The Dolmabahçe Palace corporate trip is a half-day programme that tours, with a guide, the building on the Bosphorus shore in Beşiktaş that served as the Ottoman dynasty's official palace from the mid-19th century. Through the Selamlık section and the Ceremonial Hall, it explains how the state presented itself after the Tanzimat reforms. It suits corporate teams interested in history, architecture and protocol culture.

What is in the programme?

Commissioned by Sultan Abdülmecid, the palace was built between 1843 and 1856 by Garabet and Nigoğos Balyan of the Balyan family. Baroque, Rococo and Empire elements borrowed from European palace architecture are combined with an Ottoman approach to planning. Stretching parallel to the sea, the building consists of the Selamlık, where affairs of state were conducted, the Harem, where the sultan's family lived, and the Ceremonial Hall, where religious holiday ceremonies were held.

The guided visit takes in the Crystal Staircase in the Selamlık, the reception rooms for ambassadors, and the dome and great chandelier of the Ceremonial Hall. When the Harem is added, the room in which Mustafa Kemal Atatürk passed away on 10 November 1938 is also visited. The tour ends in the gardens around the Clock Tower and the palace gates.

Highlights

• Reading the Westernisation-era architecture of the Balyan family on site
• Commentary on Ottoman ceremony and protocol in the Ceremonial Hall
• With the Harem added, the room where Atatürk spent his final days
• Palace gardens and a quayside façade opening onto the Bosphorus

Who Is It For?

Planned for SME and corporate teams of 10-80. It offers meaningful content for sales, communications and senior management teams close to the themes of corporate identity, representation and protocol, and is a strong option for companies hosting foreign business partners. Because the palace interior is visited in guided groups, larger teams are split into sub-groups. Physical effort is low, although participants stand for long periods indoors.

Planning Notes

• The palace interiors are toured in groups on a set circuit, so timings should be planned in advance.
• The Harem section is planned separately; if the team is visiting only the Selamlık, the programme can be kept shorter.
• Photography and personal-item rules protecting the interiors must be followed; large bags may cause problems.
• As most of the visit takes place indoors, wet weather has little effect on the programme.