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Mabeyn-i Humayun is where state affairs take place and the most important and also prominent section in terms of function and splendor. There is very large hall at the entrance, a crystal staircase and other decorative elements to impress the visitors. A couple of large halls upstairs decorated with crystal chandeliers, Hereke carpets and fireplaces, and a fine imperial Hamam ( Bath ) decorated with Egyptian alabaster are other impressive parts of the Selamlik section.
At the entrance, Medhal Salon welcomes the visitors, Crystal Stairs provides the connection with the upper floor, and Sufera (ambassadors) Salon is the guest room where the ambassadors were entertained and Red Room is where they were admitted by the sultan and it is all decorated and furnished to emphasize the historical splendor of the Empire.
In the upper floor, the Zulvecheyn (two planed) Hall allows a crossing to the Sultan’s private living quarters in the Mabeyn-i Humayun section. In this quarter, apart from bath there are study rooms and halls.
Selamlik is entered through a formal garden to the west. It has a highly symmetrical and formalized plan consisting of four major halls on two floors, linked by a monumental staircase at the center. The ambassadorial hall and all small rooms around it were used for the reception and entertainment of foreign guests and functionaries; they are some of the most spectacularly decorated rooms in Dolmabahce Palace. Both of the halls open into the crystal staircase, a double-story staircase hall with a glass roof that is named after the crystal pillars of its balustrade. Located on the other side of the staircase are two identical oval halls on two different floors. The lower hall has a garden entrance and called the Men's Mounting Chamber (Selamlik Binek Salonu). Directly above it is the "Hall Facing Two Sides" (Zulvecheyn Salon), a meeting space named after its two facing the back gardens to the north and the Bosphorus to the south. Prayer rooms, study rooms and library used by the Sultan are accessed from this hall, as well as the imperial bath complex, which is lit from above.
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Mabeyn-i Humayun -
Dolmabahce Palace |
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