Who Lived in Dolmabahce Palace?

The Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul, Turkey, was the primary residence of the Ottoman sultans from 1856 until the end of the Ottoman Empire in 1922. 

It was built by the Ottoman sultan Abdülmecid I in the mid-19th century as a replacement for the Topkapi Palace, which had been the primary residence of the Ottoman sultans for nearly 400 years.

The Ottoman sultans who lived in the Dolmabahçe Palace include:

• Sultan Abdülmecid I (reigned 1839-1861): He commissioned the construction of the Dolmabahçe Palace and was the first Ottoman sultan to live there.
• Sultan Abdülaziz (reigned 1861-1876): He was the first Ottoman sultan to be officially crowned in the Dolmabahçe Palace.
• Sultan Murad V (reigned 1876): He was deposed after just three months on the throne and was the only Ottoman sultan to never have lived in the Dolmabahçe Palace.
• Sultan Abdülhamid II (reigned 1876-1909): He was the longest-reigning Ottoman sultan and lived in the Dolmabahçe Palace for over 30 years.
• Sultan Mehmed V Reshad (reigned 1909-1918): He was the Ottoman sultan during World War I and was essentially a figurehead, with absolute power resting with the Ottoman government.
• Sultan Mehmed VI Vahideddin (reigned 1918-1922): He was the last Ottoman sultan and lived in the Dolmabahçe Palace until the end of the Ottoman Empire in 1922.

After the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the Dolmabahçe Palace was used as the presidential palace of the Republic of Turkey until the presidency was moved to the Çankaya Palace in Ankara in the 1930s. 

Today, the Dolmabahçe Palace is a major tourist attraction in Istanbul and is open to the public as a museum. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.