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The Harem at Dolmabahçe Palace contained the private living quarters of the Ottoman sultan and his family. It was completely isolated from the outside world.
Harem Garden
After finishing a tour of the Selamlık and passing through the Bird Garden, visitors walk through the Harem Garden (Harem Bahçesi) to access the Harem. It contains an oval pool in the center and the beds are arranged in geometric shapes. A redwood planted in the garden is the oldest tree in the palace complex.
Dolmabahçe Clock Museum
The Dolmabahçe Clock Museum sits on the north side of the Harem Garden. It’s housed in the former Internal Treasury Department (İç Hazine Dairesi). The museum opened in 2004 and features clocks from the National Palaces Clock Collection (Millî Saraylar Saat Koleksiyonu). 71 Ottoman, British, and French clocks are on display.
In front of the Clock Museum is a flower clock. You might even be able to spot guineafowl walking around.
Harem
Before entering the Harem at Dolmabahçe Palace, visitors must put plastic booties over their shoes. Once inside, the self-guided tour passes through several rooms used by the royal family. They’re lavishly decorated with gold, crystal, marble, mahogany, and fine silk and wool carpets. All decorations and furniture are original. Photography is forbidden inside. Across from the entrance is a café and restrooms.
The rooms on the inland section include eight apartments lined along two corridors. They were used by the wives, favorites, and concubines of the sultan, and they lived in them with their children. The apartments had three or four rooms each, with stairs running from the ground floor to the second floor. Rooms running parallel to the Bosporus were reserved for the sultan and his mother. Each apartment has its own bathroom.
One of the most important rooms in the Harem was used as a bedroom by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. The founder of the Turkish Republic spent his last days in the room and died on November 10, 1938, at 9:05am. The clock in the room points to 9:05.
Outside the Harem
After exiting the Harem, a path on the east side of the building continues to other buildings on the eastern side of the palace complex. Keep in mind if you exit through the turnstiles, you won’t be able to return to the palace as this is an exit. You can also return to the main entrance outside the Treasury Gate.
If you choose, it’s worth spending some time walking past the Bosporus façade of the Harem. There’s a beautiful garden as well as beautiful views of the Bosporus.
