbul and borders the Bosphorus Strait. To get there, we took the tram from Sirkeci station in the historical peninsula to Kabatas station in the Besiktas district.
The station is located on the avenue that runs parallel to the Bosphorus. From there, we walked to the Palace. The first thing we came across was the Dolmabahçe Mosque.
We did not enter the mosque and continued. And to our left, just past the mosque, it was Vodafone Park. A stadium that is also the home of one of the local football teams, Beşiktaş FC.
A little further on to our right, on the banks of the Bosphorus, we found the entrance to Dolmabahçe Palace, which was our main objective that morning.
The palace was built during the Ottoman Empire, and its construction started in 1843. It is the first European neo-baroque palace built in Istanbul.
Dolmabahçe Palace was ordered by the Empire's 31st Sultan, Abdülmecid I, and built between the years 1843 and 1856. Previously, the Sultan and his family had lived at the Topkapı Palace, but as the medieval Topkapı was lacking in contemporary style, luxury, and comfort, as compared to the palaces of the European monarchs, Abdülmecid decided to build a new modern palace near the site of the former Beşiktaş Sahil Palace, which was demolished.Source
The first thing we did was tour the gardens.
And we admire the buildings from the outside, as well as the large pond with a fountain with swans carved in stone that is in a central part of the gardens.
We went inside the palace and visit the rooms that were open to the public, but we don't have pictures since it wasn't allowed to take pictures indoors.
But at the entrance, we could not miss a cat. Istanbul is one of the most cat-friendly cities I have visited, and it is common to find many cats all over the city. This one had no problem being at the entrance to the interior of the palace.
The interior is luxurious and majestic, especially the many crystal chandeliers in the place. I remember there is a huge one that is said to be the largest baccarat crystal chandelier in the world which is found in the ceremony hall.
At one of the exits from the buildings, we came to a courtyard where there was a door leading to the edge of the Bosphorus, through which one could go to the shore of the strait to admire the seascape. And also say hi to some of the seagulls.
When we left the palace, we went to a nearby shopping area. My son bought some fruit.
Also, we went to the fish market. One of the things that I love about Istanbul is the number of markets and grocery shops with everything so neat presented.
I had read on the internet that near the fish market there was a great place to eat fish sandwiches.
We had some delicious fish sandwiches (Balik Ekmek) with a plate of fried anchovies, which are very common in fish shops in Istanbul, as well as some stuffed mussels called Midye Dolma.
On the way out, I remember we walked around some streets, and the husband directed us to a place where we had also read that they sold some of the more yummy doner kebabs in the area. I have mentioned it in Let's go to have a kebab in Istanbul. We ordered one to share, so we wouldn't leave without trying it, and I can say it was worth it.
With a full belly and a happy heart, we ended our visit to this area of Besiktas. And that same afternoon, we took a bus to go to a neighborhood within the same district called Ortaky. I already told you about my visit some time ago in An afternoon in Ortaköy and Bosphorus tour.
That's all for today, thank you for reading!
All images and writing are my own unless otherwise stated.
All photos were taken during our visit to Istanbul in December 2019 with an iPhone 7 and a Canon EOS 60D.
© CoquiCoin
September 4, 2022