"No monarch had palaces as modern and luxurious as the Ottoman Sultan. Abdulmecid supervised the architecture and decoration of Dolmabahçe during daily visits to the construction site. It is the apotheosis of Ottoman grandeur. In keeping with Ottoman tradition, the gates, carved with a frenzy of urns, rosettes and garlands, are like triumphal arches." From "Constantinople -- City of the World's Desire, 1453-1924" by Phillip Mansel.
This is the gate to Dolmabahçe Palace, the "newer" (starting in 1856) residence of the Ottoman sultans. The entire gate was almost impossible to photograph (due to both size and distance to it and the lighting), but for a poor attempt go to http://www.pbase.com/image/33831268