Topkapı Palace

About Topkapı Palace

Palace museum in Istanbul, Turkey

Topkapı Palace is the largest palace in Istanbul and was the main residence of the Ottoman sultans and the administrative centre of the empire for some four centuries, from the 1460s until the court moved to Dolmabahçe Palace in 1856. Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror ordered its construction in 1459, six years after the conquest of Constantinople, on the tip of the historic peninsula overlooking the Bosphorus, the Golden Horn and the Sea of Marmara. It was first called the New Palace to distinguish it from the Old Palace in Beyazıt Square and took the name Topkapı, "Cannon Gate", in the 19th century. The complex grew over the centuries and was rebuilt after the 1509 earthquake and the 1665 fire; at its height some 4,000 people lived here. The palace consists of four successive courtyards of increasing privacy and grandeur. The second court holds the Imperial Council building where the grand vizier and ministers met, the palace kitchens with their collection of Chinese porcelain, and the entrance to the Harem, where the sultan's family lived. The third court contains the Audience Hall, the Imperial Treasury with its famous jewels and the Topkapı Dagger, and the Chamber of the Sacred Relics, which preserves precious Islamic relics including the mantle of the Prophet Muhammad, his sword and bow, the swords of the first caliphs and keys of the Kaaba, with continuous Qur'an recitation. The fourth court is given over to gardens and pavilions with sweeping views over the Bosphorus. After the fall of the Ottoman Empire a decree of 3 April 1924 turned the palace into a museum. It has formed part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Historic Areas of Istanbul" since 1985 and is one of the city's most visited monuments.

Where:

Istanbul, Türkiye