The incredible Topkapi Palace

After the conquest of Istanbul in 1453, construction of the Topkapi Palace began in 1460 at the request of Fatih Sultan Mehmet and was completed in 1478. Topkapi Palace, like Dolmabahçe Palace, was gradually extended with additional buildings until the 19th century.

Topkapi Palace is located in one of Istanbul's oldest historic districts. It is located on Istanbul's historic peninsula, between the Sea of Marmara, the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn. The palace is considered one of Istanbul's most emblematic structures.

Topkapi Palace, built over an area of 700,000 square metres, was the administrative, educational and artistic centre of the empire for around 400 years, from Fatih Sultan Mehmet to the 31st Sultan Abdülmecid. In the 1850s, Topkapi Palace no longer met the needs of the sultans, so they moved to Dolmabahçe Palace near the Bosphorus. It was converted into a museum in the 1920s after the fall of the Ottoman monarchy.

The palace has been damaged by fire and earthquakes, but it is still a very beautiful place. Parts of the harem were rebuilt after a fire in 1666.

A walk through the palace takes you along the Golden Way, a corridor so named because the sultan used to throw gold coins into it for his servants. The only remaining buildings dating from the 15th and 16th centuries house the Ceramics Pavilion.

After the creation of the Republic of Turkey, the palace became a museum in 1924. It houses the largest collection of personal effects and manuscripts from the Ottoman Empire. The ornate structure has four impressive courtyards that breathe the history of the Ottoman Empire and are themselves architectural marvels.

The Topkapi Palace is a massive structure with several courtyards and over 400 rooms of residential and administrative quarters. It bears witness to the sumptuous lifestyle that members of the Ottoman royal family led. Each room is decorated with beautiful tiles, ornate motifs and inscriptions. The palace also has an exhibition of Ottoman jewellery, armour and other ornaments.

The Harem is undoubtedly the most opulent part of the palace. This private space was home to the sultan and his family. Today, it boasts richly decorated marble corridors, arched doorways and over 400 rooms.

The Harem of Topkapi Palace was built towards the end of the 16th century and consisted of around a hundred magnificently tiled rooms linked to courtyards and gardens with fountains. It was home to more than a thousand black women, children and eunuchs.

From Mehmed II onwards, more than 30 sultans ruled from Topkapi Square for almost four centuries. The sultans frequently renovated and extended the palace, resulting in Ottoman, European and Islamic architecture and décor.