Purchase includes free access to book updates online and a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Chapters: Nigoayos Balyan Buildings, Sarkis Balyan Buildings, Dolmabahe Palace, Malta Kiosk, raan Palace, Adile Sultan Palace, Esma Sultana Mansion, Beylerbeyi Palace, Kksu Palace, Ortaky Mosque, Dolmabahe Clock Tower, Yldz Hamidiye Mosque, Kk Mecidiye Mosque, Cathedral of the Holy Spirit. Excerpt: The Dolmabahe Palace (Turkish:, IPA: ) in Istanbul, Turkey, located at the European side of the Bosporus, served as the main administrative center of the Ottoman Empire from 1856 to 1922, apart from a twenty-year interval (1889-1909) in which the Yldz Palace was used. Close up view of Dolmabahe Palace from the BosporusThe Dolmabahe Palace was ordered by the Empire's 31st Sultan, Abdlmecid I, and built between the years 1843 and 1856. Hac Said Aa was responsible for the construction works, while the project was realised by architects Garabet Balyan, his son Nigoayos Balyan, and Evanis Kalfa. The construction works cost five million Ottoman mecidiye gold coins, the equivalent of 35 tonnes of gold. Fourteen tonnes of gold in the form of gold leaf were used to gild the ceilings of the 45,000 square metre monoblock palace, which stands on an area of 110,000 m. Dolmabahe Palace Clock TowerThe design contains eclectic elements from the Baroque, Rococo and Neoclassical styles, blended with traditional Ottoman architecture to create a new synthesis. The palace layout and dcor reflect the increasing influence of European styles and standards on Ottoman culture and art during the Tanzimat period. Functionally, on the other hand, it retains elements of traditional Ottoman palace life, and also features of traditional Turkish homes. It is the largest palace in Turkey, considering that the area of the monoblock building occupies 45,000 m. Previou... More: http: //booksllc.net/?id=562898