Dolmabahçe Clock Tower
Located between the Dolmabahçe Palace and Dolmabahçe Mosque (Bezmi Alem Valide Sultan Mosque), Dolmabahçe Clock Tower was commissioned by Ottoman sultan Abdülhamid II in 1890. The construction of the clock tower finished in 1895 and according to the Ottoman archives, it cost 1,210,550 Mecidiye gold coins (approximately $350 million in 2021 values).
Dolmabahçe Clock Tower was built by Armenian descent architect Sarkis Balyan, who was the son of Garabet Balyan - Dolmabahçe Palace’s architect. It is a very successful and classy blend architectural styles of Neo-Baroque and Empirical.
The height of the four-story tower is approximately 27 meters (89 feet) and it stands on a floor area of 8,5 x 8,5 meters (28 x 28 feet). It has four clocks on its four sides and they were produced by clock-master Johann Mayer. In 1979, the original mechanical clock was converted partly to an electrical one and its clocks are still functioning.
Amazing facts about Dolmabahçe Clock Tower
- It is one of the clock towers built during the reign of Abdülhamid II (r. 1876-1909) such as Yıldız Clock Tower, Nusretiye Clock Tower, Izmir Clock Tower and so on. At the time these clock towers were built (late nineteenth century), they led reaction from the public, because they were chiming every hour like a church bell and the majority of the population was Muslim. However, reactions from the public did not last long, since they helped people to schedule and organize their daily lives better.
- Johann Mayer, the watch-maker of Dolmabahçe Clock Tower, is one of the earliest clock masters working for famous watch brand, Paul Garnier.
- Dolmabahçe Clock Tower is a four-story tower and the each story is different in terms of size, decoration, and architecture.
How to get to the Dolmabahçe Clock Tower?
Dolmabahçe Clock Tower is located between Beşiktaş and Kabataş. It is only ten minutes walk distance from Kabataş tram and funicular stations as well as Kabataş pier.
What else nearby?
Located between Beşiktaş and Kabataş, there a number of other sights in the area worth seeing, such as the Dolmabahçe Palace, the Dolmabahçe Mosque (Bezmi Alem Valide Sultan Mosque), the Palace Collections Museum, and the Maritime Museum.
According to the Ottoman archives it costed 1,210,550 Mecidiye gold coins (approximately $350 million in 2021 values).