Topkapi Palace

The Topkapi Palace was the residence of the Ottoman sultans for 400 years.  It was built in 1460-1478 and expanded and modified many times over the years. The royal residence was eventually moved to Dolmabahce Palace, but many holy relics remained at Topkapi.  It was converted to a museum in 1924 with the establishment of the Republic.

It has a unique castle architecture that includes gardens, living space and office space, but not anything like European or Middle Eastern castles.  

Old city wall that extended along the sea coast and around old Constantinople.  The section along the sea is about the only remaining section that is intact today.

The First gate into the Topkapi Palace grounds - The Royal gate.  The grounds inside this gate contained gardens that were open to the public.

A church on the grounds even older than the Hagia Sophia ( over 1400 years).  The Sultan chose not to destroy it but used it for storage.  It is the church of Holy Peace.  It is now used as a concert hall.

The Second gate - The Wecome gate.  Only visitors to the Sultan were allowed to enter these gates to the Palace grounds.

This was the Councilors's Chamber where the 8-10 councilors met and made decisions about how they would advise the Sultan.  The Sultan could choose to listen through the grate in the wall (below), but it was covered with a curtain, so the councilors never knew if he was listening or not.  

Our group: L to R Mehmet, David, Carolyn, Anne, Eve, Kay (hiding), Glyn, Katie, Marjorie, Lutfia.

The kitchens are pictured in the distance here, note the smoke stacks from the cooking ovens.  There were 10 kitchens used to feed all of the people at court (over 1000).

The Third gate - gate of happiness.  The Emperor would receive guests here when his throne was brought out.  Or he would pass through to the inner most part of the palace with this family and closest students.

The Sultan's throne in his throne room.   Yes, its like a giant bed on the floor.

One of the things that surprised me most was that the palace was very much an institute of higher learning.  Both girls and boys with intellectual promise would be brought there for classes.  Only the best each year would advance to the next level.  The 7th level was the top and it could take as long as 15 years to advance that high.  The Sultan himself would take on the teaching of the 7th level students.  Once you passed that level the Sultan would marry the girls and the boys and then send them out to be governors of the Empire.

The Library for the Sultan's school.  (I would have liked to have couches like this in the University library where I attended!)

A garden view within the inner most palace.  It was FULL of rose bushes!

View of the city from one of the terraces.  Running water (from fountains) was used in the meeting rooms by the terraces to prevent eavesdropping on important imperial conversations.

A room in one of the terrance pavillions - summer R and R space.