Dohlmabace Palace. In the mid-19th century, the Sultans decided Topkapi was too old fashioned and built a series of opulent palaces across the Golden Horn. As the power of the Ottoman empire waned, so the palaces became more opulent. Dohlmabace is a huge, rambling palace with hundreds of rooms, massive chandeliers, ornate throne rooms and everything you would expect from a once wealthy empire seeking to show off.