Dolmabahce Palace

Dolmabahçe Palace, located in the Beşiktaş district of Istanbul, Turkey, was the main administrative center of the Ottoman Empire from 1856 to 1887 and from 1909 to 1922. It was built between 1843 and 1856 by Sultan Abdulmejid I, who wanted a modern palace to replace the medieval Topkapı Palace. The palace was constructed at a cost of five million Ottoman gold lira, equivalent to $1.9 billion in today's gold values, and was home to six sultans before the abolition of the Caliphate in 1924. After becoming part of the Turkish Republic's national heritage, the palace was used as a presidential residence by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk during the summers and was where he died in 1938. Today, the palace is managed by Milli Saraylar Daire Başkanlığı and is the largest palace in Turkey with an area of 45,000 m2 and 285 rooms.learn more on wikipedia