DAILY TOURS: Ottoman Splendor

We will head to the shores of Bosphorus to visit one of the glamorous highlights of Istanbul, the Dolmabahce Palace Museum, the 19th century baroque residence of the last Sultans of the Ottoman Empire and the place where Ataturk - Mustafa Kemal founder of the Turkish Republic died in 1938. It is the largest and grandest by far of the imperial palaces on the Bosphorus; beautifully situated with a 600 m frontage on the strait, a 4000 kg (4-1/2-ton) Bohemian glass chandelier, an impressive ballroom and ornate Victorian furniture embodying the Turkish assimilation of European culture. All in all there are total of 285 rooms, 43 large salons, and six hamams on three stories.

Next, take an oxygen break in the Yildiz Royal Gardens, a paradize with set in a very large park of flowers, plants and trees, gathered from every part of the world during the Ottoman era. Used to be a forest in Byzantine times, it was made a huntting groud during the regin of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent and stayed as such until the 19th century when the neighbourhood began to flourish in the wake of construction of Dolmabahce Palace. 
Today it is an island of tranquillity and peace, beauty and charm in the middle of hustle of megapolis called Istanbul.

Istanbul's fame is not only in its palaces and gardens but also in its high quality leather wares. You will get a chance to watch a fashion show in an outlet center that produces and manufactures  a great variety of quality leather goods. It's a good opportunity to have a look at the reasonably priced leather ware and accessories.