Turkey In Photos - Topkapi Palace

Topkapi Palace was built between 1465 and 1477 after the conquerence of Istanbul in 1453, a couple of years before the death of Fatih Sultan Mehmet. For about 380 years, Topkapi Palace was the Imperial Palace and house of the Sultans.  Topkapi Palace is the oldest and biggest palace that has survived until today.  Unlike any European Palace, its architecture is dominantly Middle Eastern in character. The initial construction was Cinili Mansion, a Glass Palace finished in 1472, and the imposing main gate facing Sultanahmet, Bab-i Humayun, and the Palace ramparts, were completed in 1478.

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Topkapi Palace was built on a land about 700,000 square meters.  There were originally 750 residents of the Topkapi Palace, during Fatih’s period, which became drastically more congested reaching 5,000 during normal days and 10,000 during festivals. Extensions had to be built, and the harem was completed in 1595 during the third Sultan Murad’s era, after which the harem residents were moved in from the palace at Beyazit, with a total of 474 concubines. The Harem, meaning “forbidden” in the Arabic language, was the suite of apartments in the palace belonging to wives, concubines and children of the Sultan. Around the Harem there were, Circumsion Room, the apartments of the Chief Black Eunuch, and apartments of the sultan, in total over 400 rooms. Other important spots in the Topkapi Palace are the Kasikci Diamond (the fourth largest diamond in the world), the Topkapi Palace Dagger, a vast collection of paintings and miniatures, and the Pavilion of the Holy Mantle.