Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul, Turkey, located on the European side of Bosphorus, was the main administrative center of the Ottoman Empire.

The construction, cost five million Mecidiye, Ottoman gold coin, the equivalent of 35 tons of gold. Fourteen of those tons of gold were used to gild the ceilings of the 45,000 square foot palace.

It was built between 1843 and 1856 by Garabet Balyan, the best-known member of the Armenian architect family, the chief architect of Sultan Abdulmecit.

Dolmabahçe was home to six Sultans, from 1856 until the abolition of the Caliphate, when the Republic of Turkey, was established in October 1923.

In the Hall of Ceremonies, the lamp is Bohemia Crystal world's largest. Weighs 4.5 tons and has 750 lights. Gift of Queen Victoria

Dolmabahçe has one of the largest collections of lamps Bohemian and Baccarat in the world

Famous staircase, built of Baccarat crystal, brass and mahogany

The design and decoration of the palace, reflects the growing influence of European styles and standards of the Ottoman culture

Algunas de las muchas obras de arte que se pueden admirar en el Palacio..These are just some pieces of the vast collection of works of art in gold, displayed the Palace.

Dolmabahçe, is the largest of the Ottoman imperial palaces

It's huge and sumptuous, with 285 rooms, 43 large rooms, and many other specialized areas

If the Earth were a single state, Istanbul would be its capital

                               Napoleon Bonaparte.