Topkapi Palace, Istanbul – Turkey
topkapi, palace, istanbul, heritage, turkey
Sultan Mehmet the Ottoman Conqueror built the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul shortly after he conquered the city in the 15th century. The palace was expanded by successive sultans, and remained the sultan’s residence for the Ottoman Empire for over 400 years. It has opulent rooms, fine art collections, and peaceful courtyards, and is one of the highlights of the city. When looking at a map of Topkapi, the palace complex looks immense. The palace has been a museum since 1924. Like many national museums, visitors can easily spend at least a day exploring all of the buildings and grounds. Visitors with less time will have to do what we did–choose a few exhibits to tour and hope to return someday for more.
The palace has four courtyards, each of which is more private than the first. The Imperial Gate leads to the first courtyard, and the twin towers of the Gate of Salutations serve as the entry to the second courtyard of Topkapi Palace. Each of the buildings inside harbors a different type of treasure. For example, the old kitchen houses a wonderful collection of priceless Chinese porcelain and some huge ancient kitchen utensils. The Treasury has exquisite jewels, many of which are embedded in daggars, chainmail, or other weapons of war. The Treasury also has golden thrones encrusted with precious stones and the 86-carat Spoonmaker’s Diamond, the 5th largest in the world, which once adorned the turban of Mehmet IV.
Some of the relics in the Topkapi Palace are harder to authenticate. Among them is a cabinet containing bones from the skull and hands of John the Baptist. The Pavilion of the Holy Mantle has some of the holiest relics of Islam, most of which found their way to Istanbul during the reign of Selim the Grim who conquered both Egypt and Arabia. The most sacred treasure is the mantle once worn by the Prophet Mohammed. A holy man continually chants passages from the Koran night and day over a gold chest containing the mantle. In the same room are hairs from Mohammed, two of his swords, a letter written by him and an impression of his footprint. Source: kusadasi.tv
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