Robert937
Solo travelRotterdam, South Holland Province
Completed in 1856 to show the world the opulence of the Ottoman sultans
When the sultans moved from Topkapi palace to Dolmabahce mid 19th century the Ottoman empire was already in decline. To reverse the trend, reforms were introduced including importing European styles in architecture such as Baroque, Rococo and neoclassicism. I can not say the blend with Ottoman features was very successful. The result looks a bit ostentatious and not as sincere and efficient as Ottoman classicism. I was a bit surprised to learn Atatürk the leader of the new national government in the 1920s chose to reside here and eventually retreated at Dolmabahce, where he died in 1938.
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