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Dolmabahçe Palace, built between 1843 and 1856 by order of Sultan Abdulmejid I, replaced the outdated Topkapı Palace as the royal residence. Designed by Ottoman-Armenian architects of the Balyan family, the palace blends Baroque, Rococo, Neoclassical, and traditional Ottoman styles.
It is the largest palace in Turkey, covering 45,000 m², with 285 rooms, 46 halls, and the world’s largest crystal chandelier. Lavishly decorated with gold, crystal, marble, and rare carpets, the palace reflects the Empire’s desire to align with European tastes during the Tanzimat reforms, at great financial cost.
Six sultans lived here until the abolition of the Caliphate in 1924. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk later used it as a summer residence and died there in 1938. Today, the palace is a museum managed by Turkey’s Directorate of National Palaces.
The name 'Dolmabahçe' (meaning 'Filled-in Garden') comes from the palace’s location, once a bay on the Bosporus, later transformed into an imperial garden.
References:The ancient Argos Theater was built in 320 BC. and is located in Argos, Greece against Larissa Hill. Nearby from this site is Agora, Roman Odeon, and the Baths of Argos. The theater is one of the largest architectural developments in Greece and was renovated in ca 120 AD.
The Hellenistic theater at Argos is cut into the hillside of the Larisa, with 90 steps up a steep incline, forming a narrow rectilinear cavea. Among the largest theaters in Greece, it held about 20,000 spectators and is divided by two landings into three horizontal sections. Staircases further divide the cavea into four cunei, corresponding to the tribes of Argos A high wall was erected to prevent unauthorized access into the theatron and may have helped the acoustics, but it is said the sound quality is still very good today.
Around 120 CE, both theaters were renovated in the Roman style.