Palace · Istanbul, Turkey
Dolmabahçe Palace
Dolmabahçe Palace is a 19th-century imperial palace located in Istanbul, Turkey, along the European shore of the Bosporus, which served as th. Built 1823–1856.
Photo: flowcomm via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0. Cropped and resized for display.
Landmark facts
| Location | Istanbul, Turkey |
|---|---|
| Type | Palace |
| Built | 1823–1856 |
| Architect | Garabet Amira Balyan, Nigoğayos Balyan |
| Coordinates | 41.0394° N, 29.0017° E |
Every fact above is taken from the sources listed below; anything no source states is left blank rather than guessed.
What Dolmabahçe Palace is known for
Dolmabahçe Palace is a 19th-century imperial palace located in Istanbul, Turkey, along the European shore of the Bosporus, which served as th.
About Dolmabahçe Palace
Dolmabahçe Palace is a 19th-century imperial palace located in Istanbul, Turkey, along the European shore of the Bosporus, which served as the main administrative center of the Ottoman Empire from 1853 to 1887 and from 1909 to 1922.
History
Dolmabahçe Palace was ordered by the empire's 31st sultan, Abdülmecid I, and built between the years 1843 and 1853. 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. Hacı Said Ağa was responsible for the construction works, while the project was realized by architects Garabet Balyan, his son Nigoğayos Balyan and Evanis Kalfa (members of the Armenian Balyan family of Ottoman court architects).
Planning a visit? Visit the official Dolmabahçe Palace website — the official site has the current visiting information.
How to get there
| Nearest town | Istanbul |
|---|---|
| Nearest airport | Cengiz Topel Airport (KCO) |
| Distance from the airport | 60.3 miles (straight line) |
Nearest major airport by straight-line distance from the landmark’s coordinates; road distance will be longer.
Airports near this landmark
The airports a visitor would actually fly into, nearest first — each link opens its profile on our sister site AirportProfiles.
- Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW) · Pendik, Istanbul, Turkey · 18.8 miles away
- İstanbul Airport (IST) · Istanbul, Turkey · 21.5 miles away
- Hasan Polatkan Airport (AOE) · Eskişehir, Turkey · 116.5 miles away
Landmarks nearby
The closest landmarks in this library, by straight-line distance.
More landmarks in Turkey
More palaces
Frequently asked questions
What is Dolmabahçe Palace?
Dolmabahçe Palace is a 19th-century imperial palace located in Istanbul, Turkey, along the European shore of the Bosporus, which served as th.
Where is Dolmabahçe Palace located?
Dolmabahçe Palace is in Istanbul, Turkey. Its coordinates are 41.0394° N, 29.0017° E.
How do I get to Dolmabahçe Palace?
The nearest town is Istanbul, and the nearest airport is Cengiz Topel Airport (KCO), about 60.3 miles away (straight line).
When was Dolmabahçe Palace built?
Dolmabahçe Palace was built 1823–1856.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolmabahçe_Palace — Wikipedia article — overview, history and core facts (CC BY-SA).
- https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q274141 — Wikidata — built year, architect, height/size, visitors, official website (CC0).
- https://www.millisaraylar.gov.tr/ — Official website of the landmark / managing body.
- https://github.com/jbrooksuk/JSON-Airports — Nearest major airport computed from landmark and airport coordinates (haversine); airport list: jbrooksuk/JSON-Airports.
Page last updated 13 November 2026.