Topkapı Palace

For the 1964 movie, see Topkapi (film).

View of Topkapı Palace from the Bosphorus

Scale model of the Topkapı Palace

The Topkapı Palace (Topkapı Sarayı in Turkish, literally the "Cannongate Palace" - named after a nearby gate), is located at the tip of a spit of land in the European part of Istanbul. It was built on the site of the old acropolis of ancient Greek Byzantion. After the fall of Constantinople, it became not just the primary residence of the Ottoman sultans and their households, but also the administrative center of the Ottoman Empire from 1465 to 1853. In the hey-day of the Ottoman Empire there resided about 4,000 people in the palace. It was originally called the "New Palace" to distinguish it from the Eski Sarayi, the former residence of the sultan in Istanbul. It became known as the Topkapı Palace in the 19th century, named after a (now destroyed) Topkapı shore pavillion. The name Topkapı is written with the Turkish character " ı", pronounced as "u" as in "church".

A few years after his conquest of Constantinople, the construction of a new palace was ordered by Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror in 1459, who also established the layout of the palace. This layout would dictate the pattern of future renovations. He summoned experienced craftsmen from everywhere, especially inhabitants from Constantinople who had fled to Edirne and Bursa after the fall of the city. He used the most expensive and rare materials, trying to give back to the city its former glory. The palace was completed in 1465. The palace is favourably located on the Seraglio Point (Sarayburnu), a promontory overlooking the Golden Horn and the Sea of Marmara in Istanbul, having a splendid view of the Bosphorus. It consists of a conglomeration of many smaller buildings and four courts.

The palace is full of examples of Ottoman style architecture and also owns large collections of porcelain, robes, weapons, shields, armors, Ottoman miniatures, Islamic calligraphic manuscripts and mural decorations, as well as a display of accumulated Ottoman treasures and jewelry.

The Topkapı Palace gradually lost its importance at the end of the 17th century, as the sultans preferred to spend more time in their new palaces along the Bosporus. In 1853, Sultan Abdülmecid decided to move his residence to the newly built Dolmabahçe Palace, the first European-style palace in the city. The Topkapı Palace was transformed into a museum for the imperial era since 3 April 1924, and is now one of Istanbul's greatest tourist attractions.

Compared to other famous royal residences like the Schönbrunn Palace or the extravagant Versailles, the layout of the Topkapı Palace distinguishes itself with its human, but assymetric proportions, sensible interiors and prudent layout.

Imperial Gate

The Imperial Gate (Bab-ı Hümayun)

The main gate is called the Imperial Gate, or Gate of Majesty (Bab-ı Hümayun or Porta Augusta). This massive gate, originally dating from 1478, is now dressed in 19th-century marble. Built out of a mass of masonry, this massive gate accentuates its defensive character. Its central arch leads to a high-domed passage. Gilded Ottoman caligraphy adorns the structure at top, with verses from the Holy Koran and symbols of the sultans. On each side of the hall are rooms for the guard. The gate was open from morning prayer till last evening prayer. Apart from viziers and foreign dignitaries, no one was allowed passage through the gate.

According to old documents, there was a wooden apartment above the whole area of this gate till the second half of the 19th century. It was used first as a pavilion by Mehmed, later as a depository for the properties of those who died inside the palace without heirs and eventually as the receiving department of the Treasury. It was also used as a vantage point for the ladies of the harem on special occasions.

First Court

The First Court (or Alay Meydanı) spans over the entire Seraglio Point and is surrounded by high walls. In 1509 a massive earthquake ruined these walls from the water to the garden gate. They required an extensive renovation. This First Court is an outer precinct or park. The steep slopes had already been terraced under Byzantine rule.

This court was also known as the Court of the Janissaries or the Parade Court.

Apart from the Topkapı Palace, the First Court also contains the old imperial mint (Darphane-i Âmire, constructed in 1727), the church of Hagia Eirene, the Archeology Museum (constructed during the 19th century) and various fountains, pavilions (for example, the Çinili Pavilion, or Tiled Pavilion) and gardens (including the Gülhane Park, the old imperial rose garden).

The Gate of Salutation (Bab-üs Selam), entrance to the second court of Topkapı Palace

The Çinili Pavilion is set within the outer walls and dates from 1473. It was built by Mehmed II as a pleasure mansion. The exterior glazed bricks show a Central Asian influence, especially from the Bibi-Khanym Mosque in Samarkand. Its square, axial plan represents the four corners of the world and symbolizes, in architectural terms, the universal authority and sovereignty of the sultan. As there is no Byzantine influence, the building is ascribed to an unknown Iranian architect. The stone-framed brick and the polygonal pillars of the façade are typical of Iran. A grilled gate leads to the basement. Two flights of stairs above this gate lead to a roofed colonnaded terrace. This portico has been rebuilt in the 18th century. The great door in the middle, surrounded by a tiled green arch, leads to the the vestibule and then to the court covered with a lofty dome. The three royal apartments are situated behind, with the middle apartment in apsidal form. They look out over the park to the Bosphorus. The network of ribbed vaulting suggest Gothic revival architecture, but they actually add weight to the structure instead of sustaining it. The blue-and-white tiles on the wall are arranged in hexagons and triangles in the Bursa manner. Some show delicate patterns of flowers, leaves, clouds or other abstract forms. The white plasterwork is in the Iranian manner. On both wings of the domed court are eyvans, vaulted recesses open on one side. It has many superb examples of Iznik tiles and Seljuk pottery. It now houses the Museum of Islamic Art.

The Fountain of the Executioner is where the executioner washed his hands and sword after a beheading. The Fountain of Ahmed III is an example of Rococo work.

Gate of Salutation

The large Gate of Salutation (Bab-üs Selam) leads into the palace and the Second Court (Divan Meydanı). This crenelated gate has two large octagonal pointed towers. An inscription at the door dates this gate to 1542 during the reign of Mehmed II. The towers, however, were added by Süleyman the Magnificent during the 16th century. Only the sultan was allowed to pass this gate on horseback. The gate is richly decorated on both sides and in the upper part with religious inscriptions and monograms with names of sultans.

Second Court

Second courtyard of Topkapı Palace, with the Tower of Justice in the background

The second court was a park, full of peacocks and gazelles, used as a gathering place for courtiers. Only the sultan was allowed to ride on the pebble walks.

This court is surrounded by the palace hospital, bakery, Janissary quarters, stables, the imperial Harem and Divan to the north and the kitchens to the south. Numerous artifacts from the Roman and Byzantine periods have been found on the palace site during recent excavations. These include sarcophagi, baptismal fonts, parapet slabs. They are on display in the second court in front of the kitchen department.

Directly behind the Gate of Salutation on the northeast side lies the carriage museum, located in the former outer stables and harness rooms. It is a relatively low building, altered in 1735 when a new ceiling was installed. Its roof is one of the few undomed roofs to retain its 15th century shape. Many carriages were destroyed in a fire in the previous stables in the late 19th century. The carriages on display are some of the sultan's carriages, the state carriage, the carriage of the Valide Sultan (Queen Mother), and minor court carriages. Located next to the carriages in the northern direction lie the extensive palace kitchens.

Palace kitchens

Blue-and-white Chinese porcelain-ware from the porcelain collection in the palace kitchens.

The elongated palace kitchens (Saray Mutfakları) are a prominent feature of the palace. Some of the kitchens were first built in the 15th century at the time when the palace was constructed. They were modeled on the kitchens of the sultan's palace at Edirne. They were enlarged during the reign of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent but burned down in 1574. The kitchens were remodeled and brought up to date according to the needs of the day by the court architect Mimar Sinan. Rebuilt to the old plan by Sinan, they form two rows of twenty wide chimneys (added by Sinan), rising like stacks from a ship from domes on octagonal drums. The kitchens are arranged on an internal street stretching between the Second Courtyard and the Sea of Marmara. The entrance of this section is through the three doors in the portico of the second court. These are the Imperial commissariat (lower kitchen) door, imperial kitchen door and the confectionary kitchen door.

The palace kitchens consist of ten domed buildings: Imperial kitchen, Enderun (palace school), Harem (women’s quarters), Birûn (out service section of the palace), kitchens, beverages kitchen, confectionary kitchen, creamery, storerooms and rooms for the cooks. They were the largest kitchens in the Ottoman empire. The meals for the Sultan, the residents of the Harem, Enderun and Birûn (the inner and outer services of the palace) were prepared here. Food was prepared for about 4,000 people. The kitchen staff consisted of more than 800 people, rising to 1,000 on religious holidays. As many as 6,000 meals a day could be prepared.

Apart from exhibting the kitchen utensils, today the buildings contain the world's third largest collections of Chinese blue-and-white and celadon porcelain, valued by the sultans because it was supposed to change color if the food or drink it contained was poisoned. Its 10,700 pieces of Chinese, Japanese and Turkish porcelain are rare and precious. The Chinese porcelain collection ranges from the late Song Dynasty (13th c.) and the Yuan Dynasty (1280-1368), through the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912). This museum also contains one of the world's largest collections of 14th-century Longquan celadon. The Japanese collection is mainly Imari ware, dating from the 17th to the 19th century.

Imperial Council

The Imperial Council (Divan-i Hümâyûn or Kubbealtı) building is where the Divan, the Imperial Council, consisting of the Grand Vizier, viziers, and other leading officials of the Ottoman state, held meetings. It is situated in the northwestern corner of the courtyard next to the Gate of Felicity. It was constructed by the architect-in-chief Alseddin, by the order of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent, in the 15th century. This place lost its importance after the 18th century, when the Grand Viziers had started to run the affairs of state independently. Thus the important state issues were transferred to the Sublime Porte (Bâb-ı Âli) of the Grand Viziers (Paşa Kapısı).

The Imperial Council building consists of three adjoining rooms. Two of the three domed chambers of this building open into the porch and the court: The Divanhane, with a wooden portico built at the corner of the Divan Court (Divan Meydanı), in the 15th century was used later on as the mosque of the council, to be eventually removed in 1916.

1) The first chamber where the Imperial Council held its deliberations is the Kubbealtı.

2) The second chamber was occupied by the secretarial staff of the Imperial Divan.

3) In the adjacent third chamber called Deferhane, records were kept by the head clerks. The last room served as an archive in which documents were kept.

The Kubbealti, which suffered damage during a Harem fire in 1665, was restored by the order of Sultan Mehmed IV. On its façade are verse inscriptions which mention the restoration work carried out in 1792 and 1819, namely under Selim III and Mahmud II. The rococo decorations on the façade and inside the Imperial Council date from this period.

In the Imperial Council meetings the political, administrative and religious affairs of the state and important matters of the citizens were discussed. The Imperial Council normally met four times a week. The meetings of the Imperial Council and its ceremonies were organized according to an elaborate and strict protocol. The council members, the Grand Vizier, the viziers, the Chief Military Judges of Anatolia and Rumelia met here to discuss the affairs of state and submitted their resolutions to the Sultan. They also held court hearings. Sometimes the Grand Müfti (Sheikh al-İslam) also took part in important meetings. The other officials of the Council were the Nişanci (officers whose duty it was to inscribe the Sultan’s imperial monogram on imperial letters) and the Minister of Finance (Defterdar), the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Reis-ül-Küttab) and the Tezkereciler (officials charged with the duty of writing official memoranda) and the clerks recorded the resolutions.

Apart from that, it was here that the Grand Vizier received ambassadors, as well as wedding ceremonies of the Sultan’s daughters were held here.

The fountain in the middle of the room enabled secret conversations to be held when running. From the window with the golden grill the Sultan or the Valide Sultan was able to follow deliberations of the Council without being noticed. The window could be reached by the adjacent Tower of Justice (Adalet Kulesi).

Tower of Justice

Swords of sultans

The Tower of Justice (Adalet Kulesi) is located in-between the Imperial Council and the Harem. Sultan Mahmud II rebuilt the lantern of the tower in 1825, while retaining the Ottoman base (attributed to Mehmed II). The tall windows with engaged columns and the Renaissance pediments evoke the Palladian style.

Armory Exhibition Hall

The present Armory Exhibition Hall (Silah Seksiyonu Sergi Salonu) was formerly the inner treasury of the Ottoman Empire. It is a hall built of stone and brick with eight domes, each 5 x 11.40 m. It was transformed into a museum in 1928, displaying a rich collection of about 400 weapons (dating between the 7th and the 19th c.) from several countries, including swords of many sultans. During excavations in 1937 in front of this building, remains of a religious Byzantine building dating from the fifth century were found. Since it could not be identified with any of the churches known to have been built on the palace site, it is now known as "the Basilica of the Topkapı Palace".

Gate of Felicity

The Gate of Felicity (Bab-üs Saadet)

The Gate of Felicity (Bâbüssaâde or Bab-üs Saadet) was originally constructed in the 15th century.

This monumental gate is the entrance into the Inner Court (Enderûn), also known as the Third Court, comprising of the strictly private and residential areas of the palace. It represents the presence of the Sultan in the palace. No one could pass this gate without the authority of the sultan. Even the Grand Vizier was only granted authorisation on specified days and under specified conditions.

It was redecorated in the rococo style in 1774 under Sultan Mustafa III and during the reign of Mahmud II.

The Sultan used this gate and the Divan Meydanı square only on special ceremonies. The Sultan sat before the gate on his Bayram throne on religious, festive days and accession when the subjects and officials perform their homage standing. The funerals of the Sultan were also conducted in front of the gate.

On either side of this passage under control of the Chief Eunuch of the Sultan’s Harem (called the Bâbüssaâde Ağası) and the staff under him were the quarters of the eunuchs as well as the small and large rooms of the palace school.

The small, indented stone on the ground in front of the gate marks the place where the banner of the Prophet Muhammad was unfurled. The Grand Vizier or the commander going to war was entrusted with this banner in a solemn ceremony.

Third Court

Beyond the Gate of Felicity is the Third Court, also called the Inner Palace (Enderûn), which is the heart of the palace, where the sultan spent his days outside the harem. It is a lush garden surrounded by the Hall of the Privy Chamber (Has Oda) occupied by the palace officials, the treasury (which contains some of the finest treasures of the Ottoman age, including the Sacred Trusts), the Harem and some pavilions, with the library of Ahmed III in the center.

The Third Court is surrounded by the quarters of the Ağas (pages), boys in the service of the sultan. They were taught the Arts, such as music, painting and calligraphy. The best could become Has Odali Ağa (keepers of the holy relics of the Prophet and personal servants of the sultan), or even become officers or high-ranking officials.

Audience Chamber

Arz Odası, the Audience Chamber

The Audience Chamber (Arz Odası) is located right behind the Gate of Felicity. It is an old building, dating from the 15th century, renovated in 1723 by Sultan Ahmed III and rebuilt in its present form after it was destroyed by fire in 1856. This square building is surrounded by a colonnade of 22 columns, supporting the large roof. The sultan, sitting on his gilded throne, covered with embroidery and encrusted with gems and pearls, received here the Grand Vizier and the Council members, who presented their resolutions for ratification, high-ranking officials and foreign ambassadors. There is a small fountain at the entrance, used to prevent others from overhearing secret conversations in this room. Behind the Audience Chamber on the eastern side is the Dormitory of the Expeditionary Force.

Dormitory of the Expeditionary Force

The Dormitory of the Expeditionary Force (Seferli Koğuşu) houses the Imperial Wardrobe Collection (Padişhah Elbiseleri Koleksiyonu) with a valuable costume collection of about 2,500 garments, the majority precious kaftans of the sultans. It also houses a collection of 360 ceramic objects.

The dormitory was constructed under Sultan Murad IV in 1635. The building was restored by Sultan Ahmet III in the early 18th century. The dormitory is vaulted and is supported by 14 columns. Adjacent to the dormitory, located northeast is the Conqueror's Pavilion.

Conqueror’s Pavilion

The Conqueror’s Pavilion, also called the Conqueror's Kiosk (Fatih Köşkü) and the arcade of the pavilion in front is one of the finest pavilions built under Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror and one of the oldest buildings inside the palace. It was built circa in 1460, when the palace was first constructed, and was also used to store works of art and treasure. Until today it houses the Imperial Treasury (Hazine-i Amire).

The pavilion originally consisted of three rooms, a terrace overlooking the Sea of Marmara, a basement and adjoining hamam, or Turkish bath. It consists of two floors raised on a terrace above the garden, built at the top of promontory on a cliff with a magnificent view from its porch on the Sea of Marmara and the Bosporus. The lower floor consisted of service rooms, while the upper floor was a suite of four apartments and a large loggia with double arches. The first two rooms are covered with a dome of considerable height. All the rooms open onto the Third Court through a monumental arcade. The colonnaded portico on the side of the garden is connected to each of the four halls by a door of imposing height. The capitals of the imposing capitals are shrunken Ionic in form and date probably from the 18th century. The pavilion was used as the treasury for the revenues from Egypt under Sultan Selim I. Before this period, under Mehmed II and Bayezid II, these apartments must have been the most agreeable rooms in the palace. During excavations in the basement, a small Byzantine baptistery built along a trefoil plan was found.

Works of art, jewelry, heirlooms of sentimental value and money belonging to the Ottoman dynasty were kept here. Since the palace became a museum, the same rooms have been used to exhibit these treasures. Most of the objects in the Imperial Treasury consisted of gifts, spoils of war, or pieces produced by palace craftsmen. The Chief Treasurer (Hazinedarbaşı) was responsible for the Imperial Treasury. Upon their accession to the throne, it was customary for the sultans to pay a ceremonial visit to the Treasury.

The objects exhibited in the Imperial Treasury today are a representative selection of its contents, which mainly consist of jeweled objects made of gold and other precious materials. Among the many treasuries that are on exhibition in four adjoining rooms, the first room houses one the armours of Sultan Mustafa III, consisting of an iron coat of mail decorated with gold and encrusted with jewels, his gilded sword and shield and gilded stirrups. The next display shows several Holy Koran covers belonging to the sultans, decorated with pearls. The ebony throne of Murad IV is inlaid with nacre and ivory. The golden Indian music box, with a gilded elephant on top, dates from the 17th century. In other cabinets are looking glasses decorated with rare gems, precious stones, emeralds and cut diamonds.

The second room houses the Topkapı Dagger. The golden hilt is ornamented with three large emeralds, topped by a golden watch with an emerald lid. The golden sheath is covered with diamonds and enamel. In 1747, the Sultan Mahmud I had this dagger made for Nadir Shah of Persia, but the Shah was assassinated before the emissary had left the Ottoman Empire's boundaries and so the Sultan retained it. This dagger was the subject of the film Topkapi. In the middle of the second room stands the walnut throne of Ahmed I, inlaid with nacre and tortoise shell, built by Sedefhar Mehmet Ağa. Below the baldachin hangs a golden pendant with a large emerald. The next displays show the ostentatious aigrettes of the sultans and their horses, studded with diamonds, emeralds and rubies. A jade bowl, shaped like a vessel, was a present of the czar Nicholas II of Russia.

File:Kaşıkçı Diamond.jpg

The 86 ct. Kaşıkçı (Spoonmaker) Diamond set in silver with 49 cut diamonds

The most eye-catching jewel in the third room is the Spoonmaker's Diamond, set in silver and surrounded in two ranks with 49 cut diamonds. Legend has it, that this diamond was bought by a vizier in a bazaar, the owner thinking it was a worthless piece of crystal. Amongst the exhibits are two large golden candleholders, weighing each 48 kg and mounted with 6666 cut diamonds, a present of Sultan Abdülmecid I to the Kaaba in the holy city of Mecca. They were brought back to Istanbul shortly before the fall of the Ottoman Empire and the loss of control over Mecca. The golden ceremonial Bayram throne, mounted with tourmalines, was made in 1585 by order of the vizier Ibrahim Pasha and presented to Sultan Murad III. This throne would be set up in front of the Gate of Felicity on special audiences.

The throne of Mahmud I is the centerpiece of the fourth room. This golden throne in Indian style, decorated with pearls and emeralds, was a gift of the Persian ruler Nader Shah in the 18th century. Another rather curious exhibit shows the forearm and the hand of St. John the Baptist, set in a golden covering. Several displays show an assembly of flintlock guns, swords, spoons, all decorated with gold and jewels. Of special interest is the golden shrine that used to contain the cloak of the prophet Mohammed.

Adjacent to the north of the Imperial Treasury lie the pages dormitory, which have been turned into the Miniature and Portrait Gallery. On the lower floor is a collection of important calligraphies and miniatures. In the displays one can see old and very precious korans (12th-17th c.), hand-painted and hand-written in Kufic and also a bible from the 4th century, written in Arabic. A very important item of this collection is the first world map by the Turkish admiral Piri Reis (1513). The map shows part of the western coasts of Europe and North Africa with reasonable accuracy, and the coast of Brazil is also easily recognizable. The upper part of the gallery contains 37 portraits of different sultans (most are copies). The portrait of Mehmed II was painted by the Venetian painter Gentile Bellini.

Enderûn Library (Library of Ahmed III)

Enderûn Library, or Library of Sultan Ahmed III

The Neo-classical Enderûn Library (Enderûn Kütüphanesi), also known as Library of Sultan Ahmed III (III. Ahmed Kütüphanesi), is situated directly behind the Audience Chamber (Arz Odası) in the centre of the Third Court. It was built on the foundations of the earlier Havuzlu kiosk by the royal architect Mimar Beşir Ağa in 1719 on orders of Sultan Ahmed III for the use of the officials of the royal household. The colonnade of this earlier kiosk now probably stands in front of the present Treasury. The library is a beautiful example of Ottoman architecture of the 18th century. The exterior of the building is faced with marble. The library has the form of a Greek cross with a domed central hall and three rectangular bays. The fourth arm of the cross consists of the porch that can be approached by a flight of stairs on either side. Beneath the central arch of the portico is an elaborate drinking fountain with niches on each side. The building is set on a low basement to protect the precious books of the library against moisture. The walls above the windows are decorated with 16th - 17th century İznik tiles of variegated design. The central dome and the vaults of the rectangular bays have been painted. The decoration inside the dome and vaults are typical of the so-called Tulip Era, which lasted from 1703-1730. The books were stored in cupboards in the walls. The niche opposite the entrance was the private reading corner of the sultan.

The library contained books on theology, Islamic law and similar works of scholarship in Ottoman Turkish, Arabic and Persian. In those days the library contained more than 3,500 manuscripts. Some are fine examples of inlay work with nacre and ivory. Today these books are kept in the Mosque of the Ağas (Ağalar Camii), which is located next to the library in the western direction.

Mosque of the Ağas

The Mosque of the Ağas (Ağalar Camii) is the largest mosque in the palace. It is also one of the oldest constructions, dating from the 15th century during the reign of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror. The sultan, the ağas and pages would come here to pray. The mosque is aligned in a diagonal line in the courtyard, in order to make the minbar face towards Mecca. In 1928 the books of the Enderûn Library amongst other works were moved here as the Palace Library (Sarayı Kütüphanesi), housing a collection of about 13,500 Turkish, Arabic, Persian and Greek books and manuscripts, collected by the Ottomans. Located next to the mosque to the northeast is the Imperial Portraits Collection.

Imperial Portraits Collection

The Imperial Portraits Collection (Padişah Portreleri Sergi Salonu) is located in the Hasoda Koğuşu, which were part of the Sultan's chambers. The painted portraits depict all the Ottoman sultans and some rare photographs of the later ones. Since the sultans rarely showed themselves in public, the earlier portraits of them are actually only an idealisation, they do not depict the reality. The domed chamber is supported by pillars, some of which must be of Byzantine origin since a cross is clearly visible engraved. Located next to the collection in the north is the Chamber of the Sacred Relics.

Chamber of Sacred Relics

The Chamber of the Sacred Relics (Kutsal Emanetler Dairesi) includes the Pavilion of the Holy Mantle (previously called the "Privy Chamber"), and was constructed by Sinan under the reign of Murad III. It holds the cloak of Mohammed, his sword, one tooth, a hair of his beard, his battle sabres, an autographed letter and other relics which are known as the Sacred Trusts. Several other sacred objects are on display, such as the swords of the first four Caliphs, the staff of Moses, the turban of Joseph and a carpet of the daughter of Mohammed. Even the Sultan and his family were permitted entrance only once a year, on the 15th day of Ramadan, during the time when the Palace was a residence. Now any visitor can see these items and many Muslims come on pilgrimage for this purpose. The Arcade of the Chamber of the Holy Mantle was added in the reign of Murat III, but was altered when the Circumcision Room was added. This arcade may have been built on the site of the Temple of Poseidon, that was transformed before the 10th century into the Church of St. Menas.

Harem

File:Golden door of the harem.jpg

Golden door of harem

The Harem was home to the Sultan's mother, the Valide sultan; the concubines and wives of the Sultan; and the rest of his family, including children; and their servants. There are approximately 300 rooms (though only about twenty are open to the public), and the Harem housed as many as 500 people, which sometimes amounted up to 300 women, their children, and the eunuchs.

The harem wing was only added at the end of the 16th century. Many of the rooms and features in the Harem were designed by Sinan, a famous master architect of the Ottoman Empire. The harem was decorated again under the sultans Mahmud I and Osman III in an Italian-inspired Ottoman Baroque style. These decorations contrast with those of the Ottoman classical age.

Court inside the harem

One enters the harem through the Gate of Carts (Arabalar Kapısı), located at the end of the Second Court, leading into the Antechamber of the Black Eunuchs.

Hall with Fountain

The Hall with Fountain (Şadirvanli Sofa) was renovated after the Harem fire of 1666. This second great fire took place on 24 July 1665. This space was an entrance hall into the Harem, which was guarded by the Harem eunuchs. The Büyük Biniş, and the Şal Kapısı, which connected the Harem, the Privy Garden, the Mosque of the Harem Eunuchs and the Tower of Justice from where the Sultan watched the deliberations of the imperial council, led to this place. The walls are riveted with 17th century Kütahya tiles. The horse block in front of the mosque served the Sultan to mount his horse and the sitting benches were for the guards. The fountain that gives the space its name is in the pool of the Privy Chamber of Sultan Murad III.

On the left side is the small mosque of the black eunuchs. The tiles in watery green, dirty white and middle blue all date from the 17th century (reign of Mehmed IV). Their design is interesting but the execution is rather bad. Another door leads to the Court of the Black Eunuchs, with on the left side their apartments. At the end of the court is the apartment of the black chief eunuch (Kızlar Ağası), the fourth high-ranking official in the official protocol. In-between lies the school for the princes with precious tiles from the 17th and 18th centuries and gilded wainscoting. At the end of the court is the main gate to the harem (Cümle Kapısi). The narrow corridor on the left side leads to the apartments of the odalisques (white slaves given as a gift to the sultan).

The forty rooms of the Valide Sultan (mother of the ruling sultan) were also rebuilt in 1667 after the second fire. Some rooms, such as the small music room, have been added to this section in the 18th century. Only two of these rooms are open to the public : the dining room with, in the upper gallery, the reception room and her bedroom with, behind a lattice work, a niche for prayer. These are all enriched with blue-and-white or yellow-and-green tiles with flowery motifs and Iznik porcelain. The panel representing Mecca or Medina, signed by Osman Iznikli Mehmetoğlu, represents a new style in Iznik tiles. The shoddy paintwork in the dining room was executed by foreigners during the reign of Abdülhamid I. The next rooms are the hammams of the valide sultan and of the sultan. The lattice work was to protect the bathing sultan against murder attempts. These hammams were also reconstructed in the 18th century. The sultan's bath was decorated by Sinan with high-quality Iznik polychrome tiles. But much of the tile decoration of the harem, from structures damaged by the fire of 1574, was recycled by sultan Ahmed I for decoration is his new Sultan Ahmed Mosque in Istanbul.

Throne Room Within

The Throne Room Within (or Hall of Diversions) (Hünkâr Sofası) was renovated in Rococo style under Osman III. This is the most imposing space in the palace. It has the largest dome in the palace. The sultan received here his confidants, guests, his mother, his first wife and his children. It is decorated with blue-and-white Delft glazed tiles and mirrors of Venetian glass. The gilded chairs are a present of the German emperor William II, while the clocks are a gift of the English queen Victoria. There is a secret door behind a mirror to allow the sultan a safe passage. One door admits to the sultan valide's apartments, another to the sultan's hammam. Opposite doors lead to the small dining chamber (rebuilt by Ahmed III and the great bedchamber, while the other admits to a series of ante-chambers, including the room with the fountain (Çeşmeli Sofa), which were all retiled and redecorated in the 17th century. This great bedchamber of Murat III is the oldest and finest surviving room in the harem, having retained its original interior. It was a design of the master architect Sinan and dates from the 16th century. Its dome is only slightly smaller than that of the Throne Room. Its hall has one of the finest doors of the palace and leads past the wing of the crown-princes (Kafes). The room is decorated with blue-and-white and coral-red Iznik tiles. The rich floral designs are framed in thick orange borders of the 1570s. A band of inscriptional tiles runs around the room above the shelf and door level. The large arabesque patterns of the dome have been regilded and repainted in black and red. The large fireplace with gilded hood (ocak) stands opposite a two-tiered fountain (çeşme), skilfully decorated in coloured marble. The flow of water had to prevent any eavesdropping, while providing a relaxed atmosphere to the room. The two gilded baldachin beds date from the 18th century. The Wing of the Crown-princes (Kafes) consists of two rooms dating from the reign of Murat III, but more probably from the reign of Ahmed I. The crown-princes had to live here in seclusion. The pavilion has been completely redecorated and most of the Baroque woodwork has been removed. The tiling has been replaced by modern copies. But the paintwork is still original and is a good example of the rich designs of the late 16th, early 17th centuries. The fireplace in the second room has a fine, gilded hood and has been cleaned to its original splendour. The window shutters next to the fire place are decorated with nacre intarsia. The windows in coloured glass look out across the high terrace and the garden of the pool below. The spigots in these windows are surrounded with red and black and gold designs.On the other side of the great bedchamber are two smaller rooms : first the library of Ahmed I, richly decorated with Iznik glazed tiles. The cabinet doors, the window shutters, a small table and a koran lectern are decorated with nacre and ivory. Next to it lies the small but spectacular dining room of Ahmed III with wall painted with panels of floral designs and bowls of fruit and with an intricate tiles fireplace (ocak).

Next to the carriage entrance to the harem lies the barracks of the royal guard of the Halberdiers of the Long Tresses. it was their duty to carry, with eyes blinkered, logs and heavy loads to the private quarters. These barracks were rebuilt after the fire of 1574 by sultan Murat III. The main barrack hall is still close to the original state. It is a long, lofty hall surrounded by wooden galleries. The lofty hall located next to the dormitory served as the armoury where the halberds could be stored.

Fourth Court

The Fourth Court was more of a private garden of the Sultan and consists of a number of pavilions, kiosks (köşk), gardens and terraces.

The square tower of the Head Physician dates from the 15th century, probably from the reign of Mehmed the Conqueror, and is the oldest building in the Fourth Court. These square towers were at that time quite common in Europe. It has few windows and its walls are almost two metres thick. The physician had his private chamber at the top, while below was a store for drugs and medicaments.

Open recess (iwan) of the Revan Kiosk

The royal architect Hasan Ağa of sultan Murat IV built during 1635-1636 the lovely Revan Kiosk (Revan Köşkü) and in 1638-1639 the Baghdad Kiosk (Bağdat Köşkü) to celebrate the victories at Erevan and Baghdad. Both have projecting eaves, a central dome and interior with recessed cupboards and woodwork with inlaid nacre tesserae. Both are based on the classical four-iwan plan with sofas filling the rectangular bays. The Revan kiosk served as a religious retreat of forty days. It is a rather small pavilion with a central dome, three apses for sofas. The fourth wall contains the door and a fireplace. The wall facing the colonnade is set with marble, the other walls with mediocre Iznik blue-and-white tiles, patterned after those of a century earlier.

Interior of the Baghdad Kiosk

The Baghdad Kiosk is situated on the right side of the terrace with fountain. It closely resembles the Revan Kiosk. The three doors to the porch are located between the sofas. The façade is covered with marble, strips of porphyry and verd antique. The marble paneling of the portico is executed in Cairene Mamluk style. The interior is the perfect Ottoman room. The recessed shelves and cupboards are decorated with early 16th green, yellow and blue tiles. The blue-and-white tiles on the walls are copies of the tiles of the Circumcision Room, right across the terrace. The inlaid doors are among the finest in the palace. On the right side of the entrance is a beautiful fireplace with gilded hood. In the middle of the room is a silver mangal (charcoal stove), a present of the French king Louis XIV. This pavilion was used for some time as a library. Both kiosks have become typical of Islamic and Ottoman palace architecture.

Upper terrace with fountain, Iftar bower and Baghdad kiosk

In 1648 sultan Ibrahim added the Circumcision Room (Sünnet Oda), a handsome pavilion dedicated to the circumcision of young princes, which is a primary rite of passage in Islam. Its interior and exterior are decorated with a mixed collection of recycled tiles such as the matchless blue tiles with flower motifs at the exterior. These once embellished ceremonial buildings of Suleyman the Magnificent, such as the building of the Council Hall and the Inner Treasury (both in the Second Court) and the Throne Room (in the Third Court). They were moved here out of nostalgia and reverence for the golden age of his reign. These tiles then served as prototypes for the decoration of the Revan and Baghdad kiosks. The room itself is well-proportioned and spacious with windows, each with a small fountain. The windows above contain some stained-glass panels. On the right side of the entrance stands a fireplace with a gilded hood. Ibrahim also built the arcaded roof around the Chamber of the Holy Mantle and the upper terrace between this room and the Baghdad kiosk. The gilded Iftar bower offers a magnificent view on the city and the harbour and is a magnet for tourists. Its ridged cradle vault was a first in Ottoman architecture with charming echoes of China and India. The sultans used to come here after sunset during the ramadan.

The rectilinear Kiosk of Kara Mustafa Pasha, or the Sofa Pavilion (Sofa Köşkü) was a belvedere built in the second half of the 16th century. It was to be used by the successive sadrazams (grand vizier or chancellor). It was restored in 1704 by Ahmed III and rebuilt in 1752 by Mahmud I in Rococo style. It is the only wooden building in the palace. It consists of two large rooms with the backside supported by columns. This open building with large windows was originally used as a restroom and later, during the Age of Tulips (1718)1730) as a lodge for guests. It is situated next to the Tulip Garden.

The Kiosk of Abdülmecid (Mecidiye Köşkü), built in 1840, was the last significant addition to the palace. It was built by the sultan as a seaside palace because of its splendid location, giving a magnificent view on the Sea of Marmara and the Bosporus. The architect Sarkis Balyan constructed it in an eclectic Europeanized style, mixed with traditional Ottoman style. It was used occasionally to accommodate foreign guests.

The Dressing Room (Esvab) , just in front of the Kiosk of Abdülmecid, now holds a collection of the kaftans of the sultan.

• Topkapi Palace Visit Map Audioguide Seslirehber

Other notable features

Drinking fountain of Ahmed III, in front of the palace

The great square fountain is a Rococo building in front of the palace gate that was built under Ahmed III in 1728. It was a social centre and gathering place. Each of the four façades contain a drinking fountain (çeşme), flanked by niches and decorated in low relief with foliate and floral designs. On each corner is a triple-grilled sebil (water tank from which an attendant issued cups of water from behind a grille). Above the drinking fountains is an elegant frieze with a long poem in calligraphy, dedicated to water, framed in blue and red bands. The roof is formed by a central dome, rising from an octagonal drum, and a little turret on each of the four corners. The ceiling is elaborately panelled.

See also

• Ottoman architecture
• Dolmabahçe Palace
• Topkapi manuscript
• Islamic architecture
• Gülhane Park

• File:Tpt 2.jpg
• File:Tkt1001.jpg
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  Topkapi Palace from Galata Bridge
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  The palace cutlery
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  Fourt courtyard
• The gardens
  The gardens
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  The underground cisterns
• Topkapı Palace gardens
  Topkapı Palace gardens
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  Another view of the Topkapı Palace garden
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  Topkapı Palace Crescent
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  Topkapı Palace Interior
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  Topkapı Palace Wall
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  Topkapı Palace Window View
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  Topkapı Palace Windows

References

• Goodwin G., A History of Ottoman Architecture; Thames & Hudson Ltd., London, reprinted 2003; ISBN 0-500-27429-0
• Turhan Can, Topkapi Palace, Orient Turistik Yayinlar Ve Hizmetler Ltd., Istanbul, 1994;
• Turner, J. (ed.) - Grove Dictionary of Art - Oxford University Press, USA; New edition (January 2, 1996); ISBN 0-19-517068-7
• Ertug, Ahmet. Topkapi : The Palace of felicity. Istanbul: Ertug and Koluk. pp. 244 pages.
• İpşiroğlu, M S (1980). Masterpieces from the Topkapı Museum : paintings and miniatures. London: Thames and Hudson. pp. 150 pages. ISBN 0500233233.

Literature

• Godfrey Goodwin. Topkapi Palace: An Illustrated Guide to its Life and Personalities. Saqi Books. 2000. ISBN 0863560679
• Topkapi Palace, The Imperial Treasury. MAS Publications. 2001. ISBN 9757710040
• Gülru Necipoglu. Architecture, Ceremonial, and Power: The Topkapi Palace in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries. The MIT Press. 1992. ISBN 978-0262140508
• Karaz Claire. Topkapi Palace Inside and Out: A Guide to the Topkapi Palace Museum and Grounds. Citlembik Publications. 2004. ISBN 978-9756663493

External links

• Official website in Turkish and English
• Topkapi Palace Pictures
• Guide to Topkapı Palace at Bilkent University
• Bilkent University web site Floor plan of Topkapı Palace
• OsmanliMedeniyeti.com An article about the building of Topkapı Palace Template:Tr icon
• Information about Topkapı Palace
• Topkapı Palace photos from wowturkey.com
• Informational website at Bilkent University
• Topkapi Palace Photos & Suleiman the Magnificent
• , Audioguide Seslirehber

41.013°N 28.984°E / 41.013; 28.984