Topkapi Palace
Topkapi Palace |
Topkapi Palace |
On a finger of land at the confluence of the
Bosphorus, the Golden Horn and the Sea of
Marmara stands the Topkapi Palace, that maze of
buildings that was the focal point of the
Ottoman Empire between the l5thand l9th
centuries. In these opulent surroundings the
sultans and their court live dand governed. A
magnificent wooded garden fills the outer, or
first, court. In the second court, on the right,
shaded by cypress and plane trees, stand the
palace kitchens, which now serve as galleries
exhibiting the imperial collections of crystal,
silver and Chinese porcelain.
Throne at Harem |
To the left is the Harem, the secluded
quarters of the wives, concubines, and children
of the sultan, charming visitors with echoes of
centuries of intrigue. Today the third court
holds the Hall of Audience, the Library of Ahmet
III, an exhibition of imperial costumes worn by
the sultans and their families, the famous
jewels of the treasury and a priceless
collection of miniatures from medieval
manuscripts. In the center of this innermost
sanctuary, the Pavilion of the Holy Mantle
enshrines the relics of the Prophet Muhammed
brought to Istanbul when the Ottomans assumed
the caliphate of Islam.
