DOLMABAHCE PALACE

The most important structure on the European shore, Dolmabahce Palace is a magnificent building with a white marble facade facing the Bosphorus, measuring a formidable 248 meters. Completed in 1853, it was inhabited by the Ottoman Sultan and his royal family, who used this handsome building as their main house, abandoning the centuries old Topkapi Palace. Upon the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, the palace served as the presidential residence for the founder of the Turkish Republic, Ataturk, who passed away in this building in 1938. After consequent restoration, Dolmabahce Palace is now a museum.